Accurate viscosity predictions of carbonated aqueous MEA solutions for CO2 capture processes

In this contribution, a theoretical sound approach was used to predict the viscosity of CO2-loaded aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) solutions at conditions of relevance for CO2 capture from post-combustion streams. The approach was based on the soft-SAFT equation of state (EoS) coupled with the Free-Volume Theory (FVT) for the integrated modelling of the absorption of CO2 and viscosity. Results showed that the developed model is capable of predicting the impact of CO2 loadings on the viscosity of aqueous MEA solutions with low deviations to experimental data over a broad range of temperatures and amine concentrations.