Patent ID: 8083901

Claim:
A distillation tower comprising a flash zone and a wash zone with a vapor flow path defined from the flash zone and through a de-entrainment tray upwardly to the wash zone, the de-entrainment tray comprising: a tray deck with a plurality of risers extending upwardly from the deck, with each riser having a perimeter wall defining a central hollow passage and an outlet at the upper end of the riser, a plurality of hats, with each hat having a top with an upper surface and a lower surface with the lower surface spaced above the riser outlet and a peripheral wall extending downwardly from the top and surrounding and spaced from the perimeter wall of the riser to define an S-shaped vapor flow path extending from below the tray through the passages in the risers and the vapor outlets of the risers and under the under the peripheral walls of the hats, such that liquid is separated from a vapor stream flowing in the vapor flow path, and a baffle spaced above the tray deck and extending outwardly from the perimeter wall of each riser to a point beyond the peripheral wall of the associated hat to deflect vapor flow away from the deck and so prevent vapor flow from impinging on the tray deck to re-entrain liquid separated from the vapor stream in the vapor flow path.