Gas/liquid contacting apparatus

• US 4,627,941 A
• Filed: 04/18/1986
• Issued: 12/09/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Bentham, Jeremy B.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/854,056
• Time in Patent Office: 235 Days
• Field of Search: 261/114 R, 261/109
• US Class Current: 261/109
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/22 with horizontal sieve plates or grids; Construction of sieve plates or grids

Abstract

Gas/liquid contacting apparatus comprising a vertical column with a plurality of substantially horizontal trays arranged one above the other in the column, each tray having a plurality of apertures for ascending gas and at least one discharge device for descending liquid, the discharge devices being open at their upper ends and extending at least partly below the relevant trays, the parts of the liquid discharge devices extending below the trays being provided with liquid discharge openings, wherein the liquid discharge devices are each provided with a gas passage having at least one gas entry arranged in the lower part of the discharge device and having a gas outlet arranged substantially above the upper end of the discharge device.

Claims

1. Gas/liquid contacting apparatus comprising:

a normally vertically extending column having a plurality of substantially horizontal trays arranged one above the other in the column;

each of said trays having a plurality of apertures for ascending gas and a plurality of liquid discharge devices for descending liquid;

said liquid discharge devices being open at their upper ends and extending at least partly below the relevant trays with the parts of the liquid discharge devices extending below the trays being provided with bottom walls which are pierced by bottom located liquid discharge openings;

each of said liquid discharge devices being also provided with a gas passage which (a) has at least one gas entry opening located within the lower part of the liquid discharge device, (b) has walls separated by distances such that the velocity of the upward flowing gas is small enough to permit liquid entrained in that gas to be separated from the gas by gravity flow and (c) has an outlet located substantially above the upper end of the liquid discharge device; and

the areas of said bottom located liquid discharge openings in said liquid discharge devices being arranged for providing an aggregate area sufficient for discharging all the liquid flowing downward through the column while maintaining within each liquid discharge device a column of liquid having a hydrostatic head sufficient to prevent said ascending gas from entering the liquid discharge devices through said bottom located liquid discharge openings, so that the discharging of liquid through the bottom located openings and the separating of liquid from gas within the gas passages maintains a substantially continuous and unhindered entry of liquid into the upper ends of the liquid discharge devices.

2. Gas/liquid contacting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas passages are formed by horizontally spaced splashing baffles extending over substantially the length of the discharge devices.

3. Gas/liquid contacting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge devices are provided with substantially centrally arranged splashing baffles and the gas passages are formed by horizontally spaced supporting baffles extending between the splashing baffles and the discharge devices.

4. Gas/liquid contacting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas passages are further provided with a plurality of vertically spaced lateral gas entries extending over at least the lower part of said gas passages.

5. Gas/liquid contacting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the upper ends of the lateral gas entries are bounded by downwardly inclined walls for preventing the entry of liquid.

6. Gas/liquid contacting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper ends of the gas passages of a tray are arranged adjacent the next upper tray.

7. Gas/liquid contacting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower ends of the gas passages are arranged closely above the bottom walls of the discharge devices.