Fluid-fluid contacting apparatus

A fluid—fluid contacting apparatus having a structured packing comprising:

• a plurality of packing elements arranged in succession in a designed direction of fluid flow, each packing element including a plurality of crimped sheets of material arranged in face-to-face relationship with corrugations extending obliquely relative to the direction of fluid flow, successive packing elements being arranged with the crimped sheets in one packing element angularly displaced with respect to the crimped sheets of adjacent packing elements;
• and
• means for reducing pressure drop imposed on a continuous phase at each interface between successive packing elements, the means being arranged at or in vicinity of the interface,
• wherein the means is constituted by a localized change in configuration of the corrugations immediately adjacent the interface, wherein at least some of the crimped sheets of each packing element have at least some corrugations with a crimp angle extended to the interface, the crimp angle varying progressively in vicinity of at least one of the interfaces, wherein the crimp angle within the body of the packing element in an intermediate portion is substantially a constant and the progressively varying crimp angle is greater than the constant.