Design and performance measurement of wave-plate mist eliminator with microstructural feature plate surface

Abstract

Wave-plate mist eliminators are widely used to remove airflow droplets in industrial processes. However, with an increase of the gas velocity, a negative impact from re-entrainment becomes obvious and energy consumption from mist eliminator becomes too high. To resolve these problems, a new kind of wave-plate mist eliminator with microstructural features added on the surfaces of wave-plates, is proposed. The effects of microstructural features (triangular, trapezoidal, and square columnar) on mist eliminator drainage performance are experimentally investigated. The separation efficiency and pressure drop of wave-plate mist eliminator are compared and analyzed. The influence of key microstructural dimensional parameters, including microcolumn unit width, circumference center distance spacing, and height, on mist eliminator performance is evaluated. The results indicate that microstructural features significantly increase droplet contact angles on wave-plate surfaces and enhance surface hydrophobicity. The separation efficiency of wave-plate mist eliminator with microstructural features is improved at high gas velocity. The pressure drop of wave-plate mist eliminator with microstructural features is only approximately one-third of pressure drop of a conventional mist eliminator with drainage channels. The three key structural parameters of microcolumn units have a comprehensive effect on mist eliminator performance.