Mass transfer intensification in a rotating packed bed with surface-modified nickel foam packing

This work examined the liquid-side controlled mass transfer process in a rotating packed bed (RPB) equipped with a surface-modified nickel foam packing (SNP), which is a hydrophobic structured packing. The chemical absorption system CO2–NaOH was used to determine the effective interfacial area (a) and the liquid-side mass transfer coefficient (kL). The volumetric liquid-side mass transfer coefficient (kLa) was thus calculated. Effects of rotational speed, liquid flow rate, and gas flow rate on these mass transfer parameters were investigated. Experimental results show that the RPB with SNP possessed a higher a and kL and thus showed better mass transfer performance in comparison to the RPB with the non-modified nickel foam packing (NNP). Moreover, the possible mechanism for the enhancement of mass transfer in the RPB with SNP was also explored by a flow visualization method.