Odor Control Scrubber Packing: When to Use Plastic Tellerette Ring

Odor control scrubbers are widely used in wastewater treatment plants, sludge-handling facilities, pumping stations, rendering plants, chemical facilities, and other installations where contaminated air contains odorous gases.

Common contaminants may include:

• hydrogen sulfide
• ammonia
• amines
• mercaptans
• other water-soluble or chemically reactive odor compounds

In many systems, contaminated air passes upward through a packed tower while a chemical scrubbing solution flows downward.

The random packing provides the gas-liquid contact area required for contaminant transfer and chemical reaction.

For this service, Plastic Tellerette Ring is one packing geometry worth evaluating because its open lattice structure can provide:

• high void space
• relatively low gas-flow resistance
• multiple liquid-contact surfaces
• good drainage
• useful tolerance to dirty scrubber service

The practical engineering question is:

When does Tellerette Ring offer a meaningful advantage over conventional plastic Pall Ring or other random packing in an odor control scrubber?

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Why Odor Control Scrubbers Need Open Packing

Odor-control systems often handle very large volumes of air.

Compared with high-pressure process gases, ventilation air has low density and therefore occupies a large actual volume.

This means the packed tower may need to handle substantial superficial gas velocity while keeping fan pressure within a reasonable range.

At the same time, the circulating liquid may contain:

• reaction products
• suspended matter
• salts
• biological contamination
• scale
• chemical additives

This combination creates a packing-selection problem:

The bed needs enough surface for odor removal, but it must remain open enough for high air volume and long-term operation.

This is where an open lattice packing such as Tellerette Ring becomes relevant.

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1. What Is a Tellerette Ring?

Tellerette Ring is a plastic random packing with a highly open, looped or lattice-type three-dimensional structure.

Unlike a conventional cylindrical ring, much of the packing volume consists of interconnected open spaces.

The geometry creates:

• many edges and curved surfaces
• multiple gas-flow directions
• repeated liquid breakup
• large interconnected void passages
• relatively little solid obstruction

Its engineering value comes from combining:

open airflow + liquid redistribution + wetted contact surface.

This makes Tellerette-style packing particularly interesting in wet scrubber duties where pressure drop and blockage resistance matter.

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2. Why Air Volume Is Important in Odor Control

Odor-control systems frequently collect air from multiple sources such as:

• wastewater tanks
• headworks
• sludge areas
• enclosed process buildings
• pump stations

The resulting ventilation flow can be large even though contaminant concentrations may be relatively low.

The fan must move this entire gas volume through:

• ducts
• tower inlet
• packing support
• packed bed
• mist eliminator
• outlet ductwork

A restrictive packed bed therefore creates a direct operating penalty.

Higher pressure drop may mean:

• larger fan
• higher motor power
• increased electricity consumption
• reduced maximum ventilation flow

For continuous odor-control systems, this can become a significant lifecycle consideration.

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3. Why Tellerette Geometry Can Help Reduce Flow Resistance

The lattice structure of Tellerette Ring creates large open passages through and between individual packing pieces.

This can reduce the degree of physical obstruction encountered by the gas.

Compared with tighter random packing geometries, the open structure can be attractive where:

• gas volume is high
• allowable pressure drop is limited
• fan energy matters
• the packed bed must remain hydraulically open

However, Tellerette Ring should not automatically be described as “lower pressure drop” than every alternative.

Actual pressure drop still depends on:

• packing size
• bed height
• gas velocity
• liquid irrigation
• product geometry
• fouling condition

The real candidate products must be evaluated under the intended operating conditions.

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4. Surface Area Still Matters for Odor Removal

Open packing cannot simply function as an empty cage.

The scrubber still needs sufficient gas-liquid contact.

Odor removal depends on:

• contaminant solubility
• chemical reaction rate
• scrubbing-liquid chemistry
• liquid circulation rate
• packing wetting
• effective contact area
• packed-bed height

Tellerette Ring uses its curved loops, intersections and edges to repeatedly disturb and redistribute the liquid.

The objective is to maintain enough wetted contact while preserving large gas-flow passages.

This is fundamentally a hydraulic versus mass-transfer balance.

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5. H₂S Odor Scrubbing

Hydrogen sulfide is one of the most common odor contaminants in wastewater applications.

Depending on process design, H₂S may be removed using alkaline or oxidizing scrubbing solutions.

The packing helps bring contaminated air into contact with the chemical solution.

For H₂S service, important operating considerations include:

• inlet H₂S concentration
• peak H₂S load
• pH
• oxidant concentration where applicable
• air flow
• liquid circulation
• reaction-product accumulation

The packing does not determine the chemistry.

A scrubber with excellent packing but depleted chemical solution can still experience H₂S breakthrough.

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6. Ammonia and Multi-Contaminant Odor Streams

Some odor-control applications also contain ammonia or amine compounds.

These contaminants may require different scrubbing chemistry from H₂S.

For example, a facility may use:

• separate scrubber stages
• different chemical loops
• different pH conditions

The packing in each stage must be compatible with the actual chemical environment.

Therefore, the statement:

“This is an odor scrubber.”

is not enough for final packing specification.

The actual contaminant and liquid chemistry must be defined.

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7. Why Fouling Tolerance Matters

Odor-control scrubbers are often installed in environments that are much dirtier than clean chemical-process absorbers.

Air streams may carry:

• dust
• organic particles
• aerosol
• biological matter
• wastewater droplets

The recirculating liquid may also accumulate reaction products and solids.

As fouling develops inside the packed bed:

• open area decreases
• pressure drop increases
• liquid distribution becomes less uniform
• gas channeling increases
• removal efficiency may decline

A very open lattice packing can provide useful tolerance to partial deposition because the initial flow passages are relatively large.

This is one of the more meaningful reasons to consider Tellerette Ring.

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8. Tellerette Ring Is Not Fouling-Proof

Open geometry does not eliminate maintenance.

Severe fouling can still occur due to:

• crystallization
• scale
• biological growth
• sticky organic deposits
• solids carryover

If the bed is allowed to accumulate enough material, any random packing can eventually become restricted.

A reliable odor-control system may therefore need:

• periodic flushing
• chemical cleaning
• distributor inspection
• differential-pressure monitoring
• solids control
• blowdown from the recirculation loop

Packing geometry should support the maintenance strategy rather than replace it.

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9. Packing Size Changes the Trade-Off

Tellerette Ring may be available in different sizes depending on the supplier.

As with other random packing:

Smaller Packing

Generally offers:

• more pieces per cubic meter
• greater contact opportunity
• more frequent liquid redistribution

But also:

• smaller gas passages
• potentially higher pressure drop
• greater fouling sensitivity

Larger Packing

Generally provides:

• larger flow passages
• greater gas capacity
• lower resistance
• better deposit tolerance

But potentially less effective contact area per unit volume.

For dirty ventilation-gas scrubbers, the largest surface-area option is therefore not automatically the most reliable option.

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10. Liquid Distribution Remains Critical

An open packing bed still requires uniform liquid irrigation.

If the chemical solution reaches only part of the packing:

• dry zones develop
• contaminated air can channel through poorly wetted areas
• effective contact area decreases
• odor breakthrough may occur

The distributor should therefore be checked for:

• sufficient distribution points
• blocked holes
• blocked spray nozzles
• levelness
• liquid coverage
• wall flow

In wastewater service, distributor blockage can sometimes be a larger reliability problem than the packing itself.

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11. Why Wall Flow Should Be Minimized

Liquid that flows directly down the scrubber wall contributes less useful contact with the packed bed.

Significant wall flow can reduce effective odor-removal performance.

It may result from:

• poor distributor design
• excessively large packing relative to tower diameter
• uneven bed loading

Packing size should therefore be compatible with vessel diameter.

A very large open packing may provide excellent hydraulic capacity but poor bed utilization if installed in an undersized column.

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12. Pressure-Drop Monitoring Is Especially Useful

For odor scrubbers, packed-bed differential pressure can be a useful maintenance indicator.

If gas and liquid flows remain approximately constant but differential pressure gradually increases, possible causes include:

• packing fouling
• distributor blockage
• excessive liquid holdup
• support-grid blockage
• biological growth

Tracking pressure drop can provide early warning before the system reaches a severe operating problem.

This is particularly valuable because odor-control performance often deteriorates gradually rather than failing instantly.

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13. The Packing Support Can Also Plug

The support grid below the packing must provide high open area.

Dirty liquid, broken debris or deposits may gradually restrict its openings.

If this happens:

• liquid drainage becomes more difficult
• pressure drop rises
• local flooding may occur

A tower may therefore appear to have “blocked packing” when a major restriction is actually located at the support.

During maintenance, both should be inspected.

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14. Plastic Material Selection

Tellerette Ring is typically considered in plastic construction for corrosive wet-scrubber service.

Potential materials may include PP or other polymers depending on product availability and process requirements.

The selected plastic should be checked against:

• scrubbing chemical
• acid or alkali concentration
• oxidizing agents
• operating temperature
• maximum temperature
• cleaning chemicals

This is particularly important in multistage odor systems where different stages can operate at very different pH and chemical conditions.

The same packing material should not automatically be specified for every stage.

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15. Tellerette Ring vs Plastic Pall Ring

Plastic Pall Ring is an established general-purpose scrubber packing.

Tellerette Ring offers a different structural approach.

A practical comparison is:

Neither is automatically superior.

The key is whether the open Tellerette structure solves a real hydraulic or maintenance problem.

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16. When Pall Ring May Be the Better Choice

Plastic Pall Ring may remain the better option when:

• the scrubber handles relatively clean gas
• pressure drop is already acceptable
• the tower has a proven Pall Ring design
• standard replacement availability matters
• there is no significant fouling history
• the system does not require unusually high airflow

In these cases, moving to a less conventional packing may provide little practical benefit.

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17. When Tellerette Ring Becomes More Attractive

Tellerette Ring deserves serious evaluation when:

Gas Volume Is High

Large ventilation-air flow makes hydraulic openness valuable.

Fan Pressure Is Limited

Reducing unnecessary packed-bed resistance may improve system capacity.

Packing Frequently Fouls

A highly open geometry may tolerate deposits better than tighter alternatives.

Pressure Drop Gradually Rises in Service

The existing packing may be too restrictive once partial fouling develops.

Odor Scrubber Reliability Matters More Than Maximum Surface Area

Long service intervals may justify choosing greater openness over maximum nominal packing area.

These are practical reasons to consider the geometry.

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18. Mist Eliminator Performance Matters Too

Wet odor scrubbers may entrain chemical droplets into the outlet gas.

A downstream mist eliminator helps reduce carryover.

If the mist eliminator becomes fouled or undersized, the system may experience:

• increasing pressure drop
• chemical carryover
• fan contamination
• duct corrosion
• visible discharge

Therefore, high total scrubber pressure drop should not automatically be attributed to the packing.

The mist eliminator should also be checked.

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19. Retrofit Projects Should Start With the Existing Failure Mode

Before changing random packing, identify the real reason the scrubber is underperforming.

Possible problems include:

• excessive pressure drop
• poor H₂S removal
• odor breakthrough
• frequent packing fouling
• insufficient airflow
• blocked distributor
• exhausted scrubbing chemistry
• overloaded mist eliminator

These problems do not all have the same solution.

For example:

Poor H₂S removal + normal pressure drop

may indicate a chemistry or distribution issue.

Good chemistry + rapidly rising pressure drop

may point more strongly toward fouling or hydraulic restriction.

The replacement packing should solve the documented problem.

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20. Data Needed for an Odor Control Scrubber Packing RFQ

Useful information includes:

• tower internal diameter
• air flow rate
• maximum air flow
• contaminant type
• H₂S concentration if applicable
• NH₃ concentration if applicable
• scrubbing chemical
• chemical concentration
• operating pH
• liquid circulation rate
• operating temperature
• packed-bed height
• current packing type
• current packing size
• current differential pressure
• fouling history
• cleaning frequency
• distributor type
• support details
• mist eliminator information

For retrofit projects, photographs of removed packing and deposits can be very useful.

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Final Selection Principle

Plastic Tellerette Ring can be a strong random packing candidate for industrial odor-control scrubbers because its open lattice geometry can provide a useful combination of:

high air-flow capacity + low hydraulic obstruction + liquid redistribution + fouling tolerance.

Its value is particularly relevant in wastewater and ventilation-gas systems where the gas volume is large and the operating environment is dirty.

However, open geometry alone does not guarantee high odor-removal efficiency.

The final design must still provide:

• suitable chemical absorption
• uniform liquid distribution
• adequate packed height
• correct packing size
• sufficient contact area
• acceptable fan pressure
• maintainable long-term operation

The practical engineering question is:

Does Tellerette Ring's additional openness solve a real airflow, pressure-drop or fouling limitation without sacrificing the gas-liquid contact required for odor removal?

If the answer is yes, it can be a very useful alternative to conventional plastic ring packing.