Distributing vapor-liquid feed to beds

Claim 2

METHOD OF DISTRIBUTING A MIXED PHASE FEED UNIFORMLY OVER THE CROSS-SECTION OF A CONTACTING BED WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING A MIXED PHASE FEED COMPRISING A GASEOUS COMPONENT AND A LIQUID COMPONENT INTO A VESSEL AT A LEVEL ABOVE A STATIONARY BED OF PARTICULATE CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH IS CONFINED WITHIN SAID VESSEL, DISENGAGING AT LEAST THE PREDOMINANT PART OF SAID LIQUID COMPONENT FROM THE GASEOUS COMPONENT, COLLECTING THE LIQUID AS A POOL SPACED ABOVE THE TOP OF THE BED, FLOWING LIQUID FROM SAID POOL DOWNWARDLY ONTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BED AS A PLURALITY OF LIQUID STREAMS WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED OVER THE AREA OF THE BED, FLOWING THE DISTRIBUTED LIQUID DOWNWARD THROUGH THE BED, AND INTRODUCING THE GASEOUS COMPONENT INTO THE BED BY FLOWING AT LEAST A PART THEREOF LATERALLY FROM GAS PASSAGES THAT EXTEND DOWNWARDLY FROM THE TOP OF THE BED ENTIRELY WITHIN THE UPPER HALF OF THE BED FOR INTIMATE CONTACT WITH THE LIQUID FLOWING THROUGH THE BED.

Claim 3

APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING A MIXED PHASE FEED COMPRISING A GASEOUS AND A LIQUID COMPONENT UNIFORMLY INTO A BED FOR FLOW THERETHROUGH WHICH COMPRISES; A CLOSED VESSEL INCLUDING A FEED INLET FOR INTRODUCING SAID FEED TO AN UPPER PART OF THE VESSEL AND AN OULET AND CONTAINING THEREBETWEEN A STATIONARY BED OF PARTICULATE CONTACTING MATERIAL PROVIDING FINE FLOW CHANNELS, SAID BED HAVING A PLURALITY OF GAS PASSAGES THAT EXTEND DOWNWARDLY FROM THE TOP OF THE BED ENTIRELY WITHIN THE UPPER HALF OF THE BED; SCREENING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID GAS PASSAGES AGAINST LATERAL ENCROACHMENT BY THE CONTACTING MATERIAL, SAID MEANS PROVIDING FLOW A CHANNEL LARGER THAN THE SAID FLOW CHANNELS IN THE BED FOR THE FLOW OF GASEOUS COMPONENTS THROUGH THE GAS PASSAGES AND LATERALLY INTO THE BED OVER EXTENDED AREAS; A LIQUID DISTRIBUTOR VERTICALLY SPACED ABOVE SAID BED AND BENEATH SAID INLET AND CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO ACCUMULATE A POOL OF LIQUID FROM SAID INLET AND TO DISTRIBUTE LIQUID OVER THE BED SURFACE; AND A PLURALITY OF GAS DUCTS OPEN AT THEIR TOPS AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID POOL AND IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH SAID GAS PASSAGES WITHIN THE BED, SAID GAS DUCTS BEING DISTRIBUTED TO CONDUCT GASEOUS COMPONENTS TO SAID GAS PASSAGES FROM THE SPACE ABOVE THE DISTRIBUTOR IN ISOLATION FROM SAID LIQUID.

Claim 4

APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING A MIXED PHASE FEED COMPRISING A GASEOUS AND A LIQUID COMPONENT UNIFORMLY INTO A BED FOR FLOW THERETHROUGH WHICH COMPRISES; A CLOSED VESSEL INCLUDING A FEED INLET FOR INTRODUCING SAID FEED TO AN UPPER PART OF THE VESSEL AND AN OULET AND CONTAINING THEREBETWEEN A STATIONARY BED OF PARTICULATE CONTACTING MATERIAL PROVIDING FINE FLOW CHANNELS, SAID BED HAVING A PLURALITY OF GAS PASSAGES THAT EXTEND DOWNWARDLY FROM THE TOP OF THE BED ENTIRELY WITHIN THE UPPER HALF OF THE BED; SCREENING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID GAS PASSAGES AGAINST LATERAL ENCROACHMENT BY THE CONTACTING MATERIAL, SAID MEANS PROVIDING FLOW A CHANNEL LARGER THAN THE SAID FLOW CHANNELS IN THE BED FOR THE FLOW OF GASEOUS COMPONENTS THROUGH THE GAS PASSAGES AND LATERALLY INTO THE BED OVER EXTENDED AREAS; A LIQUID DISTRIBUTOR VERTICALLY SPACED ABOVE SAID BED AND BENEATH SAID INLET AND CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO ACCUMULATE A POOL OF LIQUID FROM SAID INLET AND TO DISTRIBUTE LIQUID OVER THE BED SURFACE; AND A PLURALITY OF GAS DUCTS OPEN AT THEIR TOPS AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID POOL AND IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH SAID GAS PASSAGES WITHIN THE BED, SAID GAS DUCTS BEING DISTRIBUTED TO CONDUCT GASEOUS COMPONENTS TO SAID GAS PASSAGES FROM THE SPACE ABOVE THE DISTRIBUTOR IN ISOLATION FROM SAID LIQUID.