Gas-liquid contact apparatus

Claim 1

A GAS-LIQUID CONTACT TRAY HAVING A LIQUID-RECEIVING END AND A LIQUID DISCHARGE END FOR FLOWING A LIQUID ACROSS THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF COMPRISING A FIRST GROUP OF SPACED ELONGATED BAFFLE PLATES ADJACENT THE LIQUID-RECEIVING END ARRANGED IN SUCCESSIVELY DOWNWARDLY STEPPED RELATIONSHIP IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NORMAL MOVEMENT OF LIQUID ACROSS SAID TRAY AND A SECOND GROUP OF SPACED ELONGATED BAFFLE PLATES ADJACENT THE LIQUID-DISCHARGE END HAVING THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN THE SAME HORIZONTAL PLANE AND HAVING THEIR UPPER PORTIONS SLIGHTLY INCLINED UPWARDLY WHEREBY AN INITIAL THRUST IS GIVEN TO LIQUID ACROSS SAID TRAY BY SAID FIRST GROUP, EACH OF THE PLATES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND GROUPS HAVING A CURVILINEAR CROSS SECTION WITH THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF ARRANGED IN AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING PLANE AND WITH THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF LYING WITHIN A TRANSVERSE PLANE, SAID UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID BAFFLE PLATES OVERLAPPING THE CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF ADJACENT BAFFLE PLATES, THE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS BEING SPACED MORE CLOSELY TOGETHER THAN THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE CORRESPONDING PLATES THEREBY FORMING PASSAGEWAYS THROUGH SAID TRAY WHICH DIRECT GAS FROM UNDERNEATH SAID TRAY ACROSS THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID LIQUID BETWEEN SAID ENDS WHEREBY MOVEMENT IN SAID DIRECTION IS ASSISTED.