membranes Review Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactors for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture: A Review of Modeling Approaches Joanna R. Rivero 1 , Grigorios Panagakos 2,∗ , Austin Lieber 1 and Katherine Hornbostel 1 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA;
[email protected] (J.R.R.);
[email protected] (A.L.);
[email protected] (K.H.) 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 30 October 2020; Accepted: 25 November 2020; Published: 30 November 2020 Abstract: Hollow fiber membrane contactors (HFMCs) can effectively separate CO2 from post-combustion flue gas by providing a high contact surface area between the flue gas and a liquid solvent. Accurate models of carbon capture HFMCs are necessary to understand the underlying transport processes and optimize HFMC designs. There are various methods for modeling HFMCs in 1D, 2D, or 3D. These methods include (but are not limited to): resistance-in-series, solution-diffusion, pore flow, Happel’s free surface model, and porous media modeling. This review paper discusses the state-of-the-art methods for modeling carbon capture HFMCs in 1D, 2D, and 3D. State-of-the-art 1D, 2D, and 3D carbon capture HFMC models are then compared in depth, based on their underlying assumptions. Numerical methods are also discussed, along with modeling to scale up HFMCs from the lab scale to the commercial scale. Keywords: hollow fiber membrane contactor modeling; post-combustion carbon capture; carbon capture membrane modeling 1. Introduction In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report detailing the irreversible impact of a global temperature rise of 1.5 ◦C[1].