Baffled reactor tower

Claim 1

A COLUMN FOR EFFECTING CONTINUOUS COUNTER-CURRENT CONTACT BETWEEN A PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL AND A LIQUID, A PARTICLE-INLET AND A LIQUID-OUTLET ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID COLUMN, A PARTICLE-OUTLET AND A LIQUID-INLET ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLUMN, A PLURALITY OF BAFFLE ASSEMBLIES ARRANGED WITHIN THE COLUMN TO PROVIDE A ZIG-ZAG PATH FOR SAID PARTICLES, EACH BAFFLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A DOWNWARDLY SLOPING PLANAR BAFFLE EXTENDING FROM ONE WALL OF THE COLUMN, SAID BAFFLE HAVING A LENGTH LESS THAN THE DISTANCE ACROSS THE COLUMN ALONG THE LINE DEFINED BY THE SLOPE OF THE BAFFLE, A SECOND PLANAR BAFFLE SPACED BENEATH AND PARALLEL TO THE FIRST BAFFLE, THE CONTIGUOUS ENDS OF THE TWO BAFFLES OVERLAPPING EACH OTHER TO FORM A LIQUID PASSAGEWAY THEREBETWEEN, THE OTHER AND LOWER END OF THE SECOND BAFFLE BEING SPACED FROM THE WALL OF THE COLUMN, AND A THIRD BAFFLE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE LOWER END OF THE SECOND BAFFLE PARALLEL TO SAID WALL, THE THIRD BAFFLE TOGETHER WITH THE WALL PORTION ADJACENT THERETO FORMING A CHUTE THROUGH WHICH THE SOLID PARTICLES PASS FROM ONE CHAMBER TO THE NEXT, EACH SUCCESSIVE BAFFLE ASSEMBLY BEING SPACED FROM AND EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE BAFFLE ASSEMBLY IMMEDIATELY ABOVE, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE CONTIGUOUS ENDS OF THE TWO BAFFLES BEING SUCH THAT THE PROPORTION OF LIQUID FLOWING UPWARDLY THROUGH THE CHUTE IS INSUFFICIENT TOFLUIDIZE THE PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL FED DOWNWARDLY THERETHROUGH.