The Maximum Drop-Height of a Droplet in a Vertical Countercurrent Water–Air Heat and Moisture Exchange Tower Attached to a Main Fan Diffuser in a Coal Mine

A vertical countercurrent water–air heat and moisture exchange tower attached to a main fan diffuser is designed. To reduce water loss blown away by the airflow from the exchange tower, the forces acting on droplets are analysed. Droplet motion may be classified under four conditions: (1) downward initial acceleration; (2) upward initial acceleration; (3) droplet blown away by airflow; (4) droplet suspension. With droplet break-up neglected, a general equation for the maximum droplet drop-height is presented and numerical calculations are performed. Equations for the maximum drop-height under Conditions 3 and 4 are deduced, and the equation for Condition 3 is applied to an engineering case study. The effect of air velocity on the maximum drop-height is more significant than that of other factors. The conclusions provide a novel approach to optimizing the design of vertical countercurrent water–air heat and moisture exchange towers attached to main fan diffusers.