Ahmad Azari

This paper applies computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to explore a numerical simulation of masstransfer in a hollow fiber membrane contactor (HFMC) for non-wetted and partially-wetted conditions.A comprehensive 2D mathematical model based on the finite element method (FEM) was developedfor modeling a gas–solvent HFMC which was applied to CO2removal from a CO2/N2gas mixture.Aqueous mono-ethanol-amine (MEA) solution was used as the CO2absorbent and flowed in the fiberbore and then the gas mixture was circulated counter-currently in the shell side of HFMC. The averageoutlet CO2concentrations, the absorption flux, overall mass transfer coefficient and the CO2removalefficiencies are parametrically simulated by using the operational parameters such as gas and solventflow rates, operating temperature, the fiber porosity and other geometrical characteristics. As a novelwork, the effect of opposite fluid direction, i.e. absorbent flow in the shell and gas mixture in thefibers, on the mass transfer coefficient and CO2removal efficiency was also taken into account forfurther considerations. It was concluded that while gas flows in the fibers and solvent flows in the shellan HFMC with a smaller size can be used. Furthermore, the effect of aqueous solution types such asMEA, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and NaOH on the overall mass transfer coefficient and onthe percentage removal of CO2was investigated numerically and interesting results were obtained.Generally, the results showed that a reasonable agreement exists between the experimental and CFDresults.