Vapor-liquid contacting apparatus

Claim 1

IN A COLUMN FOR CONTACTING A LIQUID WITH A VAPOR, A VAPOR-LIQUID CONTACTING TRAY ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST TRAY, A PORTION OF SAID FIRST TRAY BEING PERFORATED, THE PERFORATIONS HAVING THEIR AXES VERTICALLY DISPOSED SO THAT VAPORS PASSING THERETHROUGH DO SO IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION, A VAPOR-LIQUID CONTACTING BAFFLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY PARALLEL BAFFLES DISPOSED AT A SPACED DISTANCE ABOVE THE PERFORATED PORTION OF SAID FIRST TRAY, THE TRANSVERSE AXES OF SAID BAFFLES BEING DISPOSED GENERALLY UPRIGHT, FIRST MEANS FOR INTRODUCING LIQUID FROM A TRAY IMMEDIATELY ABOVE SAID FIRST TRAY TO ONE SIDE OF SAID FIRST TRAY, A VAPOR SEAL INTEGRAL WITH SAID FIRST TRAY, SAID VAPOR SEAL BEING DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE SAID VAPOR-LIQUID BAFFLE ASSEMBLY AND THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEANS AND EXTENDING UPWARD FROM SAID FIRST TRAY TO A LEVEL ABOVE THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID FIRST MEANS, SECOND MEANS FOR PASSING LIQUID FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID FIRST TRAY TO A NEXT LOWER TRAY, THE LOWER-EDGES OF SAID BAFFLES BEING DISPOSED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID FIRST TRAY WHEREBY IN NORMAL OPERATION VAPOR PASSING UPWARD THROUGH SAID PERFORATIONS ENTRAINS LIQUID FLOWING FROM SAID SEAL TOWARD THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID FIRST TRAY AND SAID VAPOR AND ENTRAINED LIQUID IMPINGE AGAINST SAID BAFFLES THEREBY ENTRAINING MIST IN THIS LATTER VAPOR, A MIST EXRACTOR FOR EXTRACTING ENTRAINED MIST, SAID EXTRACTOR BEING DISPOSED ABOVE AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID VAPOR-LIQUID CONTACTING BAFFLE ASSEMBLY, AND A VAPOR DIFFUSER FOR SPREADING VAPORS FLOWING FROM SAID MIST EXTRACTOR, SAID VAPOR DIFFUSER BEING DISPOSED ABOVE AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID MIST EXTRACTOR.