Particle collection efficiency in a venturi scrubber: comparison of experiments with theory.

Particle collection efficiencies in 23 size intervals covering a diameter range of 0.32-2.8 pm were measured for venturi scrubbers with throat diameters of 3.2,5.4, and 7.6 cm. Each scrubber was operated with four types of liquid injection, throat gas velocities from 21 to 160 m/s, and liquid-to-gas volume ratios from 0.000 19 to 0.0043. Results were compared to three widely used theoretical models using a least-squares performance index. Yung's model predicted the data better than either Calvert's model with f = 0.25, the recommended value for collection of hydrophobic particles in laboratory-scale venturi scrubbers, or Boll's model. In addition, the performance of each model improved with increasing throat diameter. Complete performance data, including pressure drop, are reported in supplementary material and should prove useful for improving and validating venturi scrubber models.