Performance of a large scale venturi scrubber with 2d boundary layer model

The performance of a venturi scrubber is evaluated by the balance between its particulate collection efficiency and the operating pressure drop. A wide array of models with varying complexity describing the flow in venturis has been presented in the literature, often validated with the experimental data. Most of the experimental work has been carried out in small and laboratory-scale scrubbers [1] rendering the extrapolation of results to industrial size designs open to question. In the present work, a large scale cylindrical venturi was built for measuring the most relevant operating parameters for industrial applications and to provide a reliable experimental data base that can be used for model validation. This paper discusses the application of a model describing the performance of venturi scrubbers to this large scale venturi. The model combines simultaneously a ID model for the converging section and a 2D boundary layer model for the diverging section, to predict total pressure drop and collection efficiency of dust particles. Various parameters which affect pressure drop and collection efficiency have been investigated and results are compared very favourably with large scale venturi scrubber experimental data.