Importance

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Abstract

A method for urging contact between contaminants in an air stream and the wet surfaces of an aqueous-froth, and additional means of limiting the froth to a predetermined volume are provided. A wide spectrum of solution micro-droplet sizes (0.001 to 1000 micron) is introduced into a contaminated air stream. Micro-droplets suspended in the air stream remove contaminants by contact, collide and coalesce in the dynamics of the air stream and are removed by inertia. Smaller micro-droplets remain suspended in the air stream. The smallest micro-droplets evaporate, increasing the solution vapor pressure of the air stream. The humidified or saturated, contaminated air stream continuously expands the surface area of the solution reservoir exponentially into an aqueous froth of tiny bubbles. Airflow velocity drops in the micro-atmosphere inside each bubble of the froth. Contaminants and solution micro-droplets suspended in the air, inside the bubbles, settle out by the acceleration of gravity into the wet surfaces inside of each bubble. The froth is dewatered by condensation of the bubble walls, solution vapor, and micro-droplets, with trapped contaminants, onto the cold air, adjacent cold surfaces, and cold refrigerant coils. The liquid solution and contaminants drain from the refrigerant coils into the solution reservoir. Solution micro-droplets remaining in the air stream are drawn through a centrifugal blower/droplet separator and are thrown onto the blower housing to drain back into the solution reservoir. The air stream is passed through condensing refrigerant coils to reheat the air stream and reduce relative humidity. Variations including scaling, alternative methods of fogging, and additional applications are described.

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