Method for creating gas-liquid interfacial contact conditions for highly efficient mass transfer

摘要

Apparatus for creating gas-liquid interfacial contact conditions for highly efficient mass transfer between gas and liquid comprises a gas-liquid contactor assembly including a hollow porous tube surrounded by an outer jacket defining a gas plenum between the jacket and the porous tube; a liquid feed assembly including a nozzle for injecting liquid into the porous tube in a spiraling flow pattern around and along the porous tube; a gas-liquid separator assembly at the first end of the porous tube including a nonporous degassing tube coaxially aligned with and connected to the porous tube, a gas outlet port coaxially aligned with the degassing tube to receive a first portion of gas flowing from the degassing tube, a first gas duct coaxially aligned with and connected to the gas outlet duct to convey the first portion of gas therefrom; and a liquid collection assembly. A second gas discharge assembly to collect and convey gas from the first end of the porous tube is also disclosed. A method of creating gas-liquid interfacial contact conditions for highly efficient mass transfer comprises the general steps of introducing a stream of liquid to the hollow interior of a cylindrical porous tube in a thin film following a spiral flow pattern around and along the wall of the tube; controlling the physical characteristics of the liquid film and the flow pattern followed by the film through the tube; sparging gas through the wall of the tube and into the liquid film at a preselected flow rate so as to create a two phase gas-liquid froth around the wall of the tube and a discrete column of gas in the central portion of the tube; maintaining the froth flow in a radial force field so as to prevent mixing of the froth and gas in the central column; removing gas forming the column from both ends of the tube; and removing liquid from the tube.