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US 4,519,960 AGranted
Expanded metal saddle tower packing
AssigneeGlitsch, Inc.
InventorsB. Layton Kitterman, Donald L. Glaspie
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AssigneeGlitsch, Inc.
InventorsB. Layton Kitterman, Donald L. Glaspie
Estimating the term…
Tower packing elements adapted for dumped packing and employed to effect vapor-liquid contact in vapor-liquid contact columns for the purposes of bringing about mass and heat transfer between the liquid and vapor phases. Each packing element is of the saddle variety and is arcuately formed about orthogonal notional axes. The body of the saddle comprises expanded metal; that is, metal that has been perforated, lanced, and/or expanded by stretching along oppositely oriented axes. Also disclosed are methods of forming a segmented, semi-toroidal tower packing element from metal which has been expanded, as well as from metal which has been slitted, and which is expanded at the same time as it is formed into a saddle shape. In this manner, the advantages of metal in tower dump packing can be utilized in a saddle configuration maximizing vapor-liquid contact and efficiency of the mass and heat transfer.
A dump packing element for use in vapor-liquid contact columns adapted for the flow of fluids therethrough and a turbulent interface therein, said element comprising:
Improved dump packing elements of the saddle variety utilized in vapor-liquid contact columns adapted for the flow of fluids therethrough and a turbulent interface therein, said elements each comprising individual, semi-toroidal bodies adapted for stacking one against another in random orientation for theflow of liquid and vapor thereacross, wherein the improvement comprises said semi-toroidal body being constructed of expanded metal formed from a slotted material blank which is, deformed across orthogonal notional axes to comprise an expanded metal body of varying magnitudes of lateral expansion and a variably expanded lattice of interconnnected lands and segmented holes therebetween adapted for receiving the flow of fluid therethrough and imparting turbulence thereto, and said interconnected lands of said curved lattice terminating in oppositely disposed arrays of perimeter teeth adapted for matingly engaging segmented holes of adjacent semi-toroidal bodies and forming a structural connection therebetween to secure said engagement during fluid flow through said variably expanded holes therein and a fluid transfer path thereacross.
An improved dump packing bed for vapor-liquid contact columns constructed of individual, semi-toroidal elements adapted for stacking one against another in random orientation for the flow of fluids thereacross and a turbulent interface therein, wherein the improvement comprises said semi-toroidal elements being constructed of expanded metal formed from a slotted material blank deformed across orthogonal notional axes to comprise an expanded metal body of varying lateral expansion and a variably expanded lattice of interconnected lands and segmented holes therebetween adapted for receiving the flow of fluid therethrough and imparting turbulence thereto said interconnected lands of said curved lattice terminating in oppositely disposed arrays of perimeter teeth, and said teeth of said semi-toroidal elements matingly engaging segmented holes of adjacent semi-toroidal elements to secure said engagement during fluid flow through said variably expanded holes therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.