US 6,713,158 B2Granted

Structured packing

AssigneeThe BOC Group, Inc.

InventorsKevin McKeigue, Ramachandran Krishnamurthy, Nancy Irwin, Hendrik Jekeli Kooijman

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Abstract

A structured packing with improved packing elements and method of using the structured packing. Each structured packing element comprises corrugated sheets and planar members alternating with and located between the corrugated sheets The planar members are positioned so that at least the lowermost horizontal edges of the planar members and the corrugated sheets are situated proximal to one another. Perforations provided in the planar members and the corrugated sheets are designed to avoid turbulent flows and bulk fluid flow across the packing element while allowing transverse pressure equalization. Different configurations of corrugated sheets may be used with the planar members to form the structured packing.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A structured packing element comprising:

an array of vertically oriented corrugated sheets having perforations;
each of said corrugated sheets having a top portion, a middle portion and a bottom portion, all of said portions having corrugations at an angle of inclination from horizontal;
at least some of said corrugated sheets having corrugations with angles of inclination in said middle portion that are smaller than angles of inclination in at least one of said top and bottom portions;
and
one or more planar members positioned between at least one pair of adjacent corrugated sheets, and at least one outermost horizontal edge of said planar members being situated proximal to a horizontal edge of said pair of adjacent corrugated sheets each of said corrugations having a corrugation width and each pair of adjacent corrugated sheets having at least one planar member positioned therebetween and said at least one planar member having a length shorter than a length of said each pair of adjacent corrugated sheets but equal to at least two times said corrugation width of said corrugations.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/746,094Filed 22 Dec 2000 · continuation in part
Priority: 25 Jun 1999
Published: US 2003/0190461 A19 Oct 2003
Granted: 30 Mar 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification24 codes

B01J 19/32
Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus: packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements…
F25J 3/04412
Using a dual pressure main column system: in a classical double column flowsheet, i.e. with thermal coupling by a main reboiler-condenser in the…
F25J 3/04678
Having a top condenser: cooled by oxygen enriched liquid from high pressure column bottoms
F25J 3/04909
Details of columns, e.g. internals, inlet/outlet devices: structured packings

Family

Application09/344,647Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 25 Jun 1999
Application09/593,051Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 13 Jun 2000
US 2003/0190461 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Oct 2003
US 6,509,082 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,280,819 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,713,158 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.