An Experimental Test of a Theoretical Model to Determine the Rate at which Freely Falling Water Drops Scavenge SO2 in Air

Abstract

An experimental method involving the UCLA Rain Shaft is described. This method allows determining the rate at which SO2 is scavenged from air by freely falling water drops. In the present experiment water drops of radii near 300 ?m were allowed to pass through a chamber filled with SO2 whose partial pressure was determined by an infrared spectrometer. By varying the length of the gas compartment, the drops could be exposed to SO2 for different intervals of time. An electrochemical method verified by three quantitative chemical methods was used to determine the total amount of sulfur taken up by the drops falling through the gas compartment. The present experimental results were compared with the results from our theoretical model (Baboolal et at., 1981), which was evaluated for the present experimental conditions. Satisfactory agreement between experiment and theory was found.