ABSTRACT
Packed wet scrubbers for air pollution control encompass a group of devices within which an air stream containing noxious gases and entrained particles of mists, liquids, dusts, or fumes is passed through a depth of packing material which is irrigated with a scrubbing liquid. In the counter current-flow packed scrubber, the gas stream moves upward in direct opposition to the scrubbing liquid stream, which is moving downward through the packed bed. In the cross-flow packed scrubber the air stream moves horizontally through the packed bed and is irrigated by scrubbing liquor flowing vertically down through the packing. In most industrial applications, packed beds are irrigated with scrubbing liquor which carries away the particles that have been removed from the gas stream by impingement. In wet packed towers, the gaseous collection efficiency is directly dependent on the irrigation rate and the depth of the packed bed. Packed scrubbers are the most economical equipment available for the removal of noxious gases.
