Hydrodynamic and Mass Transfer of Novel Helical Liquid-Bridge Descending-Film Structured Packings

The helical liquid-bridged flow process was discovered as a unique flow pattern that offers improved distribution and stability, making it effective for mass transfer applications. A novel helical liquid-bridge descending-film structured packing was developed to improve gas–liquid contact efficiency while minimizing the pressure drop. The experimental setup optimized the gas–liquid distribution by using a specially designed liquid distributor. The study investigated the hydrodynamic behavior and mass transfer performance of the packing by evaluating pressure drop, liquid holdup, residence time, effective mass transfer area, and mass transfer coefficient. Results indicated that the packing exhibited an extremely low pressure drop, superior self-distribution performance, and competitive mass transfer efficiency. Additionally, the system showed high operational flexibility, making it suitable for industrial applications such as CO2 absorption. The use of monoethanolamine and new absorbents demonstrated the promising potential of the helical liquid-bridged structure for effective carbon capture with reduced energy consumption.