Surface improved tower packing
AssigneeNorton Chemical Process Products Corporation
InventorT. Daniel Koshy
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Abstract
Etching the surfaces of a metal tower packing improves their wettability and therefore their efficiency in mass transfer applications.
Claims7
A method of concentrating weak acids by a process which comprises passing the liquid stream of weak acid down a tower containing metal tower packing materials countercurrent to a vapor stream comprising the acid and water passing up the tower and separating a liquid stream at the foot of the tower with an enhanced acid content, characterized in that the surfaces of the metal tower packing materials have been etched using a strong acid to the extent necessary to reduce the height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP) of the packing materials by at least 20% with respect to the unetched packing materials.
A process for increasing the critical surface tension of a metal tower packing by from 30 to about 90% by a process which comprises treating the packing material with an acid at a concentration that is effective to etch the surface of the metal.
A metal tower packing having acid-etched surfaces and a height equivalent to a theoretical plate, (HETP), reduced by at least 20% with respect a similar metal packing with unetched surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.