Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Intensified packing”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Optimal Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of 3D-Printed, Intensified Packings for Absorbers and Strippers in Solvent-Based CO 2 Capture

A potential technology for the CO 2 absorption process is utilizing intensified structured packing with embedded cooling/heating channels for continuous heat exchange, which can overcome limitations of discrete methods, such as discrete intercooling and centralized reboilers, to aid in reducing energy consumption and decreasing costs. This work investigates the modeling of intensified packing (IP) for the stripper tower, extending on previous work for the absorber, which distributes heat internally within the column, improving the thermodynamics for the solvent regeneration process. The model includes submodels for steam turbine extraction to produce steam at various qualities as well as a surrogate model for calculating steam enthalpy. A cost model for a plant-scale absorption capture process was developed, allowing for the design of the plant to be optimized, subject to minimizing capture cost using two different power plant flue gas sources. In this optimization, the placement of IP in both towers is optimized to balance the trade-off between enhanced heat transfer and reduced mass transfer volume. For natural gas combined cycle flue gas, the standard process configuration had a minimum cost of $\$$65.40/tonne CO 2 , and considering IP, the minimum capture cost is reduced to $\$$62.73/tonne, with utilization in the stripper column, which reduces yearly costs by up to $\$$2.67 MM/yr. Cooling the absorber through IP, or intercoolers, was only found to be beneficial at higher capture rates, with IP in both towers having a cost of capture of $\$$68.08/tonne at 99.9% capture, a reduction of $\$$12.64/tonne when using only intercoolers at the same capture rate. When capturing from pulverized-coal power plants, the minimum cost of capture when using IP in both towers is $\$$44.18/tonne (at 97% capture), while the standard configuration with and without intercoolers was $\$$45.69 and $\$$47.22 per tonne, respectively. This results in a reduction in yearly costs of $\$$16.98 MM/yr from the base-case configuration. At this higher CO 2 concentration, cooling in the absorber from the IP becomes extremely beneficial, reducing energy consumption by up to 6%.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Influence of design and operating parameters for additively manufactured intensified packing devices on CO 2 -Absorption column cooling and capture efficiency

Solvent-based CO 2 absorption is technologically a matured CO 2 capture pathway but suffers from: high regeneration energy demand, and solvent temperature rise and decreased capture efficiency caused by the heat of reaction. While research has focused on developing non-aqueous and low-aqueous solvents for decreasing the regeneration energy, the temperature bulge due to exothermic absorption is typically dealt with by cooling the solvent with an external inter-stage heat-exchanger. This approach may increase the overall process footprint, as well as capital and operating costs. Here, the current study explores a process intensification approach by incorporating inside the column an additively manufactured intensified packing device that consists of corrugated plates and internal coolant channels. The corrugated plates provide surface area for mass transfer between gas and liquid, while cooling fluid inside the internal channels removes heat from the exothermic reactive system. Two different intensified devices with specific surface areas of 266 m 2 /m 3 and 359 m 2 /m 3 were designed, manufactured, and tested inside a 2.06-m long and 0.203-m diameter column packed with commercial Mellapak 250Y packing. The device with a lower surface area showed up to 27 % reduction in cooling performance. A steady-state heat transfer model provides good agreement with the experimental column temperature and intra-stage heat removal data. Although a decrease in heat transfer performance was observed for the device with lower surface area, CO 2 capture experiments performed with simulated flue gas and low-aqueous solvent demonstrated that both intensified devices lead to a similar improvement of 12 % in capture efficiency. This study provides an understanding on simplifying the intensified packing device geometry and decreasing the device fabrication cost by 25 % without compromising with the CO 2 absorption performance of the packed column.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Techno-Economic Optimization of a Solvent Absorption Process for CO2 Capture with 3D-Printed Intensified Packing

Presentation given at the 2024 annual AICHE meeting held October 27-31, 2024. The presentation focuses on modeling performance and economics of a solvent absorption system for CO2 capture with towers utilizing intensified packing. The packing is an alternative to traditional structured packing by incorporating cooling channel for simultaneous mass and heat transfer.

Summits, Stephen↗
DOE OSTI2020

Process intensification of CO 2 absorption using a 3D printed intensified packing device

In this study, we present a first of its kind demonstration of successful enhancement of CO 2 chemical absorption, under selected conditions, using a process intensification approach. A multifunctional device that integrates contact of phases and heat exchange has been developed, characterized, and tested. Heat transfer analysis has demonstrated the efficacy of the device as a heat exchanger, and mass transfer results have shown substantial improvement in the uptake of CO 2 under a range of operating conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Process intensification of CO 2 capture by low-aqueous solvent

Low-energy solvent-based CO 2 absorption processes have drawn attention as a next-generation post-combustion CO 2 capture technology to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuel– or biomass-fired power generation and industrial flue gas streams. A low-aqueous (or water-lean) solvent process may substantially reduce the thermal energy consumption for solvent regeneration. Low-aqueous solvent–based processes are thermally sensitive, requiring a delicate temperature control within the absorber because of the fast exothermic amine-CO 2 reaction and low heat capacity organic diluent. This reaction may result in heat accumulation in a packed absorption column and undesirable CO 2 desorption occurring as the solvent moves through the column, reducing the solvent’s CO 2 capture efficiency if its temperature is not controlled. Using a 3D printed intensified packing device, enhanced heat and mass transfer were demonstrated in an amine-CO 2 scrubbing process using low-aqueous solvent. The multifunctional intensified device facilitates contact of the reactive solvent and gas phases in a single stage and heat removal by a cooling fluid flowing through channels in the interior of the corrugated plates of the device. These functionalities led to effective thermal management along the column via intrastage cooling and significant improvement in CO 2 uptake under a wide range of operating conditions. Intrastage cooling effectively reduced the solvent average temperature along the column by ~10 °C and, as a result, the solvent’s capture efficiency improved by up to 25%.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mass transfer intensification through increased surface wetting and liquid turbulence using 3D printing structured packing for CO2 capture

The absorber column is one of the most expensive pieces of equipment to construct in the solvent-based post-combustion carbon capture unit. In order to decrease the absorber size and reduce capital costs, novel polymer packings were proposed by enhancing surface wettability and local turbulence within liquid solvent. The novel packings intensify the mass transfer in CO2 absorption and show better separation efficiency than traditional structured packings. In this work, the economic influence of applying the more efficient packing with a shorter absorber column is studied in a techno-economic analysis for a carbon capture unit at a coal-fired power plant. The baseline case includes CO2 capture unit in a supercritical pulverized coal power plant to generate 650 MWe (net) of electricity, where the additional CO2 capture unit leads to 63.4% increase of LCOE. While implementing UK PCC with traditional and novel packings, there will be 47.2% and 46.4% LCOE increase separately, both of which are lower than the baseline value. Applying more efficient packing and smaller absorber could further lessen the LCOE increase. The UK PCC with traditional packings reduces CO2 capture cost by 23.4% and the application of the advanced packings allows to the reduction increases to 24.4%.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optimal Design and Operation of Intensified Absorbers with 3D-Printed Packing for Solvent-Based CO 2 Capture

Many potential solvent-based carbon capture processes suffer from a high heat of absorption of CO 2 that adversely affects the thermodynamic driving force. While interstage coolers are often used for removing a portion of the generated heat by removing the solvent or a portion of the solvent from a stage and cooling and returning it back to the absorber, they can be placed only at discrete locations in the tower. This work investigates intensified absorbers with 3D-printed packing that includes an internal cooler and therefore can be potentially used for maximizing the operational efficiency of the absorbers for CO 2 capture. The intensified absorber is modeled by using a generic, first-principles, equation-oriented absorber column model. Since the placement of these intensified packings would cause a loss of area/volume used for mass transfer, optimization of the proposed intensified absorber is performed by optimally selecting the locations at which to place these devices and designing them such that the trade-off due to the addition of the heat removal area and the resulting loss in the mass transfer area is accounted for. Results show that optimally placed and designed intensified packings can lead to a significant increase in the capture efficiency of the process in comparison to a similar column with no internal cooling. It is also observed that by optimally placing and designing intensified packings, the lean solvent flow rate to the absorber can be decreased, and the CO 2 lean loading can be increased while still maintaining the same capture efficiency. These process changes can lead to a substantial reduction in the cost of capture.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

ROTA-CAP™: An Intensified Carbon Capture System Using Rotating Packed Beds (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

GTI Energy and Carbon Clean Solutions Limited successfully designed, constructed, and operated an integrated ROTA-CAP carbon capture skid. ROTA-CAP™ is a process intensification technology, applied for post-combustion carbon capture, which utilizes the centrifugal forces generated from rotation of rotating packed beds as well as advanced solvents to achieve increased mass transfer rates 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than conventional columns while substantially decreasing footprint. The test skid, which consisted of a dual stage RPB absorber with external interstage cooling and a single stage RPB regenerator, was operated at capacities up to 0.5 tonne/day of CO 2 capture with flue gas concentrations ranging from 4% to 22% CO 2 by vol. CO 2 removal rates greater than 95% were achieved, with CO 2 product purity also exceeding 95% by vol. Over 1,600 hours of operation were accumulated throughout the project, including over 1,000 hours of operation of the with real flue gas containing at least 9.8% CO 2 by vol. The skid was operated continuously for 24 hours per day and 7 days per week over the course of 7 long-term test campaigns, with the campaigns ranging from approximately 2-4 weeks per campaign. A techno-economic analysis was performed, and a cost of capture of $\$$41.18/tonne CO 2 was calculated for the ROTA-CAP process, compared to $\$$45.75/tonne for a Cansolv-based process. These results show a cost reduction of approximately 10% compared to the Cansolv-based process. Although this still exceeds the target cost of capture of $\$$30/tonne specified for this project, GTI expects that the cost of capture can be further reduced through further optimization of the design and technology. GTI also performed an engineering design review to determine the scale-up potential of the technology, with the results of the preliminary assessment indicating that it appears to be feasible to scale up the RPB technology to 4,000 TPD. It was also determined that both horizontal and vertical rotor orientations are feasible, though there are mechanical advantages to the vertical orientation.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Additively Manufactured Intensified Device for Enhanced Carbon Capture

Additively manufactured packed bed devices for the enhancement of carbon capture were successfully developed, built, characterized, and tested in this project. The objective was to demonstrate that in situ cooling of chemical absorption could have beneficial effects on the absorption rate of CO 2 . This was achieved in two stages, divided between FY 2018 and FY 2019. First, the feasibility of printing conventional packing elements was investigated, and the core hydrodynamic metrics were experimentally validated. The data obtained in those studies informed the operating conditions set for the next stage, which was to validate the efficacy of in situ cooling provided by an additively manufactured packed bed element, referred to as the intensified device. The intensified device is designed to enable heat exchange between an internally flowing coolant and the gas-liquid system flowing on the external corrugated surface of the packing. Polymer and metal were both considered as the base materials for the device, and comparative studies on hydrodynamic properties were performed. These considerations, as well as thermal properties and leak tests led to aluminum being chosen as the base material for experimental validation of capture enhancement. The experimental validation was first conducted under non-reactive conditions, and after establishing heat-exchange capabilities, was subsequently conducted under reactive conditions. These studies demonstrated that in situ cooling can benefit absorption given the appropriate operating conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Demonstration and Validation of Additively Manufactured Intensified Device for Enhanced Carbon Capture

In FY 2018 and 2019, ORNL personnel designed, prototyped, characterized, and tested the enhancement of amine-based carbon capture using additively manufactured intensified devices, i.e., devices combining multiple thermodynamic and kinetic processes into one unit operation. State of the art scrubbing technology often employs inter-stage cooling which requires multiple stages of single-purpose unit operations, leading to larger equipment size, higher capital cost, and sometimes less than optimal operating conditions for each piece of equipment. It was proposed that integrating multiple thermodynamic and kinetic operations into one unit could mitigate or negate these drawbacks. Heat and mass transfer studies demonstrated that an additively manufactured intensified device could significantly improve capture efficiency at bench scale. This project is a continuation of FEAA130 and aims at (1) demonstration and validation of enhanced CO 2 capture with 3D printed intensified devices (i.e., mass exchanger packing with internal cooling channels), for low-aqueous-solvent (LAS) based capture at the ORNL-constructed laboratory-scale (4.5-feet tall) column, namely Column A, with built-in cooling and (2) computational scoping on the conceptual design of a flexible and modular larger column, namely Column B, at ORNL for further demonstration of enhanced capture for aqueous solvent. To execute this multi-faceted project scope, an integrated project team from ORNL’s Manufacturing Science Division is tasked with applying capabilities in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), additive manufacturing, and absorber-scale demonstration/validation experiments.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multifunctional intensified reactor device with integrated heat and mass transfer

A packing device for mass and heat transfer with a subject fluid includes a housing having opposing ends, and subject fluid openings at each opposing end defining a subject fluid flow path for at least one subject fluid flowing through the packing device. A plurality of mass and heat transfer plates each include an interior heat exchange fluid channel disposed between interior heat transfer surfaces of the mass and heat transfer plates. A heat exchange fluid inlet and fluid outlet can supply and remove heat exchange fluid to the heat exchange fluid channels of the mass and heat transfer plates. The mass and heat transfer plates can be oriented to define there between fluid flow channels for the subject fluid. A method and system for mass and heat transfer with a subject fluid, and a method and system for the removal of CO2 from a gas stream are disclosed.

Lai, Canhai↗
DOE OSTI2022

CO 2 absorption intensification using three-dimensional printed dynamic polarity packing in a bench-scale integrated CO 2 capture system

Postcombustion carbon capture using a chemical absorbent is a promising technology to reduce CO 2 emission. However, the overall construction and operating costs remain a major challenge. In order to intensify the absorption process and to reduce these costs, a novel dynamic polarity structured packing (DP packing) with alternate patterns of surface polarity has been developed to enhance local macro-scale turbulence within the advanced viscous solvent to reduce the mass transfer diffusion resistance. Here, three DP structured packings that incorporate multiple polymeric materials were fabricated using three-dimensional printing technique and evaluated through parametric testing using a bench-scale integrated CO 2 capture unit with 76.2 mm ID absorber. At optimized operating conditions, the DP packing showed a relative 22.7% increase in absorption and 20.0% decrease in energy penalty.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Liquid state theory of the structure of model polymerized ionic liquids

We employ polymer integral equation theory to study a simplified model of semiflexible polymerized ionic liquids (PolyILs) that interact via hard core repulsions and short range screened Coulomb interactions. The multi-scale structure in real and Fourier space of PolyILs (ions chosen to mimic Li, Na, K, Br, PF 6 , and TFSI) are determined as a function of melt density, Coulomb interaction strength, and ion size. Comparisons with a homopolymer melt, a neutral polymer–solvent-like athermal mixture, and an atomic ionic liquid are carried out to elucidate the distinct manner that ions mediate changes of polymer packing, the role of excluded volume effects, and the influence of chain connectivity, respectively. The effect of Coulomb strength depends in a rich manner on ion size and density, reflecting the interplay of steric packing, ion adsorption, and charge layering. Ion-mediated bridging of monomers is found, which intensifies for larger ions. Intermediate range charge layering correlations are characterized by a many-body screening length that grows with PolyIL density, cooling, and Coulomb strength, in disagreement with Debye–Hückel theory, but in accord with experiments. Qualitative differences in the collective structure, including an ion-size-dependent bifurcation of the polymer structure factor peak and pair correlation function, are predicted. The monomer cage order parameter increases significantly, but its collective ion counterpart decreases, as ions become smaller. Such behaviors allow one to categorize PolyILs into two broad classes of small and large ions. Furthermore, dynamical implications of the predicted structural results are qualitatively discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

An Analysis of Input Parameters for Film-Based Flash X-Ray Radiography

Flash X-ray radiography (flash) is a commonly used diagnostic technique in dynamic experiments. An analysis of the effects of input parameters on resulting metrics of image quality can aid the experimentalist in configuring the X-ray input parameters to produce the highest quality radiograph for a given experiment. Here, a flash X-ray test bed with HS800 film and a LANEX Medium F intensifier screen was used with an L3 450 kVp pulser and Scandiflash X-ray tube for this study. Input parameters including charge voltage, source filtering, and film-pack assembly were investigated for their impact on contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), contrast, and contrast transfer function (CTF). Using VIDAR’s NDT Pro industrial film digitizer, scanner parameters such as optical density range, pixel spacing, scan mode, and digital bit-depth were also examined for their impact on image quality metrics. The highest CNR values were found with two LANEX intensifiers and no filtering. Charge voltage had no direct impact on CNR values. LANEX screen count and filtering resulted both in direct effects on CNR and interaction effects with each other and CNR value. Uncertainty bounds for CNR comparisons and repeatability of CTF evaluations are also discussed. Finally, the film results are compared with a previous study using other detector types, specifically Carestream INDUSTREX Flex GP, Flex HR, Flex XL Blue, and HPX-DR 3543.

dynamic radiography↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advanced CO 2 Capture Solvent Systems for Dynamic Power Generation

RTI International, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Carbon Capture Simulation for Industry Impact (CCSI 2 ), Electricity Power Research Institute (EPRI), and West Virginia University (WVU), successfully completed a joint research effort in developing a cost-effective, resilient, load-following advanced CO 2 capture technology for natural gas power plants. The project’s objective was to develop a CO 2 capture process that maximizes the net present value (NPV) of the electricity sale by minimizing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) under dynamic plant loads and high renewable penetration environments. The two key innovations developed in this project were the use of (i) advanced water-lean solvents (WLSs) and (ii) process intensification equipment, such as a rotating packed bed (RPB) absorber and dual-stage flash regeneration. The process’s low CO 2 capture cost is realized through WLSs’ low energy required for solvent regeneration, which lowers the operating cost while RPBs intensify the absorption process and reduces the power plant capital cost. A suite of advanced computational and simulation packages was implemented to guide the process design, validate the dynamic response of the capture plant, evaluate system-wide performance, and maximize the power plant’s profit. The project also engaged with power producers and other stakeholders to ensure its technical relevance and techno-economic viability. The development of this highly disruptive CO 2 capture technology could accelerate the industry adoption and thereby lower the greenhouse gas emissions of the U.S. power sector. Deployment of this technology can increase the reliability and decrease the cost of electricity generation in the U.S. by enabling the use of low-carbon fossil fuels to balance fluctuations of renewable energy availability.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Understanding the structural basis of HIV-1 restriction by the full length double-domain APOBEC3G

APOBEC3G, a member of the double-domain cytidine deaminase (CD) APOBEC, binds RNA to package into virions and restrict HIV-1 through deamination-dependent or deamination-independent inhibition. Mainly due to lack of a full-length double-domain APOBEC structure, it is unknown how CD1/CD2 domains connect and how dimerization/multimerization is linked to RNA binding and virion packaging for HIV-1 restriction. We report rhesus macaque A3G structures that show different inter-domain packing through a short linker and refolding of CD2. The A3G dimer structure has a hydrophobic dimer-interface matching with that of the previously reported CD1 structure. A3G dimerization generates a surface with intensified positive electrostatic potentials (PEP) for RNA binding and dimer stabilization. Unexpectedly, mutating the PEP surface and the hydrophobic interface of A3G does not abolish virion packaging and HIV-1 restriction. The data support a model in which only one RNA-binding mode is critical for virion packaging and restriction of HIV-1 by A3G.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗