Curved Contactor Media for Gas-Liquid Wetting With Lower Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas-liquid contactor media face challenges in increasing phase-phase contact surface area while minimizing operational costs, particularly due to high pressure drop and liquid hold-up requirements, often necessitating higher liquid flow rates and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
The development of contactor media with continuous surfaces structured for surface wetting through capillary action, featuring specific Gaussian and principal curvatures, which enhance liquid hold-up and gas-liquid exchange, reducing pressure drop and energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional contactor media is physically manipulated (e.g., thermoformed into corrugated architectures) to assist in wetting, then liquid wetting is improved, but pressure drop of the gas stream increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contactor media employs surfaces with specific Gaussian curvature (Gc) and principal curvature (ki) values to optimize capillary action. The curved surfaces with controlled geometry enhance liquid distribution through capillary forces while maintaining favorable pressure drop characteristics, resolving the contradiction between improved wetting and increased pressure drop
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the contactor media by specifying particular curvature values (Gc and ki) and thickness ranges. These parameter changes optimize the balance between capillary action for liquid distribution and resistance to gas flow, achieving reliable wetting without excessive pressure drop
2Reliability
If conventional contactor media uses higher liquid flow rates to improve wetting, then liquid distribution is enhanced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contactor media utilizes capillary action inherent in the curved surface geometry to automatically distribute liquid without requiring high flow rates. The system serves itself by using the surface curvature to generate the necessary capillary forces, eliminating the need for energy-intensive pumping while achieving enhanced liquid distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical system of high-velocity liquid flow with a passive capillary action mechanism. By substituting active pumping with passive surface tension-based distribution, the system achieves improved liquid distribution while significantly reducing energy consumption
3Productivity
If contactor media increases phase-phase contact surface area to improve mass transfer, then mass transfer rate increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contactor media utilizes three-dimensional curved surfaces with specific Gaussian and principal curvatures to maximize surface area within a compact footprint. By transitioning from two-dimensional flat surfaces to three-dimensional curved geometries, the system achieves enhanced mass transfer rates without proportionally increasing device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides increased liquid hold-up and enhanced gas-liquid exchange with lower operational costs by optimizing surface geometry for capillary action, thereby improving mass transfer efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
contactor media with continuous surfaces to structure the liquid phase via surface wetting (e.g., capillary action) which occur in designed regions of curvature
Implementation Method 2
continuous surfaces to structure the liquid phase via surface wetting (e.g., capillary action) which occur in designed regions of curvature
Data Source
AI summary
A contactor media includes continuous surface segments, wherein a first continuous surface segment has at least 50% of its surface area follow at least one of: (a) a contour of a first zero-thickness surface having a Gaussian curvature (“Gc”) of −400 mm−2≤Gc<−0.01 mm−2; and (b) a contour of a second zero-thickness surface having at least one principal curvature (ki) of −20 mm−1≤ki<−0.1 mm−1; and wherein the first continuous surface segment provides at least: (a) a total liquid hold-up of between about 1 kg/m3 to about 800 kg/m3 or (b) a static liquid hold-up of about 0.1 kg/m3 to about 800 kg/m3.