Novel Wire Mesh Packing with Controllable Cross-Sectional Area in a Rotating Packed Bed: Mass Transfer Studies

Wire mesh packing has been extensively utilized in laboratory and industry applications in rotating packed bed (RPB) because of the high mass transfer performance and low cost. Conventional wire mesh packings formed by the coiling meshes with constant porosity have an increasing cross-sectional area along the radial direction, which affects the fluid flow behavior and mass transfer performance. Herein, wire mesh packings with controllable cross-sectional area were designed and rapidly fabricated using the three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. Gas–liquid mass transfer efficiencies of wire mesh packings with various structures and cross-sectional areas were evaluated. The gas–liquid effective interfacial area (ae) and liquid-side volumetric mass transfer coefficient (kLae) of the concentric wire mesh packing with constant cross-sectional area were, respectively, 25.5 and 14.7% higher than those of the coiled one with increasing cross-sectional area. The correlations for prediction of aeand kLae, considering previous and current data, were respectively established with acceptable deviations.