Contact Us
  • +44 1403 290 000

V-tex Scrubbers

V-tex® scrubbers for challenging gas scrubbing and stripping applications

V‑tex® is an outstanding, patented scrubbing and stripping technology for gas cleaning applications where conventional packed towers would foul or be impractically tall.

The V‑tex® scrubber uses opposed‑jet spray nozzle technology in an open scrubbing chamber to deliver high mass‑ and heat‑transfer rates, robust operation with dirty and solids‑laden liquors, and a significantly more compact footprint than traditional packed towers.

V‑tex® gas scrubbers and strippers are available from ERG and its global network of licensees for a wide range of industrial gas scrubbing and liquid stripping duties.

V‑tex® technology and operation

The V‑tex® scrubber is especially suited to applications where traditional packed towers cannot be used because solids in the gas and/or liquid streams would clog the packing media. In these duties, V‑tex® provides a highly efficient scrubber unit which is more compact than a traditional packed tower and maintains stable performance under arduous conditions.

Thanks to the opposed‑jet spray nozzle at the heart of the technology, V‑tex® gas scrubbers offer flexible, robust operability and high, maintenance‑free availability across a wide variety of process applications. The open scrubbing chamber and non‑clogging spray nozzle design minimise fouling and blockage risks, while delivering consistent, predictable mass‑ and heat‑transfer rates over a wide gas flow turndown range.

V‑tex® gas scrubber technology is available from ERG and its global network of licensees. ERG also has a number of V‑tex® pilot plants which are available for hire as temporary scrubbing packages or to prove the technology for specific applications. Find out how V‑tex® works, download the technology and range brochures, and see examples of V‑tex® scrubbing case studies in a variety of industry sectors.

V-tex

Key benefits of V‑tex® scrubbers

The key benefits of V‑tex® technology include:
  • Robust operation, even with dirty and solids‑laden liquor streams, making it the scrubber of choice for arduous applications where high availability and low maintenance are essential.
  • High availability with no internal packing to foul; vessel design allows easy access to all internal parts for cleaning where required.
  • Non‑clogging spray nozzle technology, using dual opposed and Cobra® spray nozzles.
  • Consistent, predictable mass‑ and heat‑transfer rates with exceptional gas flow turndown capability (over 10:1).
  • Smaller volumes of spent liquor generated for effluent treatment, as V‑tex® can scrub with viscous, high‑concentration liquors and slurries.
  • High‑efficiency performance for particulate and soluble contaminant removal.
  • Proven performance in a wide range of applications.
  • V‑tex® vessels can be manufactured in a wide range of materials to suit process requirements, including PP/GRP, cPVC/GRP, PVDF/GRP, ECTFE/GRP, Derakane® GRP, 316SS and Hastelloy C‑276.
  • Configuration is well suited to skid‑mounted, complete scrubbing packages.
  • Easily integrated into complete gas scrubbing or liquid stripping plants, used in combination with other ERG mass transfer technologies.

V-tex® technology applications

These advantages of V-tex® technology make it especially suitable for two main types of scrubbing application.
Scrubbing where solids in the gas and/or liquid will block packing For duties where solids or tars would rapidly clog packed media, the open scrubbing chamber and non‑clogging spray nozzle design mean that a V‑tex ®scrubber operates much more effectively than a packed scrubber. ERG has successfully installed V‑tex® scrubbers for a wide range of extremely challenging duties, including:
  • Flue gas desulphurisation – SO₂ scrubbing using 10–15% limestone and gypsum slurry as the scrubbing liquor.
  • Scrubbing of halogenated silicon and boron compounds where gas hydrolysis produces gelatinous or crystalline solids that are extremely difficult to handle and require the most robust scrubbing technology available.
  • Treatment of syngases containing tars which can coat and clog packing materials but are handled effectively by V‑tex®technology.
Scrubbing where headroom is limited Where headroom is constrained, the intense mass transfer in the V‑tex® chamber achieves scrubbing efficiencies comparable with a packed tower in only around 30% of the height. If the available height in a process building means a packed tower scrubber does not fit, a V‑tex® unit can provide an effective alternative. This is particularly useful for localised scrubbing of vents in pharmaceutical and tech sector manufacturing facilities. V‑tex® technology is also used for liquid stripping in wastewater recovery and process water treatment, where robust handling of fouling and solids‑laden streams is required.

Background to the V-tex® scrubber

V‑tex® technology was first employed in response to the demanding gas scrubbing requirements of the nuclear industry, where both gaseous and particulate contamination had to be removed while minimising the risk of fouling scrubber internals and blocking spray nozzles. The driver was to keep downtime to a minimum and reduce worker exposure to hazardous maintenance activities. With the partial privatisation of the UK nuclear industry in the 1990s, this patented technology became available for gas scrubbing applications across other process industries. Over the last 25 years the technology has been developed and improved, and today there are more than 400 V‑tex® gas scrubbers and gas strippers in successful operation across a broad range of process industries and leading global companies

Frequently asked questions

When should V‑tex® be selected instead of a packed tower scrubber?

V‑tex® is typically selected instead of a packed tower when solids, tars or crystallising species in the gas or liquid streams would foul conventional packing, or when headroom constraints prevent installation of a tall packed column. In these cases, the open‑chamber V‑tex® design and non‑clogging nozzles provide more reliable operation and simpler maintenance than packed tower alternatives.

Can V‑tex® be integrated into existing gas cleaning plants?

V‑tex® scrubbers can be integrated into existing gas cleaning or liquid stripping plants as stand‑alone units or in series with other ERG mass‑transfer equipment. They can replace a fouling‑prone packed stage, act as a pre‑scrubber for solids‑laden duties, or provide a compact solution where additional scrubbing capacity is needed but layout or headroom constraints limit conventional options.
X-twitter Icon-facebook Instagram Icon-linkedin

Industrial gas cleaning/Thermal systems

System Maintenance

Odour control

Plastic-GRP Fabrication