Fiber bed filter and mist eliminator system with enhanced drainage

A fiber bed assembly for a fiber bed mist eliminator operable to remove entrained liquid phase material from a moving gas stream, the fiber bed assembly comprising:

• a fiber bed support;
• a fiber bed supported by the fiber bed support;
• the fiber bed having an upstream surface and a downstream surface and being operable to receive the moving gas stream having a gas flow direction transverse to the fiber bed, from the upstream surface to the downstream surface;
• the fiber bed comprising first and second collection layers, and an intermediate drainage layer disposed between the first and second collection layers;
• each of the first and second collection layers comprising a collection media having randomly positioned fibers forming a tortuous gas flow path and being operable to capture entrained liquid phase material, as first and second collected material, respectively, by one or more methods of impaction, interception, and Brownian diffusion;
• the drainage layer abutting a downstream surface of the first collection layer and abutting an upstream surface of the second collection layer;
• the drainage layer comprising a drainage media composed of a geometric mesh structure;
• the drainage layer forming a lateral drainage channel immediately downstream of the first collection layer and generally perpendicular to the gas flow direction, and the drainage layer being operable to drain the first collected material collected by the first collection layer, in a lateral flow direction through the drainage layer;
• the fiber bed has a thickness from the upstream surface to the downstream surface in the gas flow direction;
• the first collection layer has a thickness less than about 25% of the thickness of the fiber bed;
• and
• the drainage layer has a thickness less than the thickness of the first collection layer.

A fiber bed assembly for a fiber bed mist eliminator operable to remove entrained liquid phase material from a moving gas stream, the fiber bed assembly comprising:

• a fiber bed support;
• a fiber bed supported by the fiber bed support;
• the fiber bed having an upstream surface and a downstream surface and being operable to receive the moving gas stream having a gas flow direction transverse to the fiber bed, from the upstream surface to the downstream surface;
• the fiber bed comprising first and second collection layers, and an intermediate drainage layer disposed between the first and second collection layers;
• each of the first and second collection layers comprising a collection media having randomly positioned fibers forming a tortuous gas flow path and being operable to capture entrained liquid phase material, as first and second collected material, respectively, by one or more methods of impaction, interception, and Brownian diffusion;
• the drainage layer abutting a downstream surface of the first collection layer and abutting an upstream surface of the second collection layer;
• the drainage layer comprising a drainage media composed of a geometric mesh structure;
• the drainage layer forming a lateral drainage channel immediately downstream of the first collection layer and generally perpendicular to the gas flow direction, and the drainage layer being operable to drain the first collected material collected by the first collection layer, in a lateral flow direction through the drainage layer;
• the geometric mesh structure of the drainage media comprises woven material of a waffle-weave construction comprising repeating groups of first and second sets of strands;
• the first set of strands comprises generally parallel strands which, in a planar configuration of the woven material, extend in substantially straight fashion in one predetermined direction;
• each repeating group of strands of said first set being arranged in a generally saw-tooth cross sectional configuration whereby a thickness of the woven material is substantially equal to a height of said saw-tooth cross sectional configuration;
• each repeating group of strands of said second set being arranged in a generally saw-tooth cross sectional configuration intersecting at right angles with the strands of said first set.

A fiber bed assembly for a fiber bed mist eliminator operable to remove entrained liquid phase material from a moving gas stream, the fiber bed assembly comprising:

• a fiber bed support;
• a fiber bed supported by the fiber bed support;
• the fiber bed having an upstream surface and a downstream surface and being operable to receive the moving gas stream having a gas flow direction transverse to the fiber bed, from the upstream surface to the downstream surface;
• the fiber bed comprising first and second collection layers, and an intermediate drainage layer disposed between the first and second collection layers;
• each of the first and second collection layers comprising a collection media having randomly positioned fibers forming a tortuous gas flow path and being operable to capture entrained liquid phase material, as first and second collected material, respectively, by one or more methods of impaction, interception, and Brownian diffusion;
• the drainage layer abutting a downstream surface of the first collection layer and abutting an upstream surface of the second collection layer;
• the drainage layer comprising a drainage media composed of a geometric mesh structure;
• the drainage layer forming a lateral drainage channel immediately downstream of the first collection layer and generally perpendicular to the gas flow direction, and the drainage layer being operable to drain the first collected material collected by the first collection layer, in a lateral flow direction through the drainage layer;
• the geometric mesh structure of the drainage media comprises woven material having a first set of generally parallel strands extending in substantially straight fashion in one predetermined direction and a second set of strands extending at right angles to the predetermined direction;
• the strands of said first set being arranged in a repeating two-dimensional cross sectional geometric pattern in which strands at the extremes of the pattern define a fabric thickness which is a multiple of at least about 10 of a diameter of a strand;
• the strands of the second set also being arranged in a repeating two-dimensional cross sectional geometric pattern intersecting with the strands of the first set;
• the strands of the second set, at the extremes of the geometric pattern thereof, additionally defining a fabric thickness which is a multiple of at least about 10 of a diameter of a strand;
• the strands of the second set extending in substantially straight manner in regions between contact with strands of the first set;
• and
• the intersecting strands of the first and second sets forming a substantially non-nestable construction.

A fiber bed assembly for a fiber bed mist eliminator operable to remove entrained liquid phase material from a moving gas stream, the fiber bed assembly comprising:

• a fiber bed support;
• a fiber bed supported by the fiber bed support;
• the fiber bed having an upstream surface and a downstream surface and being operable to receive the moving gas stream having a gas flow direction transverse to the fiber bed, from the upstream surface to the downstream surface;
• the fiber bed comprising first and second collection layers, and an intermediate drainage layer disposed between the first and second collection layers;
• each of the first and second collection layers comprising a collection media having randomly positioned fibers forming a tortuous gas flow path and being operable to capture entrained liquid phase material, as first and second collected material, respectively, by one or more methods of impaction, interception, and Brownian diffusion;
• the drainage layer abutting a downstream surface of the first collection layer and abutting an upstream surface of the second collection layer;
• the drainage layer comprising a drainage media composed of a geometric mesh structure;
• the drainage layer forming a lateral drainage channel immediately downstream of the first collection layer and generally perpendicular to the gas flow direction, and the drainage layer being operable to drain the first collected material collected by the first collection layer, in a lateral flow direction through the drainage layer;
• the geometric mesh structure of the drainage media comprising:
• a first set of strands of material, each strand of the first set being substantially straight and parallel to every other strand in the set;
• each strand of the first set being spaced from every other strand in the set both vertically and horizontally;
• a second set of strands of material interleaved with the first set, each of the strands of the second set being substantially parallel to every other strand in the set;
• the strands of the first set being perpendicular to the strands of the second set;
• the lengths of each strand of the second set extending in interleaved fashion through the strands of the first set in a geometric orientation to fit vertical and horizontal offset spacing of each strand in the first set;
• each of the strands of the second set including a plurality of substantially straight-line portions connected at angles to provide the geometric orientation;
• and
• the geometric orientation of the second set and the offset spacing of the first set giving the geometric mesh structure a thickness in cross section substantially greater than a diameter of the strands of the first and second sets of strands.