Lesson 5 Packed Tower Scrubbers
Lesson 5 Packed Tower Scrubbers
Lesson 5 Packed Tower Scrubbers
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Lesson 5
Wet-Film (Packed Tower) Scrubbers
Goal
To familiarize you with the operation, collection efficiency, and major maintenance problems of
packed tower scrubbers.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to do the following:
1. Describe the operation of packed tower scrubbers
2. Describe at least three different gas-liquid flow arrangements (designs) for packed tower
scrubbers
3. Describe major operating and maintenance problems associated with each packed scrubber
design
4. Identify the range of operating values for pressure drop, liquid-to-gas ratio, as well as the
collection efficiency of packed tower scrubbers for particles and gases
Introduction
In packed tower or wet-film scrubbers, liquid is sprayed or poured over packing material
contained between support trays. A liquid film coats the packing through which the exhaust
gas stream is forced. Pollutants are collected as they pass through the packing, contacting the
liquid film. Therefore, both gas and liquid phases provide energy for the gas-liquid contact.
A wet-film scrubber uses packing to provide a large contact area between the gas and liquid
phases, turbulent mixing of the phases, and sufficient residence time for the exhaust gas to
contact the liquid. These conditions are ideal for gas absorption. Large contact area and good
mixing are also good for particle collection; however, once collected, the particles tend to
accumulate and plug the packing bed. The exhaust gas is forced to make many changes in
direction as it winds through the openings of the packed material. Large particles unable to
follow the streamlines, hit the packing and are collected in the liquid. As this liquid drains
through the packing bed, the collected particles may accumulate, thus plugging the void
spaces in the packed bed. Therefore, wet-film scrubbers are not used when particle removal is
the only concern. Many other scrubber designs achieve better particle removal for the same
power input (operating costs).
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Gas Collection
For gas absorption, packed scrubbers are the most commonly used devices. The wet film
covering the packing enhances gas absorption several ways by providing:
A large surface area for gas-liquid contact
Turbulent contact (good mixing) between the two phases
Long residence time and repetitive contact
Because of these features, packed towers are capable of achieving high removal efficiencies
for many different gaseous pollutants.
Numerous operating variables affect absorption efficiency. Of primary importance is the
solubility of the gaseous pollutants. Pollutants that are readily soluble in the scrubbing liquid
can be easily removed under a variety of operating conditions. Some other important
operating variables are discussed below.
Gas velocity - The rate of exhaust gas from the process determines the scrubber size to be
used. The scrubber should be designed so that the gas velocity through it will promote good
mixing between the gas and liquid phases. However, the velocity should not be too fast to
cause flooding.
Liquid-injection rate - Generally, removal efficiency is increased by an increase in the
liquid-injection rate to the vessel. The amount of liquid that can be injected is limited by the
dimensions of the scrubber. Increasing liquid-injection rates will also increase the operating
costs. The optimum amount of liquid injected is based on the exhaust gas flow rate.
Packing size - Smaller packing sizes offer a larger surface area, thus enhancing absorption.
However, smaller packing fits more tightly, which decreases the open area between packing,
thus increasing the pressure drop across the packing bed.
Packing height - As packing height increases, total surface area and residence time increases,
enhancing absorption. However, more packing necessitates a larger absorption system, which
increases capital cost.
Tower Designs
Packed towers are typically designated by the flow arrangement used for gas-liquid contact or
by the material used as packing for the bed. The most common flow configuration for packed
towers is countercurrent flow. Figure 5-1 shows a packed tower with this arrangement. The
exhaust stream being treated enters the bottom of the tower and flows upward over the
packing material. Liquid is introduced at the top of the packing by sprays or weirs, and it
flows downward over the packing material. As the exhaust stream moves up through the
packing, it is forced to make many winding changes in direction, resulting in intimate mixing
of both the exhaust gas and liquid streams. This countercurrent-flow arrangement results in
the highest theoretically achievable efficiency. The most dilute gas is contacted with the
purest absorbing liquor, providing a maximized concentration difference (driving force) for
the entire length of the column. In the other two flow arrangements, the scrubbing liquid
could theoretically reach the same concentration as the flue gas (since they are moving in
similar directions) and therefore absorption would stop.
Wet-Film (Packed Tower) Scrubbers
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Figure 5-1. Countercurrent-flow packed tower
The countercurrent-flow packed tower does not operate effectively if there are large
variations in the liquid or gas flow rates. If either the liquid-injection rate or the gas flow rate
through the packing bed is too high, a condition called flooding may occur. Flooding is a
condition where the liquid is "held" in the pockets, or void spaces, between the packing and
does not drain down through the packing. Flooding can be reduced by reducing the gas
velocity through the bed or by reducing the liquid-injection rate.
In another flow arrangement used with packed towers, cocurrent flow, both the exhaust gas
and liquid phases enter at the top of the absorber and move downward over the packing
material. This allows the absorber to operate at higher liquid and gas flow rates since flooding
is not a problem. The pressure drop is lower than with countercurrent flow since both streams
move in the same direction. The major disadvantage is that removal efficiency is very limited
due to the decreasing driving force (concentration differential) as the streams travel down
through the column. This limits the areas of application for cocurrent absorbers. They are
used almost exclusively in situations where limited equipment space is available, since the
tower diameter is smaller than that for countercurrent or plate towers for equivalent flow
rates. Cocurrent flow is illustrated in Figure 5-2.
Liquid sprays
Mist eliminator
Packing
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Figure 5-2. Cocurrent-flow packed tower
In packed towers using the crossflow arrangement, the exhaust gas stream moves
horizontally through the packed bed. The bed is irrigated by the scrubbing liquid flowing
down through the packing material. The liquid and exhaust gas flow in directions
perpendicular to each other. A typical crossflow packed tower is shown in Figure 5-3. Inlet
sprays aimed at the face of the bed may also be included. If included, these sprays scrub both
the entering gas and the face of the packed bed. The leading face of the packed bed is slanted
in the direction of the oncoming gas stream. This ensures complete wetting of the packing by
allowing time for the liquid at the front face of the packing to drop to the bottom before being
pushed back by the entering gas.
Liquid sprays
Packing
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Figure 5-3. Crossflow packed tower
Crossflow absorbers can be designed to be smaller and have a lower pressure drop than any
other packed or plate tower for the same application (i.e. removal efficiency and flow rates).
In addition, they are better suited than other wet-film scrubbers to handle exhaust streams
with high particle concentrations. By adjusting the liquid flow rate, incoming particles can be
removed and washed away in the front half of the bed. This also results in a liquid savings by
enabling the crossflow packed tower to use less liquid in the rear sprays. This practice is
carried one step further by actually constructing the tower into sections as shown in Figure
5-4. The front section can be equipped with water sprays and used for particulate matter
removal. In the second section, sprays may contain a reagent in the scrubbing liquor for gas
removal. The last section can be left dry to act as an entrainment separator. Crossflow packed
towers do require complex design procedures since concentration gradients exist in two
directions in the liquid: from top to bottom and from front to rear.
Figure 5-4. Three-bed crossflow packed tower
Liquid sprays
Inlet sprays
(optional)
Packing
Liquid sprays
Packing
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Another crossflow packed tower is the fiber-bed scrubber. The fiber-bed scrubber has
packed beds that are made with fibrous material such as fiberglass or plastic (Figure 5-5).
Liquid is sprayed onto the fiber beds to provide a wetted surface for pollutant removal and to
wash away any collected material.
Figure 5-5. Fiber-bed scrubber
Packing Material
Packing material is the heart of the tower. It provides the surface over which the scrubbing
liquid flows, presenting a large area for mass transfer to occur. Packing material represents
the largest material cost of the packed tower. Pictured in Figure 5-6 are some of the more
commonly used packings. These materials were originally made of stoneware, porcelain, or
metal, but presently, a large majority are made of high-density thermoplastics (polyethylene
and polypropylene). A specific packing is described by its trade name and overall size. For
example, a column can be packed with 5-cm (2-in.) Raschig rings or 2.5-cm (1-in.) Tellerette
packing. The overall dimensions of packing materials normally range from 0.6 to 10 cm (0.25
to 4 in.).
Figure 5-6. Common packing materials
Liquid sprays
Fiber bed
Raschig ring
Berl saddle
Pall ring
Intalox
Metal
Tellerette
Tri-packs