Column apparatus for gas-liquid heat and mass exchange processes

A column apparatus for gas-liquid heat and mass exchange processes, comprising:

• a casing;
• contact plates arranged in said casing one above another and each being constituted as a horizontal plate having a center solid portion and slots distributed over the rest of the plate area for the passage of gas therethrough;
• annular pocket forming means for collecting liquid flowing off said contact plates, fixed around said contact plates;
• discharge pipes for discharging liquid from each of said contact plates onto the contact plate therebelow;
• said discharge pipes having upper ends connected to said annular pocket forming means of said upper contact plate;
• said discharge plates having lower ends terminating slightly above said solid center portion of the lower contact plate;
• inner and outer spaced coaxial rings surrounding said lower ends of said discharge pipes, said rings being arranged in spaced relation above said solid center portion of the contact plate;
• said inner ring having a bottom edge extending below the level of the bottom edge of said discharge pipes and below the bottom edge of the outer ring, said inner ring having a top edge arranged above the level of said bottom edge of said discharge pipes and below the top edge of said outer ring, in such a manner that as the liquid is being discharged, there is formed a hydroseal.