Modeling and Parameter Estimation of a Plate Heat Exchanger as Part of a Solvent-Based Post-Combustion CO2 capture system.

Abstract

A mathematical model of a plate heat exchanger (PHE) as part of an amine scrubbing process for post-combustion CO2 capture has been developed and implemented in the Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES) process system engineering (PSE) framework. The thermal model is based on the effectiveness-Number of Transfer Units (ε-NTU) approach where the non-smooth min-max capacitance rates are replaced by smooth functions to improve convergence characteristics of the optimization problem. Parameters for the convective heat transfer coefficient correlations are estimated using the data from National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). The simulation results are found to be in good agreement with the pilot plant data. The model can be utilized for optimizing PHE designs to maximize energy efficiency.