Et ZC362-L6

Environmental Pollution Control
(ETZC362)
Dr. Jegatha Nambi Krishnan
Department of Chemical Engineering
28
th
Jan. 2014
1 etzc362
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus 28
th
Jan. 2014 (Course Code: etzc 362)
Principle
- Wet scrubbers are used for removal of particles which have a diameter of
the order of 0.2 mm or higher.
- Wet scrubbers work by spraying a stream of fine liquid droplets on the
incoming stream.
- The droplets capture the particles
- The liquid is subsequently removed for treatment.

Construction and Operation
- A wet scrubber consists of a rectangular or circular chamber in which
nozzles are mounted.
- The nozzles spray a stream of droplets on the incoming gas stream
- The droplets contact the particulate matter, and the particles get sorbed.
- The droplet size has to be optimized.
Wet Scrubbers
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th
o Construction and Operation
- Smaller droplets provide better cleaning, but are more difficult to
remove from the cleaned stream.
- The polluted spray is collected.
- Particles are settled out or otherwise removed from the liquid.
- The liquid is recycled.
- Wet scrubbers are also used for the removal of gases from the air
streams.

Wet Scrubbers
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th
Advantages of Wet Scrubbers
- Wet Scrubbers can handle incoming streams at high temperature, thus
removing the need for temperature control equipment.
- Wet scrubbers can handle high particle loading.
- Loading fluctuations do not affect the removal efficiency.
- They can handle explosive gases with little risk.
- Gas adsorption and dust collection are handled in one unit.
- Corrosive gases and dusts are neutralized.

Disadvantages of Wet Scrubbers
- High potential for corrosive problems
- Effluent scrubbing liquid poses a water pollution problem.
Wet Scrubbers
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The major types of scrubbers are

Spray Towers
Centrifugal scrubbers
Packed beds and plate columns
Venturi Scrubbers

low energy scrubber like Spray Towers used for
handling 5-10 micron particle whereas high energy
scrubbers like venturi scrubber used for fine particle.

5
th
Spray Tower Centrifugal Scrubber
6
th
Spray Tower
Polluted gas flow upward
Particle collection results due to inertial impaction
and interception on droplets
Maximum efficiency by inertial impaction is
independent of particle size
When droplets fall under gravity through still air and
this maximum occurs for droplets of the diameter of
about 800 m
7
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Centrifugal Scrubbers
The collection efficiency for particles smaller than those
recovered in spray towers can be increased through centrifugal
scrubbers
A simple type of centrifugal scrubber can be constructed by
inserting banks of nozzles inside a conventional dry cyclone.
The spray acts on the particles in outer vortex, and the droplets
loaded with particles are thrown outward against the wet inner
wall of the cyclone.

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th
Centrifugal Scrubbers
The polluted gas introduced tangentially into the lower
portion of the vertical cylinder.
The particle cut diameter (d
pc
) for centrifugal spray scrubbers is
between 2 and 3 m.
Commercial scrubbers have operating efficiencies of 97 percent
or better for particles larger than 1 m.
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th
Packed Beds and Plate Columns
In a typical countercurrent-flow packed scrubber the polluted
gas stream moves upward and comes in contact with the
scrubbing liquid stream which is moving downward over the
packing in a film.
The packing provides a target which allows the gas stream to
take a curved path through the pore spaces while the particles
carried by the gas stream are captured by inertial impaction.
GOOD MASS TRANSFER results in efficient collection of fine
particles by diffusion.
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th
Packed Beds and Plate Columns
Variety of materials used are Raschig rings, coke or broken stone.
Smaller packing increases the efficiency of collection.
Plugging problems can be reduced by employing sprays to wash
the packing or by using low density spheres agitated by gas flow.
Impingement Baffle Plate Scrubber
The gas stream is passed through a flooded, perforated plate for
Scrubbing.
Impingement baffles are placed right above each perforation.
Particles are collected by inertial impaction

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th
Impingement type scrubbers
The superficial gas velocities are 5 times the velocities generally
used for mass transfer operations Ex. Distillation
Main disadvantage of impingement plate systems is their
Tendency towards scaling, resulting in plugging of the perforations
Venturi Scrubbers
High performance collection of fine particles, usually smaller than
2 to 3 m in diameter.
Suitable for particulate matters Sticky, Flammable or Corrosive.
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th
Venturi Scrubbers
High performance of venturi scrubbers is achieved by accelerating
the gas stream to very high velocities of 60-120 m/s.
High speed action atomizes the feed liquid .
Droplets accelerate in the throat section and due to the velocity
difference between
The particles and the droplets the particles are impacted against
the slow-moving droplets. This acceleration of droplets is not likely
to be complete at the end of the throat, so that particle collection
continues to some extent into the diverging section of the venturi.
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th
The gas-liquid mixture is then directed to a separation device
such as cyclone separator where the droplets carrying the
particulate matter are separated from the gas stream.
Mechanisms which affect the collection of particulates in the
venturi scrubber are inertial impaction, diffusion, electrostatic-
phenomenon, and condensation and agglomeration.
Eventhough condensation plays a part in the effectiveness of
scrubber by helping the particles to agglomerate, the predominant
mechanism is inertial impaction.
Venturi Scrubbers
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th
th
Packed bed Scrubber Venturi Scrubber
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th
Venturi Scrubber
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th
The most popular collection efficiency equation is proposed by Johnstone
and field and Tassler:

Design Aspects for Venturi
Scrubber
m. in particle of d
K re, temperatu Absolute - T ;
) ( 10 * 21 . 6
1 C
droplet of d
at throat gas of
factor correction ,
18
) (
parameter impaction inertial -
gas /m m rate, flow liquid - R
liquid gas/m m t, coefficien n correlatio
) exp( 1
4
(Hesketh)
d
g
2
3 3
3 3
q
diameter
d
T
diameter
speed v
Cunningham C Where
d
d v C
of
of of K
R
p
p
g d
p g p
+ =
K =
17
Design Aspects for Venturi
Scrubber
s m roat tventurith stoliquida locityof ga relativeve v
ter metresofwa essuredrop P
/ ,
, Pr
r

= A
P = 5 x 10
-5
v
r
L

The pressure drop through the venturi scrubber can be predicted
on the basis of the equation suggested by Calvert

18
28
th
Scrubber Performance and Efficiency
Above ideas have led Semrau to correlate the scrubber
efficiency in terms of contacting power. It is a concept used to
describe the power expended in a wet scrubber to force contact
between the liquid and solid phases and is usually in terms of power
per unit of volumetric gas flow rate that is dissipated in contacting
and is ultimately converted into heat.

Total contacting power P
T

Sum of the gas-phase contacting power, P
G
Liquid phase contacting power, P
L
and
mechanical contacting power, P
M

P
T
= P
G
+ P
L
+ P
M
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28
th
The most effective way to deal with air pollution problem is to prevent the
formation of the pollutants or minimize their emission at the source itself.

In the case of industrial pollutants, source correction methods ( selection of
those methods which do not contribute to air pollution or have the
minimum air pollution potential) can be used at an early stage of process
design and development to prevent or minimize the pollutant level.

Control of pollutant at the source can be achieved in different ways
through raw material changes, operational changes, modification or
replacement of process equipment etc.

If the source correction method is not useful to control air pollution, we
can try effluent gas cleaning techniques (involve many of the chemical
Eng. Unit operations).

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th
1. Raw material changes : If a particular raw material is responsible
for causing air pollution, purer grade of that raw material can be
used to reduce the formation of undesirable impurities (Ex. Use of
low sulfur fuel in place of high sulfur ones).
2. Process changes: Involve new or modified techniques to lower
atmospheric pollutant emissions. H
2
S, which was once flared in
refineries, can be recycled and used in Claus process to recover
elemental S.
3. Equipment modification or Replacement: Air pollution emissions
can be reduced by suitable modification or replacement of process
equipment. Ex; The unburnt CO and hydrocarbons in the cylinders
of an automobile engine can be burnt by injecting air into the hot
exhaust manifold of the engine.
4. Other methods: Proper equipment maintenance, housekeeping and
cleanliness in the facilities and premises.
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Cleaning of gaseous effluents
The cleaning techniques are applied to those cases
where the emission of pollutants can not be prevented
and pollution control equipment is necessary to remove
them from the main gas stream.

Emission control equipment is divided into two types:

1. Particulate control type

2. Gases and odours control type
Wet absorption and dry adsorption
Chemical alteration of the pollutant
(mechanism: diffusion of the
Particular gas)
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th
Particulate Emission Control
Discrete and minute suspended particles emitted (size range from
100 m down to 0.1 m )are called particulates.

The choice of collection devices depend up on : The physical and
chemical characteristics of particulates, size and concentration in
the gas, volume to be handled and the temp. and humidity of
gaseous medium.

Collection efficiency,

T
= 100 X Weight of material collected/ Total
amount entering collector
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th
Particulate Control Equipment
1. Gravitational settling chambers: Used to remove large abrasive
particles

2. Cyclone separators: Effective in removal of smaller particles than
gravitational settling chambers

3. Filters :Most versatile and efficient methods for removing particulate
matter from industrial gases.

4. Electrostatic precipitators: Used for controlling particulate emissions
at industrial installations ranging from power plants, cement and paper
mills to refineries.

5. Wet collectors: Simultaneous removal of particles and gaseous
pollutants.
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th

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Environmental Pollution Control

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