CO2RemovalSystems.PDFVIP

Increasing Efficiency of Hot Potassium Carbonate CO2 Removal Systems Stanislav Milidovich, P.E. and Edward Zbacnik UOP LLC ABSTRACT The UOP Benfield? Process is the original hot potassium carbonate technology widely used in the ammonia industry for CO2 removal downstream of the steam reformer. With experience in over 700 licensed units, UOP has developed significant advances in the technology and continues to support the industry with opportunities to improve existing unit performance. This technical paper will provide information on three types of unit upgrades: addition of advanced chemical activators, implementation of energy-saving semi-lean solution flash technology, and increasing capacity with high-efficiency tower internals and packing. Introduction The Hot Potassium Carbonate Process (HPC) originated from research work done by the US Bureau of Mines (USBM), between 1940 and 1960. The original justification was to determine how to convert coal to gaseous and/or liquid fuels. If the coal could be gasified, followed by the removal of CO2 and sulfur compounds, the resulting product would be mostly a mixture of hydrogen and CO, also called synthesis gas. The synthesis gas can be used as a chemical plant feedstock, converted to substitute for natural gas, or processed further to produce synthetic gasoline. While gasifying the coal is relatively easy, treating the resulting hot gas is more difficult. Scrubbing this gas while hot is more desirable than cooling it because heavier hydrocarbons and tar-like compounds can condense at cooler temperatures. The solvents available at that time for acid gas removal were water, monoethanolamine (MEA), and other amines. These solvents require operating temperatures below 125°F (50°C) in order to prevent solvent degradation. Water could be used to remove CO2, but it is very inefficient and does not provide acceptable treated gas purity. Caustic solutions, either NaOH or KOH could remove the acid gases very effectively, but cou