Preventing wall leakage in contact towers

A gas-liquid contact tower comprising an outer tower shell, a plurality of superimposed generally horizontal contact plates within said tower, said plates being grouped into at least one subassembly thereof, means for removably supporting said plate subassembly within said tower shell, and a baffle arrangement mounted within said tower shell and adjacently overlying said plate subassembly, said baffle arrangement including a cylindrical sectiodn closely but spacedly and removably fitted within adjacent inner wall surfaces of said tower shell and a frustonconical section for directing fluid from said cylindrical baffle section onto a contact plate immediately underlying said baffle arrangement, said baffle arrangement being thereby shaped to minimize or substantially preclude splashing of said shell walls, said cylindrical section having sufficient height to afford that flow resistance which would substantially preclude flow of condensible vapor through an annular space between said shell inner wall surfaces and outer surfaces of said cylindrical baffle section.