Gas Phase Mass Transfer Characteristics of Countercurrent and Cocurrent Wetted-Wall Column in a Laminar Region

Abstract

An experimental and theoretical study was attempted for the vaporization of water into a laminar flow of nitrogen gas in a wetted-wall column. Flow patterns and concentration profiles of gas phase were obtained, by solving the Navier-Stokes equations and diffusion equation numerically. In cocurrent gas-liquid flow fresh gas was always in contact with the liquid surface, whereas in countercurrent flow there existed a large circulation near the surface which blocked the contact.
It was concluded that the difference of flow patterns made overall mass transfer rate for cocurrent flow larger than that for countercurrent flow.