Contact apparatus for multiphase processing

An apparatus for processing essentially independently related quantities of a plurality of phases, at least one of which is a liquid phase, in cocurrent flows, said apparatus comprising means defining a cocurrent flow path for said phases extending therein in an axial direction not counter to the force of gravity, said means comprising in combination:

• a. an elongated housing having communicating input, process and output sections connected for passing flows of each of said phases from the input section into the input end of the process section and from the output end of the process section into the output section, having separate inlet means connected to said input section for feeding each of said flows thereinto, and having outlet means connected to said output section for discharging the processed phases therefrom, said process section being (i) in the form of an elongated body having an axis and being (ii) axially positioned with its output end at an elevation no higher than its input end and providing the said flow path which in its axial direction is not counter to the force of gravity, and said output section comprising a circular cross section chamber and means for causing circumferential movement of the flows therein,
• b. multiphase contact means in said housing having at least one pair of first and second mixing elements and an additional first mixing element, each of said elements having a cylindrical chamber which is closed at one end and open at the other end, each pair of said elements being joined together at their open ends, the walls of each of said chambers having wall openings therein for the passage of said flows cocurrently therethrough, said wall openings being provided with flow guide means extending from said walls for directing the said flows in the same circumferential direction into the chamber of each first mixing element and out of the chamber of the second mixing element, said mixing elements being in axial alignment, with the closed end of a second mixing element of a pair of elements positioned opposite to the closed end of the next following first mixing element, and disposed coaxially in said process section except for the first mixing element of the first pair of said at least one pair which is disposed in said input section and is closed from said housing section except through its said wall openings having flow guide means, and for the open end of said additional first mixing element which is disposed in said output section and delivers said flows to the said means therein for causing circumferential movement of the flows, and
• c. partitions extending between said housing and each pair of mixing elements intermediate the first and second elements thereof and also between said housing and said additional first mixing element intermediate the wall openings and open end thereof and forming a conduit for passing at least a principal part of the said flows from the inlet of said input section to said process section and therethrough generally not counter to the force of gravity and therefrom to the outlet of said output section through the first and second mixing elements of each pair of mixing elements and through said additional first mixing element in sequence.