Air-Liquid Amine Contactor with V-Shaped Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air-liquid contactors are ineffective in removing carbon dioxide from process air to combat climate change, and they suffer from limited scalability and increased pressure drop, which hinders their ability to meet carbon reduction goals effectively.
Innovation Solution
An air-liquid contactor with variably sized plenum bodies made of chemically resistant materials, featuring a manifold that distributes liquid amine evenly through V-shaped channels, maximizing contact area and allowing for scalable design to increase carbon dioxide extraction capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional zeolite systems or filter membranes are used for CO2 removal, then carbon dioxide extraction can be achieved, but the loading capacity is limited and pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a liquid amine contactor system where liquid amine flows through channels to absorb CO2 from process air. The hydraulic flow of liquid amine through the contactor provides high loading capacity while maintaining low pressure drop compared to solid zeolite systems, as the liquid phase allows for optimized flow paths and reduced resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameter from solid (zeolite) to liquid (amine) for the absorbent material. This parameter change enables higher CO2 loading capacity and reduces pressure drop by allowing continuous flow and better mass transfer characteristics in the liquid phase compared to solid bed systems.
2Productivity
If the contactor size is increased to improve CO2 removal capacity, then carbon extraction efficiency increases, but the system becomes less adaptable to different building applications
Solution Approach 1:
The contactor is divided into multiple modular channels that can be arranged in parallel or series configurations. This segmentation allows the system to be scaled by adding or removing modules rather than redesigning the entire system, enabling adaptation to different building sizes and CO2 removal requirements while maintaining efficient contact between liquid amine and process air.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a three-dimensional channel structure with vertical and horizontal flow paths that maximize contact area within a compact footprint. By optimizing the spatial arrangement of channels and flow directions, the system achieves high productivity without proportionally increasing overall system size, thereby maintaining adaptability to various building constraints.
3Reliability
If the contactor uses chemically resistant materials to handle liquid amine, then system reliability improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contactor channels and plenums are constructed from a single homogeneous material (such as stainless steel or chemically resistant plastic) throughout the wetted surfaces. This uniform material selection ensures consistent chemical resistance to liquid amine while simplifying manufacturing compared to composite or multi-material constructions that would require complex joining and sealing processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly increases carbon dioxide capture capacity, exceeds traditional zeolite systems' loading, and reduces pressure drop, enabling the contactor to be easily scaled and integrated into building air-handling systems, effectively supporting carbon reduction goals.
Implementation Method 1
The carbon dioxide is captured and sequestered in the liquid amine
Implementation Method 2
V-shaped channels which maximize the contact area between the process air and the liquid amine
Implementation Method 3
separated in a downstream process using a thermal cycle
Data Source
AI summary
An air-liquid amine contactor for gaseous carbon dioxide extraction includes a manifold and a contactor. The manifold dispenses liquid amine into the contactor in a controlled manner. The liquid amine dispenses as a film that spreads over a plurality of plenum bodies mounted within the manifold. Each of the plurality of plenum bodies includes a plurality of V-shaped channels which increase the overall surface area of the plenum body. The plurality of V-shaped channels includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall positioned at an angle ranging from 24 to 28 degrees to each other. Further, each of the plurality of wedge-inserts includes a first fluid orifice, a second fluid orifice, and an inlet orifice. Each wedge-insert is positioned within a corresponding V-shaped channel. Finally, the contactor is mounted adjacent to the contactor which positions the plurality of V-shaped channels perpendicular to a bottom surface of the manifold.