CFD modelling of CO2 adsorption onto activated carbon : Insights into reactor and process design
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A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
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en
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17
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Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, Volume 75
Abstract
In this study, a coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Linear Driving Force (LDF) model was developed to simulate CO adsorption onto activated carbon which is a promising approach for carbon capture and storage systems. The model captures the dynamic interplay between fluid flow, heat transfer, and adsorption within a packed bed, and was validated against experimental data. Parametric studies revealed that increasing bed porosity from 0.1 to 0.7 accelerated adsorption by up to 22%, but reduced total CO uptake by over 66% due to lower adsorbent mass. An annular-shaped reactor with dual cooling surfaces reduced breakthrough time by 60% compared to the standard cylindrical reactor, with only a 10% increase in specific energy usage. Radial CO injection also improved adsorption kinetics over standard reactor. Additionally, raising the inlet pressure from 3 bar to 5 bar increased CO uptake by 35% with a 17% rise in energy consumption, while increasing the cooling temperature from 5 °C to 10 °C reduced uptake by 11% and lowered energy use by 15%. These results offer design-level insights for optimizing CO capture systems under realistic process conditions.Description
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Sefidan, A M & Vepsalainen, J 2025, 'CFD modelling of CO2 adsorption onto activated carbon : Insights into reactor and process design', Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, vol. 75, 107055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2025.107055