Geometry, material options, published performance data, applications and selection notes for polypropylene multi-faceted (polyhedral) hollow ball packing.
← Back to Multi-Faceted Hollow BallA multi-faceted hollow ball — also sold as a polyhedral hollow ball or multi-aspect hollow ball — is a random tower packing built from two hemispheres. Each hemisphere carries half-sector blades arranged radially around its axis, and the two halves are joined so that their blades sit offset from one another. The centre of the ball is hollow and the blade gaps stay open, which separates this packing from a solid ball or from a liquid-surface covering ball that is meant to float on a tank.
Two properties follow from that geometry. The faceted, open surface gives a large specific surface area with a high void volume, so gas and liquid meet across a wide, thin film while the gas path stays short — the reason the ball is used in scrubbing, absorption and degassing duty. The same protected surface takes a biofilm readily, so the ball also works as a suspended biological carrier in wastewater treatment and in biological contact oxidation tanks.
Typical duty: waste-gas and acid-mist scrubbing, flue-gas desulfurization, CO₂ / Cl₂ / O₂ stripping in water treatment, gas washing and purification towers, and aerobic biological treatment where a light carrier is preferred.
The published descriptions of this packing agree on the shape: two hemispheres are combined into one ball, and each hemisphere carries twelve half-sector blades set radially. Because the blades of the two halves are offset rather than aligned, the gas does not find straight channels through the bed — it is repeatedly divided and re-joined, and the liquid is spread across the blade faces instead of running down a single path.
Polypropylene (PP) is the standard material for water treatment and general scrubbing duty, where it resists acid and alkali media at low bulk weight. PE, PVC, CPVC and RPP balls are available on request for specific chemical or temperature service. One published supplier datasheet lists wall thickness as Φ25 × 1.0 mm, Φ38 × 1.2 mm, Φ50 × 1.5 mm and Φ76 × 1.8 mm; wall thickness is not fixed across suppliers, so confirm the value you require when ordering.
The hollow core keeps the bulk density of a packed bed low, which reduces the load on support grids and tower shells and keeps the pressure drop across the bed modest. That combination — mechanical lightness with a large contact area — is what makes the ball a common choice for large-volume, low-pressure applications such as waste-gas washing and desulfurization.
| Size / mm | Surface area / m²/m³ | Void volume / % | Packing count / pcs/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Φ25 | 460 | 81 – 90 | 64,000 |
| Φ38 | 325 | 86 – 91 | 25,000 |
| Φ50 | 236 | 90 – 91 | 11,500 |
| Φ76 | On request | 92 | 3,000 |
Three figures are reproduced consistently across published references: the surface area of the Φ25, Φ38 and Φ50 mm balls (460 / 325 / 236 m²/m³) and the packing count of all four sizes (64,000 / 25,000 / 11,500 / 3,000 pieces per m³). Void volume is quoted differently from supplier to supplier — one reference gives 84 / 87 / 90 / 92% and another 90 / 91 / 91 / 92% — so it is shown here as a range. The Φ76 mm surface area is quoted as 150, 214 and 245 m²/m³ in different references and is therefore marked On request rather than presented as a fixed figure.
| Material | Polypropylene (PP); PE, PVC, CPVC and RPP on request |
| Nominal sizes | Φ25 / Φ38 / Φ50 / Φ76 mm — Φ100 mm and other diameters on request |
| Bulk density | On request — published values differ widely between suppliers and depend on ball size, wall thickness and resin grade |
| Service temperature | On request — confirm the medium, the operating temperature and the resin grade |
| Life span | On request — depends on service, medium and resin grade |
| MOQ / price | On request — confirm size, quantity & destination |
Acid-mist purification towers, waste-gas scrubbers and absorption towers use the ball where the packing has to resist acidic or alkaline droplets, and where a light, high-void bed keeps fan power down. It is also used in flue-gas desulfurization and gas washing, where the bed is deep and the volume of packing required is large.
In power-plant and industrial water treatment, the ball is charged into equipment for removing carbon dioxide, chlorine and oxygen — degassing and deaerating tanks and intermediate water tanks — where the aim is a large gas–liquid interface with minimal pressure loss.
Used as a suspended carrier, the ball offers a protected surface for biofilm growth while keeping the reactor bed open enough to pass air and water. It suits aerobic biological contact oxidation tanks and similar attached-growth processes, and can be combined with aeration to keep the bed moving.
This page compiles what is publicly published about polypropylene multi-faceted (polyhedral) hollow ball packing, together with general practice for loading random packing into towers and tanks. Published figures differ between suppliers — most noticeably void volume, bulk density and the surface area of the largest ball — so values that are not consistent across references are shown as a range or marked On request.
Nothing on this page is a guaranteed specification for a specific shipment. Send us the duty, the medium and the required size, and we will confirm in writing the parameters we can certify for your order.