Prototyping of rotating packed bed structural internals

A rapid prototyping method was developed for quick and inexpensive design of various geometrical solutions for rotating packed bed internals. Sixteen geometries were designed with the use of 3D modeling software and subsequently 3D-printed, if possible. The printed packings were tested for dry pressure drop to reject the ones generating too high air flow resistance. Eventually, the packings were tested for wet pressure drop and effective mass transfer area generated in specified conditions. An evaluation method was designed to compare the results from the different packings and determine the geometry most suited for the absorption process.