Patent ID: 6250611
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: B01D

Abstract:
Vapor-liquid contact apparatus, comprising:a vessel;a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal trays in said vessel for supporting a vapor-liquid mixture, each of said trays having a bubbling area, a liquid infeed area at an upstream end of the bubbling area, and an exit opening at a downstream end of the bubbling area;said bubbling area having apertures which permit ascending vapors to flow up through the tray and into a vapor-liquid mixture on the tray; said bubbling area having a central flow axis which leads from said liquid infeed area to said exit opening;a downcomer for receiving the vapor-liquid mixture from said tray and for carrying liquid to another said tray, said downcomer having an upper portion located at said exit opening of the tray, said downcomer having a lower portion with a cross-section which is surrounded by an inner edge and a convex outer edge, said edges extending to opposite sides of said central flow axis, said cross-section of the downcomer having a centerline which is parallel to said central flow axis;said downcomer having a downcomer floor in said cross-section to control flow of liquid from the downcomer, said downcomer floor forming a downcomer outlet which includes an elongated downcomer outlet slot, said downcomer outlet slot having a width which is perpendicular to the outer edge of said downcomer cross-section and a length which is parallel to the outer edge of said downcomer cross-section, said length being greater than said width and said floor having an extension in a central region of said floor. which extends into contact with the convex outer edge so as to be intermediate of elongated side outlet slot sections of said outlet slot.