CED 30403-Air Pollution Control Technology

UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysian Institute of Chemical & Bioengineering
Technology

CEB 30403
Air Pollution Control Technology

Experiment 4
PARTICULATE EMISSION CONTROL BY WET VENTURI SCRUBBER

PREPARED BY:

LECTURER: EN AHMAD NAIM AHMAD YAHAYA

&
MS. NADIA RAZALI

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Venturi scrubbers have been applied to control particulate matter (PM) emissions from
utility, industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers fired with coal, oil, wood, and
liquid waste. They have also been applied to control emission sources in the chemical,
mineral products, wood, pulp and paper, rock products, and asphalt manufacturing
industries; lead, aluminum, iron and steel, and gray iron production industries; and to
municipal solid waste incinerators. Typically, venturi scrubbers are applied where it is
necessary to obtain high collection efficiencies for fine PM.

SOLTEQ Venturi Scrubber System (Model: AP 02) has been manufactured to a high
standard with emphasis on ease of use and operational safety. It consists of a transparent
cylindrical venturi scrubber, a separation chamber, a water recirculation system, a
particulate feeder, an air blower, an outlet dust filter and an air flow meter with control
valve. This unit has been custom designed by Malaysian engineers to introduce students
of Chemical Engineering to dust pollution control using a ventud scrubber.

Student shall be able to experiment using the following units; to study the effect of
liquid-to-gas (L/G) ratio upon pressure drop across the venturi and to verify the
theoretical relationship between pressure drop and operating parameters.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The venturi scrubber system consists of a transparent cylindrical venturi scrubber, a

separation chamber, a water recirculation system, a particulate feeder, an air blower, an
outlet dust filter and an air flowmeter with control valve. The venturi is made of a durable
clear PVC with throat diameter of 32mm and both convergence and divergence diameter
of 101.6mm. The separation chamber is also made of durable clear PVC measuring
approximately 0.6m diameter and 2m tall. The chamber has a rectangular tangential inlet
at the bottom which is connected to the bottom of the venturi scrubber. A mist eliminator
at the top section of the chamber prevents any water droplets from escaping. The water
recirculation tank consists of a water tank, water pump, liquid flowmeter, pressure gauge
and regulator. An air blower installed at the outlet is capable of drawing 280 m 3/h of air
through the system. The air velocity is controlled by adjusting the globe valve installed at
the bottom of the air flowmeter. A ball valve is installed below the feeder to control the
amount of dust particles sample introduced into the air stream before being separated
inside the chamber. Analog differential gauges have been installed on the control panel
for the purpose of pressure drop (DP) reading across the venturi scrubber. Student will
familiarize the venturi scrubber operations and determine the collection efficiency of the
venturi scrubber under specified operating parameters.

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Specifications
a) venturi scrubber— cylindrical shape made of durable clear PVC; total
length: 0.62 m; throat diameter. (ID): 32 mm; convergence/divergence

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diameter (ID):101.6 mm; convergence angle: 10.70; divergence angle:

4.9°; DP tapping for convergence and divergence sections.

b) separation cyclone chamber — made of durable clear PVC measuring

0.6 m (diameter) x 2m. Tangential rectangular inlet. Stainless steel
mist eliminator at the top of the chamber.

c) water recirculation system — centrifugal water pump capacity: 25

1/min; liquid flowmeter range: 0 to 10 Min

d) air blower—1 unit of 5 hp high pressure blower; maximum capacity @

2800 rpm: 280 m3/h; static pressure 83 inches of water; electrical
415V/3-phase/50Hz.

e) air flowmeter — 1 unit of variable area flowmeter (rotameter) with

PVC float and 2" socket unions at both ends. Flowrate range: l2 to 120
m3/h. Control valve: 2" globe valve.

f) fine powder feeder— air fluidized particulate feeder. Capacity: approx.

1 kg.

g) differential pressure gauge — 2 units of analog differential pressure

gauges. Panel mounted type. Range: 0 to 250mm of water and 0 to
1000mm of water.

h) h) outlet dust filter (optional) — 1 unit of detachable filter hood made

from stainless steel with gasket and filter support. Dust filter is made
from stainless steel measuring 203mm x 254mm.

2.2 General Requirements

2.3 a) Dust particles sample — cement, kaolin, bentonite, aluminum oxide.

b) Digital balance; capacity: 5000 g, accuracy 0.01 g.
c) Ventilated working area: approx. 10 m2.
d) Electricity supply: 415V/3•phase/50Hz.

Precautions
2.4 a) Always use dried particle sample.
b) Never use abrasive particle sample such as sand, steel dust, etc.
c) The blower could become very hot to touch after several minutes of
continuous operations.
Maintenances

a) Venturi scrubber must be inspected periodically to ensure that solids build up is not
occurring.

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b) Liquid inlets must be checked periodically whether they are open and properly
distributing the liquid.

3.0 SUMMARY OF THEORY

Wet collectors, or scrubbers, form a class of devices in which a liquid (usually water) is
used to assist or accomplish the collection of dusts or mists. In particulate scrubbers, the
liquid is dispersed into the gas as a spray, and the liquids droplets are the principle
collectors for the dust particles. Depending on their design and operating conditions,
particulate scrubbers can be adapted to collecting fine as well as coarse particles.
Collection of particles by the drops follows the same principles illustrated in Figure 2.

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Various investigations of the relative contributions of the various mechanisms have led to
the conclusion that the predominant mechanism is inertial deposition.

The venturi scrubber is one of the most widely used types of particulate scrubbers. It is
named after the Italian physicist G.B. Venturi (1746-1822) who first studied the effect of
constricted channels on the flow of fluids. The Venturi tube was invented in 1886 by the
American engineer Clemens Herschel for the purpose of increasing the fluid velocity,
thereby causing a decrease in pressure.

The Venturi tube has found application in many different fields of engineering. A venturi
scrubber accelerates the contaminated gas stream to atomize the scrubbing liquid and to
improve gas-liquid contact. In a venturi scrubber, a "throat section is built" into the dud
that forces the gas stream to accelerate as the duct narrows and than expands. As the gas
enters the venturi throat, both gas velocity and turbulence increase.

Depending upon the scrubber design, the scrubbing liquid is sprayed into the gas stream
before the gas encounters the venturi throat, or in the throat, or upwards against the gas
flow in the throat. The scrubbing liquid is then atomized into small droplets by the
turbulence in the throat and droplet-particle interaction is increased. After the throat
section, the mixture decelerates, and further impacts occur causing the droplets to
agglomerate. Once the particles have been captured by the liquid, the wetted PM and
excess liquid droplets are separated from the gas stream by an entrainment section which
usually consists of a cyclonic separator and/or a mist eliminator.

Current designs for venturi scrubbers generally use the vertical downflow of gas through
the venturi contactor and incorporate three features: (1) a "wet approach" or loaded-wall"
entry section, to avoid dust buildup at a wet-dry junction; (2) an adjustable throat for the
venture (or orifice), to provide for adjustment of the pressure drop; and (3) a "flooded
elbow" located below the venture and ahead of the entrainment separator, to reduce wear
by abrasive particles. The entrainment separator is commonly of the cyclone type. An
example of the "standard form" is shown in Figure 3. Waste gas pollutant (PM) loading
can range from 1 to 115 grams per standard cubic meter (g/sm3).

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