Solid phase-fluid phase contacting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTACTING A SOLID PHASE WITH A FLUID PHASE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A HOLLOW VERTICAL COLUMN, SAID FLUID PHASE BEING INTRODUCED INTO SAID COLUMN BELOW SAID SOLID PHASE, A SERIES OF VERTICALLY SPACED BAFFLE MEMBERS FIXED TO THE WALL OF SAID COLUMN INTERIORLY THEREOF, ALTERNATE ONES OF SAID BAFFLE MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED ABOVE EACH OTHER AND ADJACENT ONES OF SAID BAFFLE MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID COLUMN, THE UPPER FACE OF EACH BAFFLE MEMBER DEFINING AN INCLINED PLANE WHICH SLOPES DOWNWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID WALL, THE LOWER FACE OF EACH BAFFLE MEMBER BEING HORIZONTALLY DIRECTED, A SERIES OF GUIDE MEMBERS FIXED TO SAID WALL AND EACH INTERPOSED BETWEEN TWO SUCCESSIVE ONES OF SAID BAFFLE MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID GUIDE MEMBERS HAVING OPPOSITE LATERAL FACES SPACED FROM SAID WALL TO DEFINE TWO VERTICALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES, THE UPPER FACE OF EACH GUIDE MEMBER BEING INCLINED IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE PLANE SURFACE OF THE BAFFLE MEMBER IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE PARTICULAR GUIDE MEMBER, SAID UPPER FACE BEING INCLINED DOWNWARDLY FROM ONE OF SAID TWO PASSAGE TO THE OTHER PASSAGE, THE LOWER FACE OF EACH GUIDE MEMBER BEING HORIZONTAL, TWO ADJACENT ONES OF SAID GUIDE MEMBERS DEFINING A MIXING CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, SAID SOLID PHASE MOVING DOWNWARDLY IN SAID COLUMN INTO ONE OF SAID MIXING CHAMBERS OVER THE INCLINED PLANE OF A PARTICULAR ONE OF SAID BAFFLE MEMBERS, SAID FLUID PHASE MOVING UPWARDLY THROUGH THE ONE OF SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES WHICH IS IMMEDIATELY BELOW SAID PARTICULAR BAFFLE MEMBER AND BEING DIRECTED HORIZONTALLY BY THE LOWER FACE OF SAID PARTICULAR BAFFLE MEMBER, SAID FLUID PHASE ENTRAINING SAID SOLID PHASE IN SAID MIXING CHAMBER AND CARRYING THE SAME HORIZONTALLY ACROSS SAID COLUMN, MEANS DEFINING AN IMPACT SURFACE OPPOSITE SAID PARTICULAR BAFFLE MEMBER AND EXTENDING ABOVE THE LOWER END OF THE INCLINED UPPER FACE OF THE GUIDE MEMBER IMMEDIATELY BELOW SAID PARTICULAR BAFFLE MEMBER, SAID ENTRAINED MATERIAL BEING IMPACTED AGAINST SAID IMPACT SURFACE AND MOVING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID TWO PASSAGES OPPOSITE SAID LAST-NAMED VERTICALLY EXTENDING PASSAGE TO THE INCLINED PLANE OF THE BAFFLE MEMBER NEXT BELOW SAID PARTICULAR BAFFLE MEMBER.