Thermodynamic Analysis, Energy Integration and Flowsheet Improvement of a Methanol Absorption Acid Gas Removal Process

Abstract

This paper analyses the thermodynamic performance and proposes different energy integration schemes for a methanol absorption based acid gas removal process, namely the Rectisol® process specifically designed for the selective removal of H2S and CO2 from coal derived syngas. The study consists of three major tasks:Calibrating the PC-SAFT equation of state for MEOH-CO2-H2S-H2-CO mixtures at conditions relevant for the Rectisol® process. Evaluating the thermodynamic performances and optimising the energy integration of the “Reference” scheme by means of “heat-cascade” based optimisation methodology. Identifying attractive process modifications on the basis of Process Integration principles.