Development of a pressure drop model for a variable throat venturi scrubber

Experimental studies were performed using a pilot-plant scale McInnis-Bisch off variable throat venturi scrubber using operating variable ranges that a re normally encountered with industrial size units. The investigation invol ved the examination of pressure drop as a function of various liquid-to-gas ratios, throat gas velocities and throat area. Two hundred and five separa te runs were carried out by measuring pressure drop by varying the throat g as velocity, and the liquid loading. A better understanding of single-phase and two-phase flow losses in variable throat scrubber was achieved during this study. The Rothfus et al. correlation for single-phase flow in annuli has been extended to low (L'/D)(eq) values for velocities in the range of 6 0-120 m/s. This extended correlation was essential for the prediction of tw o-phase frictional losses for all the models tested using the McInnis-Bisch off variable throat venturi scrubber data. The simplified empirical correla tion, Delta P-TP = -Delta P-SP + 3.16 x 10(-2) (L/G) - 24.52 where the pressure drop expressed in ems of water was obtained for the pred iction of two-phase pressure drop at various liquid-to-gas ratios and throa t velocities in the McInnis-Bischoff scrubber. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S. A. All rights reserved.