Ceramic packing with channels for thermal and catalytic beds
AssigneeLantec Products, Inc.
InventorsKo C. Lang, Jun Huang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ceramic packing element is formed from a stack of ceramic plates having parallel ribs forming parallel grooves therebetween. The grooves are closed into channels by the surf ace of an opposed plate. The ribs may engage the end surfaces of ribs on an adjacent space or may be interleaved with the ribs of an opposed plate to form smaller channels. The plates are adhered to each other by firing a stack of plates in the green state or wrapping film or bands around a stack of pre-fired plates. The elements may be preassembled into larger units before placement in a column by wrapping metal bands around an assembly of elements.
Claims22
A ceramic plate packing element comprising a first plate and an opposed plate, each having a first end and a second end and a first surface and a second surface, at least said first surface of said plate first and opposed plates, each containing a plurality of parallel, continuous ribs having a first end surface extending from the first surface of the plate forming parallel grooves between the ribs, the distance between grooves being greater than the width of an opposed rib and the length of the ribs being substantially equivalent to the depth of the grooves, the grooves terminating in a bottom surface, being interleaved with the ribs on said first plate being interleaved with the ribs on the opposed plate, the continuous end surface of said ribs being in contact with the bottom surface of the grooves, said bottom surfaces substantially closes said grooves to form channels.
A ceramic packing element comprising:
- a stack of individual, ceramic plates
- a first plate having a first surface including a plurality of parallel, continuous ribs forming a plurality of parallel grooves between the ribs, said ribs each having an inner end connected to the first surface and a continuous outer end surface and said grooves having a continuous bottom surface;
- a second ceramic plate having parallel, continuous ribs forming parallel grooves therebetween, said grooves being wider than opposed ribs and having a bottom surface in close contact with the outer end surfaces of said ribs to form parallel substantially closed channels between said ribs;
- and
- means for adhering said plates together to form said element.
A ceramic packing element according to clam 9 in which said adhering means comprises mechanical means for holding said surfaces in contact.
A method of forming a ceramic packing element comprising the steps of:
- forming on a first surface of a plurality of ceramic plates a plurality of parallel, continuous ribs having continuous, outer end surfaces and parallel grooves therebetween having bottom surfaces,
- stacking the plates such that the ribs on opposed plates are interleaved with the continuous outer end surfaces of the ribs contacting the opposed bottom surfaces of the grooves to form channels;
- and
- adhering said outer end surfaces of the ribs to said opposed bottom surfaces.
A ceramic packing element formed of a stack of plates having ribs and grooves on the surfaces of the plates including means for latching a plate to an adjacent opposed plate which cooperates with end ribs of the plates to prevent movement of the plates in a direction normal to the ribs and grooves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.