Air scrubbers are commonly used in process-air applications to eliminate potentially harmful dust

and pollutants. A liquid, in general water added with active chemicals adapted to the process, is
sprayed in to the air flow. Aerosol and gaseous pollutants in the air stream are removed by either
absorption or chemical reactions with the water solution.
A schematic drawing of a typical spray nozzle scrubber configuration is shown below.

Water with chemicals are sprayed with high pressure through nozzles into the air flow. Some of
the water evaporates, especially if the process-air is hot, and disappear with the exhaust. Water
droplets are separated from the exhaust and re-circulated back to the water reservoir.
Evaporated water is replaced by fresh water and chemicals. Dust and pollution products from the
process are removed periodically through the drain.
Wet Scrubber Basic Configurations
The basic scrubber configurations are:
Orifice scrubbers - air or gas velocity is increased through an orifice - increased
turbulence atomize the water droplets
Venturi scrubbers - air or gas velocity is increased through a venturi shape - increased
turbulence atomize the water droplets
Fiber-bed scrubbers - air passes through wet-laden fiber mats where mists are collected.
Not suited if solid particles are present in the air since the fiber mats may plug
Mechanical scrubbers - a mechanical driven rotor produces the fine water droplets in the
air
Impingement-plate scrubber - vertical scrubber with horizontal plates, air flows from
bottom to top, water flows from top to bottom
Spray nozzle scrubbers - water are sprayed with high pressure through nozzles to
produce the droplets in the air
Typical Scrubber Data
Cleaning efficiency: 70% of fine dust and 80% of coarse dirt
Air velocity through the washer: 2 - 3 m/s
Air flow pressure drop resistance: 50 - 140 N/m
2

Water pressure before nozzles: 100 - 170 kN/m
2

Water consumption: 0.45 - 0.55 l/m
3
air (depends on the temperature of the process air)
Scrubber humidifying efficiency
Some industrial processes need more cleaning than a single scrubber can provide. In smell
polluted processes, like exhaust air from fish meal or fish feed dryers, bio beds are commonly
used. A bio bed, which is an organic organism, require process air with as little dust as possible
and temperature and humidity within certain limits.

The humidifying efficiency of the scrubber may be expressed as:

h
= (t
1
- t
2
) / (t
1
- t
w
) 100% (1)
where

h
= scrubber humidifying efficiency (%)
t
1
= initial dry bulb temperature (
o
C)
t
2
= final dry bulb temperature (
o
C)
t
w
= initial wet bulb temperature (
o
C)