The role of drainage channels in the performance of wave-plate mist eliminators

Numerical simulation of the performance of an idealized wave-plate mist eliminator is used to assess the influence of drainage channels in the mist eliminator passages. The effect of the drainage channels on the primary gas flow and on the evolution of the liquid droplet distribution is calculated for a range of gas speeds, wave-plate spacing, channel sizes and inlet droplet size distributions. The ability of drainage channels to increase the droplet collection efficiency is confirmed and several features of the flow are predicted which have implications for the design of wave-plate mist eliminators.