man with drill
An absorption tower is an industrial tower used to separate the components of an ascending gas with the use of a descending liquid to retain the gas. This equipment is used in a variety of environments for purification, material processing, and other activities. The absorption tower must often be custom designed for a specific application to ensure efficient and trouble-free operation. Like other factory components, it needs regular cleaning and maintenance to function properly and may be subject to inspection by regulatory authorities.
In an absorption tower, the gas is pumped to the bottom of the tower. This, along with the impurities it contains, begins to float to the top. As you move to the top, aerosol liquid sprays into the tower. The droplets capture the impurities in the gas and carry them to the bottom of the tower for collection. Some towers may have multiple points where liquid is sprayed to capture different impurities or maximize the amount of trapped material.
A common use of an absorption tower is as a scrubber. Purifiers remove material from factory exhaust gases to reduce pollution. Air quality standards often require the use of purifiers and other safety devices to trap pollutants. In factories that use an absorption tower for purification, the waste captured by the fluid can be safely collected and properly disposed of or converted for use in other industrial processes. These devices can also be used in environments such as refineries to separate different usable components from gases.
The flow of fluids and gases must be carefully controlled, as must the temperature, as these factors can have an impact on the amount of water it can absorb. If conditions on the tower or in the factory change, adjustments may be necessary to compensate. Operators can take actions such as shutting down plant components, using bypasses to move waste material to different towers, etc., to control plant operations and keep conditions as safe and efficient as possible.
For cleaning and maintenance, an absorption tower must generally be closed to allow workers to access it safely. If the tower handles potentially hazardous or toxic substances, special equipment may be required to enter and personnel may be monitored for signs of exposure. Inspectors may include absorption towers in the list of factory components they examine to confirm compliance with the law and verify claims made by the factory about its performance.