Contacting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING ORGANIC LIQUIDS BY SUCCRSSIVELY PASSING A LIQUID CHARGE MIXTURE AND A DESORBING LIQUID INTO A GRANULAR ADSORBENT, WHICH COMPRISES A CASING ADAPTED TO HOUSE A BED OF SUCH ADSORBENT AND HAVING INLET AND OUTLET ENDS, SAID CASING BEING CYLINDRICAL THROUGHOUT AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF ITS LENGTH, A CLOSURE PLATE AT SAID INLET END, A PERFORATED PLATE IN SPACED RELATION WITH SAID CLOSURE PLATED AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE CASING INLET, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING SAID LIQUIDS IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID CLOSURE PLATE AND SAID PERFORATED PLATE, A SCREEN ADJACENT THE INNER SIDE OF SAID PERFORATED PLATE ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN THE ADSORBENT PARTICLES OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE PERFORATIONS AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM THE OUTLET END OF THE CASTING; SAID APPARATUS BEING CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACTS THAT THE CLOSURE PLATE AND THE PERFORATED PLATE PRESENT OPPOSED PARALLEL PLANE FACE SEPARATED BY A DISTANCE OF 1/4INCH TO TWO INCHES AND LES THAN ONE ONE-HUNDREDTH OF THE DIAMETER OF THE CASING CYLINDER AND THAT SAID PERFORATED PLATE HAS, THROUGHOUT ITS EXPOSED FACE AREA, A MULTIPLICITY OF PERFORATIONS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE, SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY SPACED BETWEEN THE CENTER OF THE PLATE AND IT PERIPHERY, AND SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, SAID PERFORATIONS BEING OF SIZE SUCH THAT THE PERFORATED AREA CONSTITUTES SUCH SMALL FRACTION, WITHIN THE RANGE OF 0.1% TO 1.0%, OF THE EXPOSED FACE AREA OF THE PLATE THAT THE FLUID PRESSURE DROP THROUGH THE PLATE PERFORATIONS IS GREATER THAN THE MAXIMUM FLUID PRESSURE DROP FROM SAID FLUID INTRODUCTION MEANS TO SAID PERFORATIONS.