Particulate Scrubbers

Reading: Chap. 7

• Types of scrubbers: spray chamber and

venturi scrubber
• Theory and design consideration
• Pressure drop
• Contacting power

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 Spray Chamber

Collecting medium:
 Liquid drops

Recirculated water
 Wetted surface

Q: What parameters will affect

the collection efficiency?
Q: Any other arrangement of
air & water?
Water to settling basin and recycle pump
Vertical spray chamber (countercurrent flow)
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 Q: Is the gas velocity of any concern? Is droplet size important?

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 Cyclone Spray Chamber &
Impingement Scrubber

Q: Is used water
recirculated?

Flagan & Seinfeld, Fundamental of Air

Pollution Engineering, 1988

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 Venturi Scrubber
High efficiency even for small particles
QL/QG: 0.001 - 0.003 VG: 60 - 120 m/s

Q: ESP for sticky, flammable or highly corrosive materials?

Handbook of Air Pollution Control Engineering & Technology, Mycock, McKenna & Theodore, CRC Inc., 1995.
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 Theory: Spray Chamber
 3
Volume of each droplet  d  d d
6
Total number of droplets that pass the chamber per second
QL QL 6QL
Nd    3
 d  d 3 d d
d
6 VG
QL: volumetric liquid flow rate
Droplet concentration in the chamber Vd
Nd 6QL Vtd
nd   3
AcVd d d AcVd Vd  Vtd  VG
Vd: droplet falling velocity relative to a fixed coordinate
Vtd: droplet terminal settling velocity in still air (i.e. relative to the gas flow)
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 At a given time dt, the distance a droplet falls is
dz  Vd dt
Volume of air that flows through the cross-section area of a single
droplet during the time dt
 2    2  Vtd
Vair, single   d d Vtd dt   d d  dz
4   4  Vd
Total effective volume of gas swept clean per second by all
droplets in dz
 d d2  Vtd 6QL
Vair, all   d   dz 3
 4  Vd d d
Total number of particles swept clean per second by all droplets in dz
 d d2  Vtd 6QL
dN p   d   dz 3 n p, z
 4  Vd d d
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 Total number of particles removed per second over dx

dN p  VG Ac n p , z  dz / 2  n p , z  dz / 2  QL

Particle penetration in a countercurrent vertical

spray chamber
 3QLVtd d z 
Pd  exp  
 2QG d d (Vtd  VG )  N z  dz / 2

 AdVtd d  N z
 exp   N
 QG  z  dz / 2

Cross-sectional area of all the droplets

 6QL   d d2  3QL z
Ad   Ac z    3     
 d d AcVd   4  2d d Vtd  VG  QG
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  6.12  10 4 QLVtdd z 
Pd  exp  
 QG d d (Vtd  VG ) 
If QL in gal/min and QG in cfm, z in ft and dd in m

Particle penetration in a cross-flow spray chamber

 3  QL   d    AdVtd d 

Pd  exp   
  z  exp  

 2  QG  d d    QG 

Q: How do we have higher collection efficiency?

Q: What are the collection mechanisms (we need it for  d)?

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 Deposition of Particles on a Spherical Collector
d dVtd  G G Cc  p d p2Vtd
Re  Sc  St 
G G D 18 G d d
Particle Reynolds # Particle Schmidt # Particle Stokes #
dp L
 Diameter ratio  Viscosity ratio
dd G
Single droplet collection efficiency

d
(diffusion)

(interception) (impaction)

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 2
 St 
Impaction only d   I    (Impaction parameter Kp is
 St  0.35  used in textbook; Kp = 2 St)

Q: Why is there an
optimal size?

p = 2 g/cm3

Q: The operating condition of a vertical countercurrent spray chamber are: QL/QG = 1 L/m3,
VG = 20 cm/s, dd = 300 m and z = 1 m. Calculate the collection efficiency of 8 m
particles through this chamber. Assume atmospheric pressure, 25 oC and p of 1 g/cm3.
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 Venturi Scrubbers: Calvert Design
Particle penetration through a venturi scrubber

 Q V  d   K po f  0.7  0.49  1 
Pd  exp L G L d   0. 7  K po f  1 .4 ln 
  
 0.7  K f  
 55QG  G   0 . 7  po  K po 

Kpo=2St (aerodynamic diameter) using throat velocity

f = 0.5 for hydrophilic materials, 0.25 for hydrophobic materials

Sauter mean droplet diameter

0.5 0.45 1.5
k1    L   QL 
dd     597  
0.5 
1000 
VG  L     L    QG 
k1 = 58600 if VG is in cm/s , L and  should be in cgs
= 1920 if VG is in ft/s QL and QG should be of the same unit
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 Pressure Drop
Venturi Scrubber
QL
p  k V L G
2

QG
k  2(1  X 2  X 4  X 2 )
3lt C Dd  G
X 1
16d d  L

lt: venturi throat length

X: dimensionless throat length

Ex: 10” water, 2 m,  = ?

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 Venturi scrubber collecting a metallurgical fume
Contacting Power
Approach
When compared at the same power
consumption, all scrubbers give the
same degree of collection of a given
dispersed dust, regardless of the
mechanisms involved and regardless
of whether the pressure drop is
obtained by high gas flow rate or high
water flow rate Contacting power, hp/1000 cfm
  1  exp( N t ) N t  PT
Nt: Number of transfer unit (PT in hp / 1000 acfm)
(1 inch of water = 0.1575 hp/1000 cfm)
(unitless)
Q: Tests of a venturi scrubber show the results Friction loss (in H2O)  (%)
listed on the right. Estimate the contacting 12.7 56
power required to attain 97% efficiency.
38.1 89
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 Quick Reflection

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