Effect of hydrophilic properties of packings on mass transfer performance of water distillation

Water distillation as an effective method for detritiation and deuterium enrichment can be used to improve mass transfer efficiency by treating the packing surface. This study focuses on the effect of the wettability of the packings surface on the separation performance of the H 2 O-HDO system. Different hydrophilic effect coatings are prepared on the surface of copper packings by alkaline etching and oxidation method. The differences in mass transfer performance of packings with different contact angles are investigated. It is found that with the increase of hydrophilicity, the mass transfer performance of the packing is relatively improved. By combining empirical models of mass transfer and experimental data, a mathematical model for predicting the height equivalent of theoretical plate ( HETP ) is established to quantify the effect of wetting properties on the mass transfer process.