VAPOR-LIQUID CONTACT APPARATUS

摘要

Vapor-liquid contact apparatus for chemical processing in-cludes a vessel containing a plurality of spaced horizontal trays which sup-port a vapor-liquid mixture, and downcomers which carry liquid down from one tray to another. Each tray has an infeed area, a bubbling area which has apertures for introducing vapor into the vapor-liquid mixture on the tra y, and a liquid exit opening at the downstream end of the bubbling area. The downcomer receives the vapor-liquid mixture from the bubbling area, and it has a floor which increases the residence time of the vapor-liquid mixture in the downcomer. The floor forms an outlet which feeds liquid to the in-fee d area of a subsequent tray. The downcomer outlet is an elongated slot formed between a convex outer edge of the floor and a convex outer edge of the downcomer cross section. To provide more uniform flow across the width of a bubbling area, the outlet slot which feeds the bubbling area is n ot wider, and is preferably narrower, at its centerline than at locations which are laterally spaced from the centerline.