Patent ID: 6045762
Filing Date: 2000-04-04
Classification: B01D,B01J

Abstract:
A gas liquid catalytic distillation apparatus comprising a housing defining a contact chamber having a substantially vertical longitudinal axis and a liquid inlet and gas outlet adjacent to its upper end and a gas inlet and liquid outlet adjacent to its lower end, at least one gas liquid contacting tray traversing said chamber, each of said tray having a plurality of collector means for gas liquid contact, each said collector means having a sump means forming the lowermost portion of each collector means and gas pervious wall means diverging from said sump means to form gas liquid contact zones upstream of said sump means in the direction of liquid flow to said sump means, said sump means defining a liquid condensing and retaining chamber having a width so that sufficient open area is provided at its upstream end to permit gas to separate from foam generated by said gas liquid contact, said sump means having a bottom end at its downstream side in the direction of liquid flow and liquid outlet means at said bottom end, and said gas pervious wall means having a plurality of discrete passages for gas flow through said gas pervious wall means to direct gas passing therethrough into contact with said liquid flowing in over said gas pervious wall means to said sump means, said wall means and said sump means of said collector means being positioned in said contacting tray to distribute and direct said liquid to flow along said tray and into said sump means, a plurality of troughs mounted between and in spaced relationship with a pair of adjacent contacting trays, each of said troughs being positioned directly below one of said sump means in said contacting tray immediately thereabove, said troughs being laterally spaced apart to define gas flow passages therebetween, each of said troughs defining a confined passage for liquid flow having a liquid inlet at its upper end and a liquid outlet at its other end, means for directing liquid from said outlet of one of said sump means immediately thereabove directly into said liquid inlet of said confined passage in said trough immediately therebelow, a catalyst charge in said confined passage, said confined passages in said plurality of troughs between a pair of adjacent contacting trays forming substantially the sole path for liquid movement between said pair of adjacent contacting trays so that substantially all of said liquid from said contacting tray immediately above flows from said liquid outlets in said sump means into said inlets of said plurality of troughs immediately therebelow, through said passages for liquid and said catalyst out and toward said contacting tray immediately therebelow.