Patent ID: 7767008

Claim:
A vapor/liquid separation apparatus comprising: (a) a vertical drum having an upper cap section, a middle section comprising a circular wall, and a lower cap section; (b) an overhead vapor outlet attached to said upper cap section; (c) at least one tangential inlet for a feedstream in the circular wall of said middle section providing an annular flow along the inside of the wall; and (d) a boot of less diameter than said middle section, said boot comprising: (1) an upper portion communicating with said lower cap section, (2) a middle portion comprising a gas-liquid contact surface provided by at least one member of the group consisting of a shed and a baffle, (3) a lower portion for receiving liquid and holding it at a liquid level, which further comprises a lower outlet for removing said liquid and an inlet for introducing a stripping gas into said boot below said gas-liquid contact surface; the apparatus further comprising: at least one perforated baffle lacking perforations in its center section area, located at a lower part of said middle section providing a surface slanting downwardly from the center of said drum toward the circular wall and providing a gap between said baffle and said circular wall for directing liquid drops along or near the circular wall to said lower cap section.