Simulation of Gas-Liquid-Solid Three-Phase Flow Process and Particle Removal Characteristics in Liquid Chamber of Scrubbing Tower

Abstract

In this study, the motion of three phases (gas, liquid, and solid) and characteristics of particle removal inside the liquid chamber of industrial scrubbing tower were studied through unsteady simulations using the VOF-DPM coupled model. The study focused on the motion of dust particles in a three-dimensional computational domain of $$4200\times 8400$$ mm. After the system achieved stability, we obtained a chamber removal ability of 82.0% for a group of particles of different diameters, as well as removal ability for particles of different identical diameters. As the diameter grew from 10 $$\mu$$ m to 500 $$\mu$$ m, the dust removal efficiency increased from 23.1% to 97.2%. Moreover, the particle mass concentration along the height of the chamber was investigated. Based on prediction results, additional simulations were performed to investigate the effect of related parameters, including the inlet gas velocity and the initial liquid level height, on the dust-removal performance of the liquid chamber. The ideal operating parameters were identified, as playing a deciding role in appropriate industrial conditions.