Gas absorption into "string-of-beads" liquid flow with chemical reaction: application to carbon dioxide separation

This study examines the performance of "string-of-beads" liquid flow on vertical wires as a novel gas–liquid contact device for gas absorption using a chemically reacting liquid absorbent. The string-of-beads flow is a distinct on-wire liquid-flow pattern consisting of annular thin liquid films sheathing a wire and teardrop-shaped liquid beads alternately aligned on the wire at regular intervals. We have performed experiments of CO2 absorption by an aqueous monoethanolamine solution in string-of-beads flow on a single wire and have developed an analytic gas-absorption model relevant to the experiments. The model well simulates the CO2-absorption characteristics observed in the experiments, thereby suggesting the utility of the model in predicting the chemical gas-absorption performance of multiple-wire gas–liquid contactors