Polyhedral Hollow Ball

Polyhedral hollow ball, also called a multi-faceted hollow ball, is a spherical plastic tower packing built from two hemispheres that clip together into a ball. Each hemisphere is made of rows of half fan-shaped leaves set in a staggered pattern, which opens the ball up and gives it a large, hydrophilic wetted surface. It is light, has a high free volume of around 90 to 92 percent, offers low resistance to gas flow, and packs and wets easily. Moulded in PP, RPP, PE, PVC or CPVC, it works in media from about 60 to 150 degrees depending on the plastic. Its main homes are desulphurisation scrubbers and wastewater-treatment towers. We make it in sizes from 25 to 100 mm.

Spherical packing of two hemispheres of staggered, half-fan leaves — open and free-draining.
Light weight, high free volume (about 90 to 92 percent) and low gas resistance.
Large hydrophilic surface for a good liquid film and effective mass transfer.
Moulded in PP, RPP, PE, PVC or CPVC; media temperature about 60 to 150 degrees.
Widely used in flue-gas desulphurisation and sewage-treatment towers. Sizes 25 to 100 mm.

Technial Parameters

Size (mm)	Surface area (m²/m³)	Void fraction (%)	Pieces per m³	Bulk density (kg/m³)	Dry packing factor (m⁻¹)
25	460	90	64,000	64	776
38	325	91	25,000	72.5	494
50	237	91	11,500	52	324
76	214	92	3,000	75	193
100	330	92	1,500	56	155

Property	Value
Product Type	Plastic random packing (polyhedral hollow ball)
Material	PP / RPP / PE / PVC / CPVC
Standard Sizes	25, 38, 50, 76, 100 mm
Structure	Two hemispheres of staggered half-fan leaves forming a hollow ball
Void Fraction	About 90–92%
Media Temperature	About 60–150 °C (by plastic)
Features	Light, large hydrophilic surface, low gas resistance, easy to pack and wet
Applications	Flue-gas desulphurisation, wastewater / sewage treatment, scrubbing and absorption towers
Trademark	RONGJIAN
Origin	China
HS Code	8419909000
Transport Package	Carton box / ton bag / steel drum

FAQs

What is a polyhedral hollow ball, and how is it built?

A polyhedral hollow ball is a spherical packing made in two halves. Each half is a hemisphere formed from rows of half fan-shaped leaves, arranged in a staggered pattern, and the two hemispheres clip together to make a light, open ball. The staggered leaves do two useful things: they create a large surface area with plenty of gaps for gas and liquid to pass, and because the ball is round it packs into the tower without the leaves nesting or blocking each other. The plastic surface is treated to wet easily, so a thin liquid film spreads over the whole ball. The result is a light, free-draining packing with a big wetted area and very little resistance to flow.

What is a polyhedral hollow ball used for?

The polyhedral hollow ball is mainly an environmental packing. Its two big uses are flue-gas desulphurisation, where it fills the scrubbing towers that strip sulphur dioxide and other pollutants from waste gas, and wastewater treatment, where it acts as a high-surface-area carrier that holds the biofilm doing the cleaning. It is also used more generally for gas absorption, washing and cooling in corrosive service. Its light weight keeps the load on the tower low, its high void gives a low pressure drop and high throughput, and its wettable surface makes it efficient at bringing gas and liquid, or effluent and micro-organisms, into contact. Wherever a scrubber or a biological tower needs a cheap, light, effective packing, the hollow ball fits.

What plastics is it made from, and what temperature can it take?

Polyhedral hollow balls are moulded in the common packing plastics — polypropylene and reinforced polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC and CPVC — and the choice sets the temperature and chemical limits. Across these plastics the working temperature of the media runs from about 60 to 150 degrees: PVC and PE at the lower end, polypropylene in the middle, and CPVC higher, with reinforced grades adding strength. All of them resist water, acids, alkalis and salts well, which is why the ball suits the corrosive, wet conditions of scrubbers and effluent tanks. For a hotter or more aggressive duty, tell us the medium and its temperature and we will pick the resin.

Why choose a hollow ball rather than a ring packing?

A hollow ball and a ring do the same basic job — spreading gas and liquid over a large surface — but they suit different duties. The ball's round shape and leafy, open structure make it especially light and free-flowing, and it resists packing down or nesting, so it holds an even, high-void bed with a very low pressure drop. That makes it a natural fit for high-flow, low-pressure work such as desulphurisation scrubbing and biological water treatment, where large volumes of gas or effluent must pass with little resistance. Rings, by contrast, are usually chosen for distillation and precise chemical absorption. So for scrubbing, cooling and biofilm duty the hollow ball is often the better and cheaper choice, while for fractionation a ring is more usual. Tell us the process and we will advise.

The polyhedral hollow ball is a different shape of random packing from the rings: instead of a cylinder it is a light plastic sphere, moulded in two hemispheres that snap together. Each hemisphere is covered in rows of half fan-shaped leaves set at staggered angles, so the finished ball is open and lattice-like, with a large surface but plenty of room for gas and liquid to move through. Because it is round it tumbles into a tower and settles into an even bed without the pieces locking together, and its surface is made to wet readily, so liquid spreads as a thin film across the whole ball. It is moulded in PP, RPP, PE, PVC or CPVC and works in media from roughly 60 to 150 degrees.

Its structure translates into a clear set of practical benefits:

Feature	Why it matters
Light plastic sphere	Low weight on the tower and simple to load
High free volume (about 90–92%)	Low pressure drop and high gas-liquid throughput
Staggered leaf surface	Large hydrophilic area for an even liquid film and good mass transfer
Round, anti-nesting shape	Uniform bed with no blocked channels
Corrosion-resistant resin	Long life in wet, acidic scrubber and effluent service

These qualities point the hollow ball squarely at environmental work. It is a mainstay of flue-gas desulphurisation, filling the scrubbing towers that remove sulphur dioxide to cut sulphide emissions, and of sewage and wastewater treatment, where its large surface carries the biofilm that breaks down pollutants. It also serves in general gas absorption, washing and cooling. For high-volume, low-pressure scrubbing and biological treatment it is light, cheap and effective; where the task is distillation or fine chemical separation, a ring packing is the more usual choice. Tell us the tower and the duty and we will recommend the size and the plastic.