Performance characteristics of a new spherical metal mesh packing

Various tests and analysis on hydrodynamics and mass transfer properties show that, the newly invented spherical metal mesh packing (SMMP) has excellent properties from three aspects: (i) high void space (similar to 99%) and lower material cost; (ii) high mass transfer efficiency; (iii) easy installation, good liquid distribution, and prevention of wall flow. Moreover, SMMP is a type of isotropic spherical unit with numerous hollow holes, which realizes the regularization of random packing. The results indicate the potential of developing high-efficiency and energy-saving SMMP-based equipment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved