V-tex® Scrubbing-Slurries/Dirty Liquors

V‑tex® scrubbing with slurries and dirty liquors

V‑tex® scrubbing technology is specifically designed for high‑efficiency gas cleaning duties where the scrubbing liquor contains high concentrations of solids, tars or near‑saturation dissolved salts. In applications where conventional packed or tray towers would rapidly foul or block, V‑tex® provides a robust, non‑clogging solution that maintains scrubbing performance and extends the interval between maintenance shutdowns.

Why V‑tex® is suited to slurries and dirty liquors

V‑tex® technology is engineered to handle challenging scrubbing liquors, including:

Slurries with double‑digit percentage suspended solids.
Sticky gelatinous solids formed as hydrolysis products from gas‑phase contaminants.
Condensed tars forming emulsions or separate liquid phases within the scrubbing liquor.
Dissolved salts operating close to their solubility limit.

In these duties, the physical characteristics of the scrubbing liquor mean that packed towers or tray towers would quickly block, and simple spray columns would not achieve the required scrubbing efficiency without additional polishing stages. By contrast, the V‑tex® scrubber’s packing‑free chamber and non‑clogging dual opposed spray nozzle give a clear advantage for robust scrubbing, helping to minimise fouling, extend run‑times and make maintenance as straightforward as possible.

For awkward scrubbing duties, ERG’s sales team can advise how the V‑tex® scrubber can be configured for your specific application.

Example applications with slurries and dirty liquors

ERG has installed V‑tex® scrubbers on a range of demanding duties, including:

Silicon and boron halide scrubbing (SiF₄, BCl₃ and related gases)
SiF₄ and BCl₃ are used in speciality gases for LED screen and optical fibre manufacture and in silicone production for consumer and healthcare products. When these gases contact moisture, particularly in wet scrubbers, they hydrolyse to form HCl or HF and gelatinous or crystalline SiO₂, depending on the chemistry used. In multiple plants worldwide, V‑tex® scrubbers are used to efficiently remove acid gases while maintaining reliable operation in the presence of silica solids that would rapidly foul conventional packing.
Emergency chlorine scrubbing with concentrated caustic
At a metal refinery, an emergency chlorine scrubber is designed for a shock load approaching 5 tonnes of chlorine discharged over 15 minutes. The scrubber operates with a batch of >20% w/w caustic solution that reacts to form >30% w/w sodium chloride solution. In a traditional packed scrubber, this highly concentrated salt liquor would risk fouling the packing. ERG’s V‑tex® scrubber delivers robust, reliable chlorine removal when the plant needs it most, helping safeguard workers and the environment.
High‑solids De‑SOx with limestone/gypsum slurry
In the Middle East, ERG’s multi‑stage flue gas abatement plant uses a 15% w/w limestone and gypsum slurry to scrub flue gas containing >150,000 ppm SO₂. The desulphurisation plant removes >98% of the SO₂ in high‑efficiency V‑tex® stages designed to minimise downtime. The system also produces saleable gypsum as a by‑product. V‑tex® scrubbing is integrated within a complete wet abatement plant including quench, high‑energy venturi, sub‑cooler, caustic scrubber and carbon polishing, giving the client comprehensive gas cleaning in a single integrated package.

For awkward scrubbing duties, contact ERG’s sales team to find out how the V-tex® scrubber’s non-clogging, dual opposed spray nozzle and packing-free scrub chamber can work for your application.

Quality and Certification

All ERG systems are designed and manufactured to ERG’s ISO 9001 Quality Management System. Our systems are typically built to good engineering practice, though where required, we can design and build to be CE marked as required to the Pressure Equipment (2014/68/EU) and ATEX (2014/34/EU) Directives. Vessels can be supplied in accordance with PD 5500, BS EN 13121 or ASME VIII.

Our Clients

ERG’s customers include: