A Novel Method Coupled Atomization-Bubbling Loop Interface for Enhanced Capture of Fly Ash Fine Particles (PM _2.5 ): Mechanism and Removal Efficiency Modeling

This study addresses the challenge of removing fine particles (dp ≤ 2.5 μm) from the coal chemical tail gas. We constructed a coupled atomization and forced bubbling loop system and investigated its synergistic mechanism for enhanced fly ash removal at coupled interfaces. The atomization field disrupts the metastable air film on the surface of fine particles, inducing forced wetting of aggregated fine particles, while the bubbling loop field extends gas–liquid–solid contact time and promotes deep capture of dispersed fine particles. This synergistic coupling leverages droplet-to-bubble ″interface inversion″ and the forced circulation to achieve efficient dust removal. Notably, this experiment was conducted in a pilot-scale tower, demonstrating the system’s readiness for industrial application, and a cascade dimensionless model for removal efficiency was thereby established. This coupled system achieves high performance, with a total removal efficiency exceeding 99.99% and, crucially, a fine particle removal efficiency surpassing 99.8%. Model predictions exhibit high agreement with experimental data (max relative error of ± 4.14%), providing theoretical insights and a technical paradigm for advanced fine particle removal.