Vapor-liquid contacting process using pressure pulsations

Claim 1

A PROCESS FO CONTACTING WITHIN A CONTACTING ZONE AN UPWARDLY FLOWING VAPOR WITH A DOWNWARDLY FLOWING LIQUID IN A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE CONTACTING AND DISENGAGING STEPS VERTICALLY SPACED AT A DISTANCE OF FROM ABOUT 6 TO ABOUT 24 INCHES, INCLUSIVE, IN WHICH PROCESS MASS IS TRANSFERED BETWEEN LIQUID AND VAPOR PHASES, AND WHEREIN THE LIQUID FLOW RATE IS FROM ABOUT 0.2 TO ABOUT 5 GALLONS PER MINUTE PER SQUARE FOOT OF HORIZONTAL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CONTACTING ZONE, THE VAPOR LOADING IS FROM ABOUT 0.2 TO 1.0, THE PRESSURE DROP PER CONTACTING STEP IS NO MORE THAN 6 INCHES OF WATER, THE LIAUID HOLD-UP IN EACH CONTACTING STEP IS NO MORE THAN 6 CUBIC INCHES PER SQUARE INCH OF HORIZONTAL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CONTACTING STEP, THE VAPOR DENSITY IS FROM ABOUT 0.001 TO ABOUT 3.0 POUNDS PER CUBIC FOOT, THE LIQUID DENSITY IS FROM 20 TO 90 POUNDS PER CUBIC FOOT, THE LIQUID VISCOSITY IS FROM ABOUT 0.05 TO ABOUT 5 CENTIPOISES, AND THE LIAUID SURFACE TENSION IS FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 70 DYNES PER CENTIMETER, AND FACILITATING A CLOSER APPROACH TO EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE VAPOR AND LIQUID IN SAID STEPS BY IMPOSING FORCED PRESSURE PULSATIONS WITHIN SAID CONTACTING ZONE, THE FREQUENCY OF SAID PULSATIONS BEING FROM ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 15 CYCLES PER SECOND AND THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID PULSATIONS BEING EQUIVALENT TO FROM ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 15 INCHES OF WATER.