Patent ID: 7753348

Claim:
A tray assembly for gas/liquid contact in a chemical process tower having walls with an inner surface to which at least one tray assembly can be affixed, in which each tray assembly comprises a first tray deck level and a second tray deck level; the first tray deck level having at least one first tray deck and at least one first downcomer at a first curved edge of the first tray deck; the second tray deck level having at least one second tray deck and at least one second downcomer at a second curved edge of the second tray deck; so that a first receiving inlet area of the first tray deck is immediately below each second downcomer and a second receiving inlet area is immediately below each first downcomer; the first curved downcomer wall extends downward from a first edge of the first tray deck toward the second tray deck immediately below, there being a first gap between a first bottom edge of the first curved downcomer wall and the second tray deck, that extends substantially along a length of the first curved downcomer wall, and the second downcomer curved wall extends downward from a second edge of the second tray deck toward the first tray deck immediately below, there being a second gap between a second bottom edge of the second curved downcomer wall and the first tray deck, that extends substantially along the length of the second curved downcomer wall; the first edge of the first tray deck, the first bottom edge of the first curved downcomer wall, the second edge of the second tray deck and the second bottom edge of the second curved downcomer wall are each curved with substantially the same curvature, so that: any part of liquid flowing across any portion of one of the first tray deck travels a similar distance to any other part of said liquid, and any part of liquid flowing across any portion of one of the second tray deck travels a similar distance to any other part of said liquid, thus providing uniform liquid distribution, minimizing back-mixing, and providing approximately even froth height at the first edge of the first tray deck, and approximately even froth height at the second edge of the second tray deck.