EP-4735164-A2 - STRUCTURED CROSS-CHANNEL PACKING ELEMENT FOR FOULING AND CORROSION SENSITIVE APPLICATIONS

EP4735164A2EP 4735164 A2EP4735164 A2EP 4735164A2EP-4735164-A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of contacting a gas containing carbon dioxide with a liquid, which is an aqueous solution comprising i) one or more ions being selected from the group consisting of alkaline metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions and combinations thereof and/or ii) one or more cations or elements being no alkaline metal ions and no alkaline earth metal ions, but being able to chemically bond with a carbonate group so as to form one or more solid carbonate salts, in a column for mass transfer and/or heat exchange comprising at least one structured cross-channel packing element, wherein the contact of the gas with the liquid may lead to corrosion of the material of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element and/or to the formation of a solid precipitate, wherein the at least one structured cross-channel packing element is a block comprising a plurality of sheets with periodic deformations, wherein the sheets are arranged in the longitudinal direction parallel and in touching contact with each other so that an open space extending from one end to the opposite end of the sheets is provided between them, wherein the open space is defined by the periodic deformations, wherein adjacent sheets are oriented such that the periodic deformations of the adjacent sheets intersect in crisscross fashion with each other, wherein the sheets are non-perforated and made of a plastic, a metal or a metal alloy, and wherein the sheets are held together without any fixation means or with one or more ties or wires surrounding the plurality of sheets of the at least one structured crosschannel packing element.

Inventors

AUSNER, ILJA
MONDELLI, Cecilia
TSOUKALOU, Athanasia

Assignees

Sulzer Management AG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240625

Claims (15)

1 . A method of contacting a gas containing carbon dioxide with a liquid, which is an aqueous solution comprising i) one or more ions being selected from the group consisting of alkaline metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions and combinations thereof and/or ii) one or more cations or elements being no alkaline metal ions and no alkaline earth metal ions, but being able to chemically bond with a carbonate group so as to form one or more solid carbonate salts, in a column (10) for mass transfer and/or heat exchange comprising at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14), wherein the contact of the gas with the liquid may lead to corrosion of the material of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14) and/or to the formation of a solid precipitate, wherein the at least one structured crosschannel packing element (14) is a block comprising a plurality of sheets (24, 24’) with periodic deformations, wherein the sheets (24, 24’) are arranged in the longitudinal direction (V) parallel and in touching contact with each other so that an open space (30) extending from one end to the opposite end of the sheets (24, 24’) is provided between them, wherein the open space (30) is defined by the periodic deformations, wherein adjacent sheets (24, 24’) are oriented such that the periodic deformations of the adjacent sheets (24, 24’) intersect in crisscross fashion with each other, wherein the sheets (24, 24’) are non-perforated and made of a plastic, a metal or a metal alloy, and wherein the sheets (24, 24’) are held together without any fixation means or with one or more ties (32) or wires surrounding the plurality of sheets (24, 24’) of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14).
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one structured crosschannel packing element (14) does not comprise any drill hole and does not comprise any welded part.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheets (24, 24’) of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14) are held together without any fixation means or are held together with one or more strapping ties (32) or wires being made of a plastic, of a metal or of a metal alloy and preferably of a plastic.
4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheets (24, 24’) of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14) are made of a metal or a metal alloy being selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloys, copper, copper alloys, gold, gold alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, zirconium, zirconium alloys, nickel, nickel-chrome alloys, silicon, silicon alloys and arbitrary combinations of two or more of the aforementioned materials.
5. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheets (24, 24’) of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14) have been prepared with a cutting method making use of water jets, cooled cutting disks or profiled scissors.
6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the gas is pure carbon dioxide, air or a flue gas.
7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid is a basic aqueous solution and preferably a basic aqueous solution comprising ammonia.
8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution comprises as alkaline metal ion and/or alkaline earth metal ion one or more ions being selected from the group consisting of calcium ions, magnesium ions, potassium ions, strontium ions and arbitrary combinations thereof.
9. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution comprises as cation or element being no alkaline metal ions and no alkaline earth metal ions, but being able to chemically bond with a carbonate group forming one or more solid carbonate salts, one or more ions or elements being selected from the group consisting of sulfur, boron ions, silicon ions, iron ions and arbitrary combinations thereof.
10. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one, preferably some and more preferably all of the periodic deformations of adjacent sheets (24, 24’) of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14) comprise(s) an indentation which avoids a touching contact in the area of the indentation with a periodic deformation of an adjacent sheet (24, 24’) so that the total number of contact points between adjacent sheets (24, 24’) is reduced compared to a structured cross-channel packing element (14) without any indentations.
11 . The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the periodic deformations of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14) are corrugations comprising a plurality of alternately oriented peaks (26, 26’) and valleys (28, 28’), wherein the peaks (26) of a sheet (24) contact the valleys (28’) of an adjacent sheet (24’) and the valleys (28) of a sheet (24) contact the peaks (26’) of an adjacent sheet (24), wherein adjacent sheets (24, 24’) are oriented such that the peaks (26, 26’) and valleys (28, 28’) of the adjacent sheets (24, 24’) intersect in crisscross fashion with the peaks (26, 26’) and valleys (28, 28’) of the sheets (24, 24’) extending obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction (V).
12. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the column (10) comprises a structured packing bed (12, 12’), which comprises at least two layers (13, 13’), wherein the at least two layers (13, 13’) are stacked vertically above each other, and wherein the at least two layers (13, 13’) comprise each at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14).
13. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the structured cross-channel packing elements (14) of a layer (13, 13’) are rotated by 70 to 110°, preferably by 80 to 100°, more preferably by 85 to 95° and most preferably by 88 to 92° with regard to an adjacent structured crosschannel packing element (14) of an adjacent layer (13, 13’) of the structured packing bed (12, 12’).
14. A structured cross-channel packing element (14), which is a block comprising a plurality of sheets (24, 24’) with periodic deformations, wherein the sheets (24, 24’) are arranged in the longitudinal direction (V) parallel and in touching contact with each other so that an open space (30) extending from one end to the opposite end of the sheets (24, 24’) is provided between them, wherein the open space (30) is defined by the periodic deformations, wherein adjacent sheets (24, 24’) are oriented such that the periodic deformations of the adjacent sheets (24, 24’) intersect in crisscross fashion with each other, wherein the sheets (24, 24’) are non-perforated and made of a plastic, a metal or a metal alloy, and wherein the sheets (24, 24’) are held together without any fixation means or with one or more ties (32) or wires surrounding the plurality of sheets (24, 24’) of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element (14).
15. The structured cross-channel packing element (14) according to claim 14, wherein the structured cross-channel packing element (14) does not comprise any drill hole and does not comprise any welded part.

Description

Structured cross-channel packing element for fouling and corrosion sensitive applications The present invention relates to a method of contacting a gas with a liquid in a column for mass transfer and/or heat exchange, wherein the contact of the gas with the liquid may lead to corrosion of the material used in the column and/or to the formation of a solid precipitate. The present invention also relates to a structured cross-channel packing element, to a structured packing bed and to a mass transfer and/or heat exchange column. Methods of contacting a gas with a liquid in a column for mass transfer and/or heat exchange, such as absorption methods, wherein the contact of the gas with the liquid may lead to corrosion of the material used in the column and/or to the formation of a solid precipitate, are challenging, since the corrosion limits the lifespan of the column and the deposition of solid precipitate limits the capacity and efficiency of the mass transfer and/or heat exchange column. An important example for such a method is the capture of carbon dioxide as solid carbonate salt by contacting in an absorption column a carbon dioxide containing gas with a basic aqueous solution comprising for instance ammonia and calcium chloride so as to convert the carbon dioxide into solid calcium carbonate. Such a method is for instance described in US 10,322,371 B2. However, the capacity as well as the efficiency of the respective absorption method is in need of improvement. In order to increase the capacity as well as the efficiency of the respective absorption method it would be desirable to improve the mass transfer and heat exchange between the gas phase and the liquid phase, for instance by using one or more column internals, such as contact trays, random packings or structured packings. However, due to the corrosive nature of the used liquid the respective internal being usually made of steel will deteriorate within short term so that it has to be replaced, which leads to significantly high capital expenditures and operational costs. On account of this reason, mass and heat transfer columns with such internals are not used in such methods being performed in industrial scale. In view of this, the object underlying the present invention is to provide a method of contacting a gas with a liquid in a column for mass transfer and/or heat exchange, wherein the contact of the gas with the liquid may lead to corrosion of the material used in the column and/or to the formation of a solid precipitate, such as in particular a method for the capture of carbon dioxide as solid carbonate salt by contacting in an absorption column a carbon dioxide containing gas with an aqueous solution comprising an ion or element being able to chemically bond with a carbonate group forming one or more solid carbonate salts, for instance a method of contacting a carbon dioxide containing gas with a basic aqueous solution, preferably comprising ammonia, and further comprising calcium ions and/or magnesium ions, which is characterized by a high capacity and efficiency as well as by low capital expenditures and operational costs. In accordance with the present invention, this object is solved by a method of contacting a gas containing carbon dioxide with a liquid, which is an aqueous solution comprising i) one or more ions being selected from the group consisting of alkaline metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions and combinations thereof and/or ii) one or more cations or elements being no alkaline metal ions and no alkaline earth metal ions, but being able to chemically bond with a carbonate group so as to form one or more solid carbonate salts, in a column for mass transfer and/or heat exchange comprising at least one structured cross-channel packing element, wherein preferably the contact of the gas with the liquid may lead to corrosion of the material of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element and/or to the formation of a solid precipitate, wherein the at least one structured cross-channel packing element is a block comprising a plurality of sheets with periodic deformations, wherein the sheets are arranged in the longitudinal direction parallel and in touching contact with each other so that an open space extending from one end to the opposite end of the sheets is provided between them, wherein the open space is defined by the periodic deformations, wherein adjacent sheets are oriented such that the periodic deformations of the adjacent sheets intersect in crisscross fashion with each other, wherein the sheets are non-perforated and made of a plastic, a metal or a metal alloy, and wherein the sheets are held together without any fixation means or with one or more ties or wires surrounding the plurality of sheets of the at least one structured cross-channel packing element. This solution bases in the finding that by avoiding the usual fixation means for structured cross-channel packing elements, which are rods, screws, nai