Wetted packed towers are the simplest and most commonly used approaches to gas scrubbing. The principle of this type of scrubber is to remove contaminants from the gas stream by passing the stream through a packed structure which provides a large wetted surface area to induce intimate contact between the gas and the scrubbing liquor. the contaminant is absorbed into or reacted with the scrubbing liquor.
The packing of the tower is normally a proprietary loose fill random packing designed to encourage dispersion of the liquid flow without tracking, to provide maximum contact area for the 'mass transfer' interaction and to offer minimal back pressure to the gas flow. The reactivity between the contaminant and the scrubbing liquor influences the system designer's determination of gas and liquor flow and the height and diameter of the packed bed.
A demister is fitted at the top of the tower to prevent entrainment of droplets of the scrubbing liquor into the extraction system or stack.
Wetted packed towers can be designed for very high efficiencies with relatively low capital and running costs. The low pressure drop associated with packed bed scrubbers permits the use of smaller more economical fans. Although efficiency may be affected, a packed tower will usually function when gas or liquor flows vary from its original design parameters.
