Packing for separation columns and process of use

A fluid separation packing, useful as a packing material for distillation and fractionation columns to provide for operation in a co-current mode within the overall countercurrent process, comprising:

• (a) a plurality of layers of connected packing elements, said packing elements comprising:
• (1) a base
• (2) a continuous side wall having an upper end and a lower end, said lower end terminating into said base, said upper end defining an upper packing element plane region, and said side walls defining a contacting volume above the base and below the upper packing element plane region;
• (3) at least one vapor opening in said base through which vapors can flow into said contacting volume;
• (4) at least one vapor tab located above said at least one vapor opening;
• (5) at least one liquid slit located on said side wall, said liquid slit defining an opening in said side wall through which liquid can flow;
• (b) a plurality of liquid downcomers formed between said packing elements comprising:
• (1) downcomer side walls having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper port, on being formed by said packing element side walls, and said lower portion extending below said packing element base and having a lower portion end;
• (2) at least one downcomer port located proximate to the lower portion end of the downcomer, said port defining an opening in said downcomer side walls through which liquid can flow;
• whereby the layers of said packing elements are arranged such that the downcomer having its upper portion formed from the sidewalls of packing elements in a first row of packing elements has its lower portion located in the contacting volume of a packing element in a second row of packing elements located directly beneath the first row.

A fluid separation packing, useful as a packing material for distillation and fractionation columns to provide for operation in a co-current mode within the overall countercurrent process, comprising:

• (a) a plurality of connected packing elements, said packing elements comprising:
• (1) a base
• (2) a continuous side wall having an upper end and a lower end, said lower end terminating into said base, said upper end defining an upper packing element plane region, and said side walls forming an octagon and defining a contacting volume above the base and below the upper packing element plane region;
• (3) a plurality of vapor openings in said base through which vapors can flow into said contacting volume;
• (4) vapor tabs located above said vapor openings;
• (5) a plurality of liquid slits located on said side wall and proximate to said sidewall upper end, said liquid slits defining openings in said side wall through which liquid can flow;
• whereby said packing elements are connected in such a way that the sidewalls of adjacent packing elements contact each other and the sidewalls also define a sided opening between adjacent packing elements;
• (b) a plurality of liquid downcomers comprising:
• (1) downcomer side walls having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being coextensive with said sidewalls of said packing element that form the four-sided openings and said lower portion extending below said packing element base and having a lower portion end;
• (2) at least one downcomer port located proximate to the lower portion end of the downcomer, said port defining an opening in said downcomer side walls through which liquid can flow.

In a process for fractionating, distilling, or the like, the improvement comprising:

• (a) providing a vertical column having surrounding sidewalls;
• (b) feeding a first and a second fluid into the column, wherein the first fluid is in its vapor state and the second fluid is in its liquid state within the column;
• (c) directing the first and second fluids to flow through various stacked layers of connected packing elements, said packing elements comprising:
• (1) a base
• (2) a continuous side wall having an upper end and a lower end, said lower end terminating into said base, said upper end defining an upper packing element plane region, and said side walls defining a contacting volume above the base and below the upper packing element plane region;
• (3) at least one vapor opening in said base through which vapors can flow into said contacting volume;
• (4) at least one vapor tab located above said at least one vapor opening;
• (5) at least one liquid slit located on said side wall, said liquid slit defining an opening in said side wall through which liquid can flow;
• whereby said packing elements are connected in such a way that the sidewalls of adjacent packing elements contact each other and the sidewalls also define an opening between adjacent packing elements;
• (d) also directing said fluids to flow through a plurality of liquid downcomers comprising:
• (1) downcomer side walls having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being located within said opening between adjacent packing elements, and said lower portion extending below said packing element base and having a lower portion end;
• (2) at least one downcomer port located proximate to the lower portion end of the downcomer, said port defining an opening in said downcomer side walls through which liquid can flow;
• whereby the vapors present within said column flow upward from one layer of packing elements to the next through said vapor openings and the liquid present within said column flows downward from one layer of packing elements to the next by passing through said liquid slit and through the downcomers, and whereby the liquid and vapor contact each other in a co-current fashion within the contacting volume of the packing elements.