摘要 |
An apparatus is provided for improved gas/liquid contact in a chemical process tower, resulting in better performance. The apparatus comprises a tower having a series of tray decks and downcomers. Tray decks provide gas/liquid contact for mass transfer and the downcomers are required to clarify the liquid before entering the tray below. In this invention, the trays have at least one downcomer and one adjacent active sump. The sump has at least one row of apertures for bubbling vapor through liquid flowing therein, and is separated from the downcomer by a baffle. The clarified liquid at the bottom of the sump is sent to the downcomer. The liquid entering the next tray can be assured to divide evenly for multiple-downcomer applications. Gas/liquid contact is thereby enhanced through the installation of these apertures, and clarification of the liquid from bubbles is thereby improved through the addition of the active sump. Benefits to the tower operation include higher tray capacity and efficiency.
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