CFD Simulation of CO₂ Adsorption onto Activated Carbon for Gas Separation and Storage Applications

The increase in global energy demand, the scarcity of fossil fuels resources, climate change and global warming are undeniable realities. In this energy context, the implementation of concrete measures in favor of greater energy efficiency systems becomes urgent. Among these systems, the integration of environmental friendly, low energy adsorption technologies is gaining more interest in many chemical, residential and industrial applications such as adsorption refrigeration systems, quality treatment and energy storage processes. Pressure swing adsorption and temperature swing adsorption are among the promising techniques for CO₂ capturing and separation from exhaust gases. In this study, corrected adsorption rates of CO₂ onto activated carbon powder were investigated using computational fluid dynamics simulation. The modified linear driving force (mLDF) model was used as the adsorption kinetics equation by fitting of experimental data with isothermal assumption. Then the adsorbent layer temperature was estimated with CFD simulation which allowed to adjust the diffusion time constants for accurate performance investigation of CO₂ adsorption cooling, storage and separation applications.