A Packed Bed Column is a chemical processing consisting of an hollow tube, pipe, or other vessel that is filled with a packing material.
The packing can be randomly filled with small objects like Raschig rings or else it can be a specifically designed structured packing.
The purpose of a packed bed is typically to improve contact between two phases in a chemical or similar process. Packed beds can be used in a chemical reactor, a distillation process, or a scrubber.
Packed columns are similar to plate columns in that the liquid and vapor flows enter and exit in the same manner. The difference is that in packed towers there are no trays.
Instead, packing is used to increase the contact area between the liquid and vapor phases. There are many different types of packing used and each one has advantages and disadvantages.