Contactor

A contactor in which an upflow fluid comprising a liquid is fed from a lower part of the contactor and a downflow fluid comprising a liquid is fed from an upper part of the contactor so that the liquid and the liquid are subjected to countercurrent contacting, the contactor comprising:

• a first line of cells aligned along flow paths of the upflow fluid and the downflow fluid;
• a second line of cells aligned along the flow paths, the first line and the second line being disposed next to each other in a manner that the cells of the first line and the cells of the second lines are on different levels so that a cell in a first line is in communication with a cell in the second line that is higher than the cell in the first line and is in communication with a cell in the second line that is lower than the cell in the second line, each of the cells forming a countercurrent contacting space of the upflow fluid and the downflow fluid;
• a partition wall provided between each of the cells of the first line and a corresponding cell of the second line;
• a downflow fluid injection hole formed in a lower part of the partition wall of an upper cell so that the downflow fluid blocked by the partition wall and residing in the upper cell is injected by its potential energy into a lower cell that is in communication with the upper cell, the upper cell and the lower cell belonging in different lines of cells;
• and
• an upflow fluid flow-in port formed in the partition wall and disposed higher than the downflow fluid injection hole, through the upflow fluid flow-in port the upflow fluid flowing from the lower cell by its buoyancy into the upper cell,
• wherein the downflow fluid injection hole comprises a plurality of openings in the partition wall and stacked in a vertical direction or a plurality of openings extending vertically in the partition wall and stacked in a horizontal direction.

A contactor in which an upflow fluid comprising a liquid is fed from a lower part of the contactor and a downflow fluid comprising a liquid is fed from an upper part of the contactor so that the liquid and the liquid are subjected to countercurrent contacting, the contactor comprising:

• a first line of cells aligned along flow paths of the upflow fluid and the downflow fluid;
• a second line of cells aligned along the flow paths, the first line and the second line being disposed next to each other in a manner that the cells of the first line and the cells of the second lines are on different levels so that a cell in a first line is in communication with a cell in the second line that is higher than the cell in the first line and is in communication with a cell in the second line that is lower than the cell in the second line, each of the cells forming a countercurrent contacting space of the upflow fluid and the downflow fluid;
• a partition wall provided between each of the cells of the first line and a corresponding cell of the second line;
• an upflow fluid injection hole formed in an upper part of the partition wall of a lower cell so that the upflow fluid residing in the lower cell is injected by its buoyancy into an upper cell that is in communication with the lower cell, the upper cell and the lower cell belonging in different lines of cells;
• and
• a downflow fluid flow-in port formed in the partition wall and disposed lower than the upflow fluid injection hole, the downflow fluid flowing from the upper cell by its potential energy into the lower cell through the downflow fluid flow-in port,
• wherein the upflow fluid injection hole comprises a plurality of openings in the partition wall and stacked in a vertical direction or a plurality of openings extending vertically in the partition wall and stacked in a horizontal direction.

A contactor in which an upflow fluid comprising a gas is fed from a lower part of the contactor and a downflow fluid comprising a liquid is fed from an upper part of the contactor so that the gas and the liquid are subjected to countercurrent contacting, the contactor comprising:

• a first line of cells aligned along flow paths of the upflow fluid and the downflow fluid;
• a second line of cells aligned along the flow paths, the first line and the second line being disposed next to each other in a manner that the cells of the first line and the cells of the second lines are on different levels so that a cell in a first line is in communication with a cell in the second line that is higher than the cell in the first line and is in communication with a cell in the second line that is lower than the cell in the second line, each of the cells forming a countercurrent contacting space of the upflow fluid and the downflow fluid;
• a partition wall provided between each of the cells of the first line and a corresponding cell of the second line;
• a downflow fluid injection hole formed in a bottom wall of an upper cell so that the downflow fluid blocked by the partition wall is injected from the upper cell into a lower cell that is in communication with the upper cell, the upper cell and the lower cell belonging in different lines of cells;
• and
• an upflow fluid flow-in port formed in an upper part of the partition wall that is disposed above a region in which the downflow fluid blocked by the partition wall resides, through the upflow fluid flow-in port the upflow fluid flowing from the lower cell into the upper cell.