Patent ID: 8636819

Claim:
A fiber bed assembly for a forward-flow fiber bed mist eliminator used to remove aerosols from a moving gas stream, the fiber bed assembly comprising: a fiber bed support having an upper end, a lower end, and a substantially cylindrical wall extending between the upper and lower ends defining an exterior upstream space outside the wall and an interior downstream space inside the wall, the wall including openings therein to permit the gas stream to move generally freely through the wall from the exterior upstream space to the interior downstream space; a base adjacent the lower end of the fiber bed support blocking movement of the gas stream down through a lower end of the interior downstream space; a fiber bed supported by the fiber bed support and generally blocking the wall openings so that the gas stream passes through the fiber bed moving from the exterior upstream space to the interior downstream space, the fiber bed comprising collecting fiber media and having a top, a bottom, a length extending between the top and bottom, an upstream surface and a downstream surface, the fiber bed comprising drainage fiber media downstream from the collecting fiber media, the drainage fiber media being configured for drainage of the aerosols collected by the collecting fiber media downward toward the base; an opening adjacent an upper end of the fiber bed support for exit of the gas stream from the interior downstream space; said base comprising a gas-impermeable top wall for blocking downward flow of the gas stream in the interior downstream space, a side wall projecting down from the top wall and in generally opposing relation with a portion of the downstream surface of the fiber bed for blocking the flow of the gas stream from the fiber bed into the downstream space through said downstream surface portion, and a flange extending from the side wall under the bottom of the fiber bed, the bottom of the fiber bed being in engagement with the flange, the side wall having a length extending between the top wall and the flange which is at least 5% of the length of the fiber bed whereby the side wall extends upward into the interior downstream space a distance such that aerosols collected in said interior downstream space develop a pressure head sufficient to cause the aerosols to drain by the influence of gravity from the top wall toward the flange, the flange extending from the side wall to a free end portion of the flange, the free end portion being configured to permit aerosols to drain downward from the free end portion.