Energy Efficient Design of Ionic Liquid based Gas Separation Processes

Gas separation processes are among the most important operations in the oil and gas related industries. The most common separation technology applied is distillation, which consumes large amounts of energy. Because of the good stability, non-volatility, tunable viscosity and designable properties, ionic liquids (ILs) are regarded as novel potential solvents and alternative media for gas absorption. Therefore, a strategy for hybrid gas separation process synthesis where distillation and IL-based absorption are employed for energy efficient gas processing has been developed. In this work, a three-stage methodology proposed for hybrid gas separation process design and evaluation is proposed: IL screening, where a systematic screening method together with a database tool is established to identify suitable ILs; process design, where the important design issues (amounts of solvent needed, operating temperatures and pressures, evaporation conditions, etc.) are determined; process simulation and evaluation, where the final separation process results are concluded.