Patent ID: 6846348

Claim:
A moisture absorber column including an outer housing defining a vertically-disposed moisture absorption zone for absorbing moisture from a gas, a plurality of vertically-spaced partition members traversing the moisture absorption zone and each having a plurality of gas flow openings formed therein, at least one conduit member extending through an aperture in each said partition member to have a first portion extending upwardly from the partition member and a second portion extending downwardly towards the next adjacent said partition member located below said partition member, the conduit member having a liquid flow control device at or adjacent a lower end arranged to allow liquid flow from within the conduit member across the partition member located beneath said conduit member, said moisture absorber column having a liquid inlet arranged to deliver liquid to the uppermost said partition member and a liquid outlet to withdraw liquid from a region below the lowermost said partition member, a gas inlet arranged to deliver the gas to a liquid retaining zone provided within said moisture absorption zone through which the gas must pass when flowing through said moisture absorption zone to the region below the lowermost said partition member whereby said gas flows upwardly through the gas flow openings formed therein, and a gas outlet arranged to withdraw the gas from the moisture absorption zone above the uppermost said partition member.