Liquid contact plate and support system for cooling towers

A liquid contact plate which is one of a plurality of similarly constructed liquid contact plates forming a series of vertically spaced horizontal tiers within a liquid cooling tower, said liquid contact plate being formed as an integral molded piece and comprising:

• (a) side bars forming a rectangular frame and having inner and outer side surfaces;
• (b) a plurality of intersecting ribs extending between and integrally joined to said side bars inner surfaces and forming a perforate planar structure for cooling a liquid passed therethrough;
• (c) a pair of spaced apart bar supports appended to and protruding outwardly from each said side bar outer surface and shaped for supporting a side bar of another liquid contact plate in abutting relation;
• (d) a female-latch receptacle located between each said pair of bar supports and defining a generally vertical hollow channel protruding outwardly from the side bar outer surface therebetween and formed by a pair of side walls, an outer wall joining outer ends of said side walls and a portion of the side bar outer surface enclosed thereby;
• and
• (e) a downwardly extending generally vertical male-latch member appended to and supported outwardly from each said side bar outer surface at a location spaced from the location at which said bar supports are located, said male-latch member being shaped to be received by a said female-latch receptacle channel on a side bar of another liquid contact plate to be abutted against the side bar on which the said male-latch member is located and having a ledge portion adapted to engage a bottom edge of the female-latch receptacle outer wall to lock the engaged male-latch member and female-latch receptacle together to hold the respective side bars on which each is located together in abutting relation.