Predicticting performance of carbon capture in intensified rotating packed beds using CFD

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Carbon capture is considered the only technology able to decarbonise thehard-to-abate industries. Many of these industries utilise legacy sites with littlespace for large new unit operations required in conventional carbon capture.Rotating packed beds (RPB) look to solve this problem by intensifying carboncapture and reducing the footprint required by up to ten times, while alsosignificantly decreasing the capital cost of these units. When combined withproprietary solvents, it is believed the cost of capture can be reduced to$30/tonne CO2 in some cases, helping to enable the rapid uptake of carboncapture and progression towards net zero.RPB is a novel technology that utilises the principles of process intensificationto enhance the performance of mass transfer processes between fluids. Giventhe application of RPB to the field of CO2 capture is relatively new, there isuncertainty regarding the impact of different process variables on theperformance of the RPB that would otherwise require a significant amount ofpractical experimentation to investigate. Computational fluid dynamics canenable the process to be accurately modelled, allowing for quick andinexpensive prediction of performance under various conditions.In this project a rotating packed bed absorber will be modelled in AnsysFLUENT, with validation of the model's outputs through use of the 1 tonnes ofCO2 per day (TPD) pilot-scale rotating packed bed absorber at the University ofSheffield's Translational Energy Research Centre. Initial research will involveinvestigating the impact of operational conditions and physical properties ofthe solvent on capture performance. As the project continues, the scope willwiden to include sensitivity analysis of design parameters and the impact ofscaling the RPB absorber on the existing project outputs and learnings.Additionally, further rotating unit operations could also be investigated.This project will utilise and develop your knowledge surrounding CFDmodelling, mass and heat transfer, reaction kinetics and chemical equilibria.You will work closely with Carbon Clean, a global leader in the development ofcarbon capture technology and pioneers in the use of RPB for industrialdecarbonisation. Your findings could directly impact the design and operationof commercial working carbon capture facilities, supporting the pathway to netzero