Fluid treating for removal of components or for transfer of heat, momentum-apparatus and method

Apparatus for treating fluids, for liquid-gas contacting for removing particulate, mist or fumes from fluids, or for transferring heat or mass between fluids, the said fluids flowing predominantly in a predetermined direction, the said apparatus including separate cylindrical elements arrayed in a plurality of rows, the elements of each row spatially separate from each other and from the elements of adjacent rows so that open flow space would normally completely surround each element, each said element being imperforate to the flowing fluids, said rows being transverse to said predetermined direction, the elements of adjacent rows being staggered with respect to each other, the said apparatus being characterized by elements whose surfaces are non-reentrant on their upstream side with respect to the direction of flow of said fluid and by the suppression of by-pass flow diagonally of said rows, by partitions, the said partitions being interposed between at least a plurality of pairs of elements, the said elements of each said pair being in alternate rows, each said partition being substantially in contact with the surfaces of the element between which it extends along the length of said elements to prevent said diagonal by-pass flow, each said partition being generally parallel to said direction and being shaped so as to minimize the pressure drop in said fluid flowing through said apparatus.

Apparatus for treating fluids for liquid-gas contacting, for removal of particulate, mist or fumes from fluids, or for transferring heat or mass between fluids, the said fluids flowing predominantly in predetermined directions, the said apparatus including separate cylindrical elements, each said element being permeable to fluid flow throughout its entire active surface, said elements being arrayed in a plurality of rows in which said elements are spatially separated from each other and the elements of each row are spatially separated from the elements of adjacent rows so that an open flow space would normally surround each element, whereby there would normally undesirably be by-pass channels for the fluid along the rows at an angle to said directions, resulting in by-pass flow at said angle;

• each said row being generally perpendicular to said predetermined directions, the said elements of adjacent rows being staggered with respect to each other, the said apparatus being characterized by that said by-pass flow is prevented by partitions bridging between at least a plurality of pairs of certain of said elements, the elements of each said bridged pair being in alternate rows, and the elements of the intervening rows being positioned generally symmetrically with respect to said partitions, each said partition being substantially in contact with the outer surface of the elements which it bridges along the length of said each element without penetrating through said elements to interpose substantially complete obstruction to flow of fluids in said by-pass channels, said partitions being generally parallel to said predetermined direction and being shaped so as to minimize the pressure drop in the fluid flowing through said apparatus.

Apparatus for removing particulate from a gas, the said apparatus including a plurality of separate cylindrical elements, each element being perforated throughout its entire active surface, said elements being arrayed in rows spatially separated from each other with each element in each row spatially separated from the other elements of said each row so that open flow space would normally surround said element, the elements of adjacent rows being staggered with respect to each other, a partition bridging between a plurality of pairs of certain of said elements, the elements of each said bridged pair being in alternate rows and being interposed between pairs of elements of the rows intervening between said alternate rows, each said partition being substantially in contact with the surfaces of the elements which it bridges along the length of said each element to prevent diagonal flow through said rows, whereby constricted flow channels are formed between each partition and the elements of the intervening rows between which it is interposed, means for transmitting said gas through said elements in a direction generally perpendicular to said rows, and means for injecting a liquid into said gas producing liquid drops in said gas, the said elements and partitions being so spaced with respect to each other that said constricted flow channels function as venturi passages and a multiple venturi effect acts on said gas, particulate and liquid drops as they pass through said constricted flow channels and they are accelerated to higher velocities, the velocity of said particulate in said constricted channels being higher than the velocity of the drops of said liquid, whereby said drops capture said particulate.

The method of removing particulate from a gas with apparatus including a plurality of cylindrical elements, each said element being imperforate to said gas, arrayed in rows with the elements of adjacent rows staggered with respect to each other, with each element physically separate from the elements of its row and adjacent rows, and with partitions extending between the elements of alternate rows, each said partition being substantially in contact with the surfaces of the elements between which it extends along the length of said each element to prevent diagonal by-pass flow through said rows, each of said partitions being interposed between a pair of elements of rows intermediate said alternate rows, each element and its adjacent partitions defining channels for the flow of gas, each channel being bounded by the continuous curvilinear surface of a said cylindrical element and a said adjacent partition, decreasing gradually in width from a first distance constituting a part of the distance between a pair of adjacent of said adjacent partitions to a second substantially smaller distance between said each element and one of said adjacent partitions and then gradually increasing in width from said smaller distance to a distance constituting a part of the distance between said adjacent partitions, the said first distance and the said second distance being so related to an effective venturi effect for a gas flowing through said each channel is present;

• the said method comprising injecting a liquid into said gas to produce drops of liquid in said gas, passing said liquid drops, gas and particulate forming a fluid through said channels defined by said rows of elements and their associated partitions generally transverse to said rows thereby to accelerate said drops of the liquid, said each channel from the region of said first distance through the region of said second distance, at a lower rate than the particulate is accelerated, whereby said liquid drops are at a lower velocity than said particulate and said particulate collides with said drops and is captured by its collision with said drops.

A tower for mass transfer between a gas and a liquid, the said tower including a plurality of bubblers arrayed in series generally vertically within said tower, each said bubbler including

• (a) a container having a top extending generally horizontally beyond the boundaries of said container,
• (b) a plurality of generally horizontal separate tubular elements within said container, the wall of each said element being perforated, the said elements being disposed in a vertical array of rows with the elements in alternate rows staggered with respect to the elements in intervening rows, each element being physically disconnected from the elements in its row and from the elements in adjacent rows so that normally each element would be surrounded by an open flow space,
• (c) a plurality of generally vertical partitions, each partition extending between a pair of elements in alternate rows and passing between staggered elements of the intervening row, each partition being so positionally related to the said elements between which it extends as to obstruct diagonal flow along the last named elements, and
• (d) at least one downcomer extending from said cover plate externally of said array,
• means connected to said tower for conducting a gas vertically upwardly through said serially arrayed bubblers in said tower, and means within said tower for injecting a liquid into said gas to interact with said gas, the said downcomer of each bubbler conducting liquid collected on the plate of said each bubbler and conducting said liquid to the bubbler just below said each bubbler for recirculation.

The method of mixing at least a first fluid and a second fluid with apparatus including a plurality of separate cylindrical elements arrayed in rows with each row spatially separated from the rows adjacent to said each row and each element in each row spatially separated from the elements adjacent to said each element in said each row, the elements in each row being staggered with respect to the elements in rows adjacent to said each row, said apparatus also including partitions extending between the elements of alternate rows, each said partition being substantially in contact with the outer surfaces of the elements between which said each partition extends along the length of said each element without penetrating through said elements;

• the said method including transmitting said first fluid through said array, transmitting said second fluid through said array, said transmitted first and second fluids forming a main stream, and mixing said fluids
• (a) by separating the main stream of said fluids into pairs of separate substreams, each pair of substreams being produced by the interposition in said main stream of each partition and the elements immediately downstream and upstream of said each partition in the row intervening between the alternate rows between whose elements said last-named each partition extends, and
• (b) by the recombination of each said pair of substreams downstream of said each partition and said downstream intervening elements.

The method of removing contaminants from a gas with apparatus including a plurality of sets of cylindrical elements, each set being arrayed in a row so that the elements are arrayed in a matrix with the elements in alternate rows staggered and partitions bridging between at least certain of the elements in alternate rows, each of said partitions being substantially in contact with the outer surface of the elements between which said each partition bridges along the length of said each element without passing through said elements;

• the said method comprising transmitting the gas in a stream generally perpendicular to the rows of elements, injecting a liquid as a spray into said stream, by means of a plurality of communicating venturi channels formed between each said partition and the elements of the row between which said each partition passes, each said channel being bounded by the surface of said each partition on one side and the curvilinear surface of one of said elements between which said each partition passes on the opposite side, repeatedly increasing and decreasing the velocity of said stream including said gas and the drops of said spray as said stream passes through the matrix thus repeatedly introducing differences between the velocity of said drops and the velocity of the contaminants in said gas and enhancing the capture of said contaminants by said drops, and capturing the drops containing the contaminants on the elements, the velocity of said stream being both increased and decreased gradually at a rate determined by the boundary of said each said channel thereby introducing gradually varying differences, in accordance with said rate, between the velocity of said drops and the velocity of the contaminants in said gas and effectuating the capture of said contaminants by said drops.

Apparatus for removing particulate from a gas including a plurality of cylindrical elements disposed in rows in an array through which said contaminant-containing gas is to be conducted with the elements of adjacent rows staggered with respect to each other, with each said element physically separate from the elements of its rows and from the elements of adjacent rows and with partitions, each extending between a first pair of elements in alternate rows, each said partition being substantially in contact with the outer surfaces of the elements between which it extends along the length of said each element without penetrating through the elements to prevent diagonal by-pass flow of said gas through said array, each said partition being interposed between a second pair of elements of rows intermediate the associated rows of the elements between which said each said partition is interposed, means for injecting a liquid into said gas to be conducted through said array so that said gas, said particulate, and drops of said liquid forming a fluid are to flow through said array, each element of said second pair and its adjacent partitions forming channels for the flow of said fluid, each said channel being bounded by the curvilinear surface of an element of said second pair on one side and by one of said partitions adjacent to said last-named element on the opposite side, each said channel decreasing in width gradually as determined by its said boundaries between a first distance upstream with respect to the direction of flow of said fluid, and a second substantially smaller distance downstream from said first distance with respect to the direction of flow of said fluid and then increasing in width gradually, as determined by the boundaries of said channel between said second distance and a third substantially larger distance, said first and third distance each being the maximum distance between the surface of the partition which forms a boundary said channel and said curvilinear surface of said adjacent element which forms the opposite boundary of said channel, and said second distance being the shortest distance between said curvilinear surface and said last-named partition, the said first and third distances and the said second distance being so related that an effective venturi effect exists for said fluid through said each channel, whereby as said fluid passes through said channel, it is gradually accelerated gradually at a rate determined by the boundaries of said channel as it passes through said channel towards the region of said second distance and is decelerated gradually as determined by said boundaries of said channel as it passes out through said channel away from the region of said minimum distance so that during acceleration said drops are accelerated at a lower rate than said particulate and during deceleration said drops are decelerated at a lower rate than said particulate so that differences of velocity are induced between said particulate and said drops and said drops capture said particulate.