Effect of polydispersity of droplets in the prediction of flux distribution in a Venturi scrubber

Abstract

The effect of polydispersity of droplets on the liquid flux distribution in a Venturi scrubber is investigated using a 2-D model along the length of a Venturi scrubber. Two average drop-sizes (the Sauter mean diameter and the mass median diameter) and two drop-size distribution functions (the upper-limit distribution function and the universal root-normal distribution function) are used in the model to predict liquid flux distribution. It is found that the flux distribution is a strong function of the polydispersity of droplets. It is also found that the throat gas velocity has a greater effect on the polydispersity of droplets than L/G ratio. At low throat gas velocity, flux distributions, predicted by the model using drop-size distributions, match with experimental data for a wide range of L/G ratios. At high throat gas velocities, flux distributions, predicted using average drop-sizes, follow experimental results closely. An analysis of overall collection efficiency reveals that it is nearly independent of polydispersity of droplets at low liquid-to-gas ratios and high gas velocities.