Amine Regenerator Duty Calculator

Size regenerator heat needs with practical inputs. See duty, steam, and CO2 stripping instantly. Improve decisions across design, startup, and daily operations.

Use for screening estimates. Confirm with vendor or process simulation for final design.

Inputs

Total amine solution flow (kg/h).
Weight percent amine in solution.
g/mol (MEA ≈ 61.08).
mol CO2 per mol amine (rich).
mol CO2 per mol amine (lean).
kJ/kg-K (typical 3.5–4.2).
°C at regenerator inlet (after exchanger).
°C near bottoms / reboiler temperature.
kJ/mol CO2 (choose per solvent / data).
Overhead reflux ratio (dimensionless).
% additional losses (insulation, piping).
% overall (reboiler + heat transfer effectiveness).
kJ/kg at your steam conditions (use site value).
Reset
Tip: Use consistent units. If you change steam conditions, update latent heat accordingly.

Example data table

Case Solution (kg/h) Amine (wt%) Rich Lean Tin (°C) Treb (°C) Duty (kW) Steam (kg/h)
Example 100,000 30 0.45 0.20 95 120 ≈ 518 ≈ 826
Higher loading 100,000 30 0.50 0.20 95 120
Higher Tin 100,000 30 0.45 0.20 105 120
Arrows indicate trend direction versus the example case.

Formula used

mamine = msolution × (wt% / 100)
namine = (mamine × 1000) / MW
nCO2 = namine × (Loadingrich − Loadinglean)
Qreaction = nCO2 × ΔH
Qsensible = msolution × Cp × (Treb − Tin)
Qbase = (Qreaction + Qsensible) × (1 + 0.35×Reflux)
Qduty = Qbase × (1 + Losses%) / Efficiency%
Steam ≈ Qduty / LatentHeat
These relations provide a screening duty estimate. Real systems also include condenser duty, pressure effects, solvent degradation, and exchanger approach temperatures.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter solution circulation, concentration, and solvent molecular weight.
  2. Input rich and lean loading from lab data or operating logs.
  3. Set inlet and reboiler temperatures based on your exchanger plan.
  4. Choose heat of desorption from solvent data or references.
  5. Add reflux ratio, losses, and efficiency to match site practice.
  6. Submit to see duty, steam, and CO2 stripping above the form.
  7. Download CSV or PDF for reporting and quick comparisons.

Professional notes

Duty drivers in solvent regeneration

Regenerator heat demand is dominated by two terms: desorption energy and sensible heating. Higher rich loading, lower lean loading, and higher circulation all increase CO2 stripped per hour, raising reaction duty. Meanwhile, a large temperature lift from exchanger outlet to reboiler increases sensible duty. Use this calculator to compare operating envelopes quickly and to flag unusually high energy cases. Benchmark against recent runs, then refine inputs until trends match observed steam flow and reclaimer behavior during upset conditions.

Using loading data for realistic cases

Loading should come from plant sampling or validated lab correlations. When rich and lean values are close, the calculated CO2 rate drops sharply, which can mislead sizing if data are noisy. For stable estimates, average multiple samples and note solvent type, degradation, and heat stable salts. If you track absorber performance, update loading trends seasonally to keep energy projections credible.

Temperature and heat recovery effects

A good rich‑lean exchanger reduces the inlet temperature gap to the regenerator. As inlet temperature rises, sensible heating falls, lowering overall duty and steam. If exchanger fouling increases approach temperature, the calculator will show a rapid steam penalty. Use the temperature inputs to test maintenance scenarios and to justify cleaning frequency with energy savings.

Steam demand and utility planning

Duty is converted to steam rate using the latent heat you enter for site conditions. This supports utility checks, header capacity reviews, and preliminary boiler or cogeneration discussions. Add reasonable losses and efficiency to reflect insulation quality and heat transfer performance. For engineering packages, document assumptions and confirm with simulation or vendor curves before finalizing equipment.

Interpreting results and next steps

Outputs are suitable for screening, comparisons, and early budgeting. If duty appears excessive, review reflux practice, regenerator pressure, tray or packing condition, and condenser performance. Consider optimizing lean loading targets and circulation control, since both affect energy and CO2 slip. For detailed design, couple these estimates with hydraulic checks and a validated thermodynamic model.

FAQs

Which duty value should I use for steam sizing?

Use the total duty in kW, then confirm the steam estimate with your header pressure and latent heat. For conservative sizing, include realistic losses and lower efficiency.

What if my solvent is not MEA?

Enter the correct molecular weight and an appropriate heat of desorption for your solvent. Keep Cp and loading values consistent with the same solvent system and operating range.

How do I choose rich and lean loadings?

Use averaged plant samples or validated lab correlations. Avoid single outliers. If rich and lean are close, small measurement errors can strongly affect the calculated CO2 rate.

Why does higher inlet temperature reduce duty?

A warmer inlet means less sensible heating to reach the reboiler temperature. Better heat recovery in the rich‑lean exchanger typically lowers steam demand for the same stripping target.

Does reflux ratio always increase duty?

Higher reflux generally increases internal liquid traffic and reboiler duty. However, the optimal value depends on column pressure, overhead condenser performance, and required lean loading targets.

Are these results acceptable for final design?

Treat them as screening estimates for comparisons and early budgeting. For final equipment design, verify with a calibrated process simulation, vendor data, and site‑specific heat integration.

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