Aerodynamics of cellular polymeric packing

Abstract

created at the Moscow State University of Engineering Ecology (MGUIE), meet these requirements to a large extent. The packing is arranged in the tower in layers made from goffered (crimped) cellular flexible tubes, which ensures uniform distribution and good mixing of the liquid and gas phases. The experimental unit is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The working gas is air. The test regular cellular packing (RCP) 1 was placed in the experimental pipe 2 having an inner diameter of 100 mm. Before the packing layer, there was a hydrodynamic flow stabilization section whose length is eight times the diameter of the unit. The air was sucked into the pipe by the vacuum cleaner (pump) 3. In the course of the experiments, the air velocity (flow rate) in the pipe was measured by the thermoanemometer (hot-wire anemometer) 4. The pressure gradient Δp in the packing layer was measured by the differential spirit manometer 5. The air velocity w 0 calculated for the whole section of the empty unit varied from 2.55 m/sec to 4.46 m/sec. In Fig. 2, the hydraulic resistance Δp/H test data for the RCP-type polymeric packing is plotted against the air velocity w 0 . The hydraulic resistance data for polymeric Pall rings 25 mm and 50 mm in diameter supplied by The Pall Ring Company Ltd. [2] are also plotted there for comparison. As evident from Fig. 2, the hydraulic resistance of the RCP-type packing is close to that of Pall rings having a diameter of 50 mm. The new RCP-type packing, however, possesses four times larger specific surface (400 m 2 /m 3 ), a higher porosity (0.97 m 3 /m 3 ), and, consequently, a lower material content than Pall rings with a diameter of 50 mm whose specific surface is 100 m 2 /m 3 and porosity is 0.95 m 3 /m 3 . In comparison with Pall rings 25 mm in diameter (specific surface 209 m 2 /m 3 and porosity 0.91 m 3 /m 3 ), the RCP-type packing possesses twice as less hydraulic resistance, twice as large specific surface, and a higher porosity. The performed tests helped derive the relationship between the hydraulic resistance Δp/H (Pa/m) of dry polymeric RCP and the air velocity in the test w 0 (m/sec) range, which is described by the empirical equation: