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AssigneeRhone-Poulenc Industries
InventorsFrancois Prudhon, Augustin Scicluna
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Intimate contacting of plural, physically disparate phases is achieved by establishing a current of axially extending, axially symmetrical helical flow of a first phase; separately establishing a current of coaxially extending, rectilinear flow of a physically disparate second phase, the currents of said first and said second phases being maintained physically separated from each other; circulating and directing said currents which comprise the plural phases to a zone of restricted flow passage with respect to said helical flow, whereby said plural currents converge and are intimately, homogeneously admixed and whereas such zone of convergence the momentum of the first phase helical flow is at least 100 times greater than the momentum of the second phase, coaxial rectilinear flow; and thence abruptly changing the velocity field of at least one of said plural phases, while at the same time maintaining the general direction of flow of said admixed plural phases, and whereby phase separation of the product of admixture results enabling easy recovery thereof. Such intimate contacting is especially desirable for concentrating dilute solutions of phosphoric acid with hot air.
A process for the intimate contacting of plural, physically disparate phases, comprising (i) establishing a vertically descending current of axially extending, axially symmetrical helical flow of a first gaseous phase, (ii) separately establishing a current of coaxially downwardly vertically extending, rectilinear continuous jet stream of a physically disparate second phase, (iii) maintaining said currents of said first and said second phases physically separate from each other, (iv) circulating and directing said currents which comprise the plural phases to a zone of restricted flow passage with respect to said helical flow, (v) at said zone of restricted flow passage, converging and intimately, homogeneously admixing said plural currents, and disintegrating into a multitude of droplets and entraining said rectilinear jet stream current within said helical current of gaseous flow, and maintaining at such zone of convergence a momentum of the first phase helical flow of at least 100 times greater than the momentum of the second phase, coaxial rectilinear jet stream, (vi) concurrently establishing a flow defining a layered horizontal stack of a plurality of hyperboloids by means of the trajectory of said helical current of gaseous flow, which, at a point downstream from said zone of restricted flow passage coestablishes a zone of narrower width than said zone of restricted flow passage, thus circumscribing a zone of depression, and thence (vii) diverging and abruptly changing the velocity of at least one of said plural phases, while at the same time maintaining the general direction of flow of said admixed plural phases, and whereby phase separation of the product of admixture results.
A process for the intimate contacting of plural, physically disparate phases, consisting essentially of (i) establishing a vertically descending current of axially extending, axially symmetrical helical flow of a first gaseous phase, (ii) separately establishing a current of coaxially downwardly vertically extending, rectilinear continuous jet stream of a physically disparate second phase, (iii) maintaining said currents of said first and said second phases physically separate from each other, (iv) circulating and directing said currents which comprise the plural phases to a zone of restricted flow passage with respect to said helical flow, (v) at said zone of restricted flow passage, converging and intimately, homogeneously admixing said plural currents, and disintegrating into a multitude of droplets and entraining said rectilinear jet stream current within said helical current of gaseous flow, and maintaining at such zone of convergence a momentum of the first phase helical flow of at least 100 times greater than the momentum of the second phase, coaxial rectilinear jet stream, (vi) concurrently establishing a flow defining a layered horizontal stack of a plurality of hyperboloids by means of the trajectory of said helical current of gaseous flow, which, at a point downstream from said zone of restricted flow passage coestablishes a zone of narrower width than said zone of restricted flow passage, thus circumscribing a zone of depression, and thence (vii) diverging and abruptly changing the velocity of at least one of said plural phases, while at the same time maintaining the general direction of flow of said admixed plural phases, and whereby separation of the product of admixture results.
A phase contactor for the intimate contacting of plural, physically disparate phases, which comprises (i) a distribution zone, said distribution zone being comprised of means for establishing a vertically descending current of axially extending, axially symmetrical helical flow of a first gaseous phase, means for separately establishing a current of coaxially downwardly vertically extending, rectilinear continuous jet stream of a physically disparate second phase, and means for insuring physical separation from each other of said currents of said first and second phases, (ii) a contact zone, said contact zone being comprised of a zone of restricted flow passage with respect to the means for establishing the helical flow, means for the convergence and intimate homogeneous admixture of the separately supplied disparate phases, means for imparting a momentum to the gaseous first phase helical flow which is at least 100 times greater than the momentum of the second phase, coaxial rectilinear flow, means for disintegrating into a multitude of droplets and entraining said rectilinear jet stream current within said helical current of gaseous flow, means for concurrently establishing a flow defining a layered horizontal stack of a plurality of hyperboloids via the trajectory of said helical current of gaseous flow, and means for establishing, at a point downstream from said zone of restricted flow passage, a flow zone of narrower width than said zone of restricted flow passage, same also circumscribing a zone of depression, and (iii) a phase separation zone, said phase separation zone being comprised of means for abruptly changing the velocity of at least one of said plural phases, means for maintaining the general direction of flow of said admixed plural phases, and means for effecting phase separation of the product of admixture of said plural phases.
A phase contactor for the intimate contacting of plural, physically disparate phases, consisting essentially of (i) a distribution zone, said distribution zone being comprised of means for establishing a vertically descending current of axially extending, axially symmetrical helical flow of a first gaseous phase, means for separately establishing a current of coaxially downwardly vertically extending, rectilinear continuous jet stream of a physically disparate second phase, and means for insuring physical separation from each other of said currents of said first and second phase, (ii) a contact zone, said contact zone being comprised of a zone of restricted flow passage with respect to the means for establishing the helical flow, means for the convergence and intimate homogeneous admixture of the separately supplied disparate phases, means for imparting a momentum to the gaseous first phase helical flow which is at least 100 times greater than the momentum of the second phase, coaxial rectilinear flow, means for disintegrating into a multitude of droplets and entraining said rectilinear jet stream current within said helical current of gaseous flow, means for concurrently establishing a flow defining a layered horizontal stack of a plurality of hyperboloids via the trajectory of said helical current of gaseous flow, and means for establishing, at a point downstream from said zone of restricted flow passage, a flow zone of narrower width than said zone of restricted flow passage, same also circumscribing a zone of depression, and (iii) a phase separation zone, said phase separation zone being comprised of means for abruptly changing the velocity of at least one of said plural phases, means for maintaining the general direction of flow of said admixed plural phases, and means for effecting phase separation of the product of admixture of said plural phases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.