Patent ID: 7770873

Claim:
A vapor-liquid contact tray apparatus, comprising: a tray with a fluid infeed section and a fluid travel section; a downcomer which is in fluid communication with the fluid travel section of said tray; a plurality of redirecting baffles positioned at an inlet opening of said downcomer; and push valves provided in the fluid travel section of said tray, wherein the push valves include at least one of a high forward momentum push valve with 60% or more of summed horizontal momentum vectors in line with the fluid flow direction leading to the downcomer and one or both of (a) and (b) with (a) being medium forward push valves with about 30 to 60% summed horizontal forward momentum vectors of fluid from valve in the direction of fluid flow toward the downcomer and (b) being lesser forward momentum push valves having 20 to about 30% summed forward momentum vectors, and wherein said downcomer has a downcomer wall having an upper section and a lower section with the lower section having an outward slope and said upper section being more vertical, and said redirecting baffles include at least one concave upper end redirecting baffle having a concave upper end with an upper edge positioned above a level defined by the fluid travel section of said tray such that the concave upper end redirecting baffle extends above a horizontal level of said tray 0 to 75 mm, and said concave upper end redirecting baffle includes a lower edge which terminates at a level essentially at or above a slope transition area between the upper and lower sections of the downcomer wall.