Experimental results on the performance of a laboratory scale rectangular Venturi scrubber in the removal of fine mineral particles from a confined air stream are presented, and a new correlation is proposed and evaluated. The scrubber was operated with air velocities in the throat varying from 58 m/s to 75 m/s and liquid flow rates varying from 280 ml/min to 900 ml/min. Liquid was injected as a jet emerging from a 1.0 mm orifice at the throat. Results for dust collection grade efficiency varied from 87% to 98% for particles from 0.1 µm to 2.0 µm.

Venturi scrubbers are high efficiency gas cleaners in which suspended particles are removed from gas streams by droplets formed by liquid atomisation, usually in the venturi throat. The size of the droplets formed is of fundamental importance to the performance of the equipment, both in terms of pressure drop and collection efficiency. In this study, drop sizes in a cylindrical laboratory scale venturi scrubber were measured using a laser diffraction technique. Gas velocity and liquid to gas ratios varied from 50 to 90 m/s and 0.5 to 2.0 l/m3, respectively. Water was inserted as perpendicular jets at the beginning of the throat. Measurements were performed at three positions: two located along the throat, and the last one at the end of the diffuser. The data presented here are a typical example of pneumatic atomisation and can be relevant to other industrial applications such as combustion and engine technology. Finally, results are compared to available correlations and the validity of these equations is discussed.