Liquid-phase mass transfer in spray contactors

The liquid-phase mass transfer in sprays has been measured with carbon dioxide desorption by collecting and analyzing samples of the spray. Experiments were conducted with laboratory- (0.009 to 0.13 L/s) and pilot-scale (6 4 to 12.8 L/s) centrifugal hollow-cone spray nozzles at pressure drops from 34 kPa to 138 kPa. Significant mass transfer occur-red during sample collection, and a quench sampling method was developed to minimize this effect. The number of liquid-phase transfer units (N-L) due to spray impact onto walls and liquid pools was often as much as the spray N-L. Approximately 60% of the spray N-L occurs in the liquid sheet before droplet formation, and the droplet region can account for less than half of the total N-L of the spray.