David Meredith Wetzel
	Associate Professor and F. J. Haydel, Jr. /Kaiser Aluminum Professor Ph.D., The University of Delaware, 1975 Office: 308 ChE Building Telephone: 225.578.3071 E-mail: dwetzel@lsu.edu

In a variation on the countercurrent vapor-liquid contacting unit operation the vapor flows horizontally at right angles, or crossflow, to the liquid. The advantages are low pressure drop in the column and greater vapor flow rates without flooding. Applied to air stripping of groundwater, it allows low volatility organics to be successfully stripped. Dr. Wetzel's research centers on the modeling and application of this process.

Dr. Wetzel is working with faculty and students in the LSU School of Forestry on the modeling of wood drying processes. The standard engineering analysis must be expanded since the diffusion coefficient changes with the wood's moisture content and the grain direction. A number of external factors influence the boundary conditions.

Recent Publications

• D. P. Harrison, K. T. Valsaraj, and D. M. Wetzel," Air Stripping Organics from Groundwater," presented at the Gulf Coast Hazardous Substance Research Center Annual Symposium, Beaumont, February 1993. Proceedings published in Waste Management, 13, 417- 29, 1993.
• E. Mertooetomo, K. T. Valsaraj, D. M. Wetzel, and D. P. Harrison, "Cascade Crossflow Air Stripping of Moderately Volatile Compounds Using High Air-to-Water Ratios," Water Research, 27, 1139-44, 1993.
• Y. Chen, E. T. Choong, and D. M. Wetzel, "Optimum Average Diffusion Coefficient: An Objective Index in Description of Wood Drying Data," Wood and Fiber Science, 26, 412-20, 1994.
• S. Verma, K. T. Valsaraj, D. M. Wetzel, and D. P. Harrison, "Direct Comparison of Countercurrent and Cascade Crossflow Air Stripping Under Field Conditions," Water Research, 28, 2253-61, 1994.
• Y. Chen, E. T. Choong, and D. M. Wetzel, "Evaluation of Diffusion Coefficient and Surface Emission Coefficient by an Optimization Technique," Wood and Fiber Science, 27, 178-182, 1995.
• Y. Chen, E.T. Choong, and D.M. Wetzel, "A Numerical Analysis Technique to Evaluate the Moisture-Dependent Diffusion Coefficient on Moisture Movement During Drying", Wood and Fiber Science, 28(3), 338-45, 1996.
• Y. Akiyama, K.T. Valsaraj, D.M. Wetzel, and D.P. Harrison, "On the Performance of a Cascade Crossflow Air Stripping Column," Y. Akiyama, K.T. Valsaraj, D.M. Wetzel, and D.P. Harrison. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 35(10), 3597-606, 1996.