Treating tower having a plate for collecting, mixing and distributing liquid

Claim 1

A GAS-AND-LIQUID TREATING TOWER FOR COUNTERCURRENT FLOW OF GAS AND LIQUID THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR FLOWING GAS UPWARDLY AND LIQUID DOWNWARDLY IN SAID TOWER, THE TOWER HAVING AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING PERIPHERAL WALL, AND IN THE TOWER A LIQUID-MIXING CHAMBER WHICH IS TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED ACROSS SAID TOWER AND OPEN ABOVE WHEREBY IT COLLECTS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ENTENT OF SAID CHAMBER, LIQUIDS OF DIFFERENT PROPERTIES FLOWING DOWNWARDLY IN A PLURALITY OF PATHA SPACED LATERALLY FROM ONE ANOTHER ACROSS SAID TOWER, SAID CHAMBER COMPRISING (A) A PLATE WHICH FORMS THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER AND IS POSITIONED HORIZONTALLY IN SAID TREATING TOWER AND IN LIQUID-SEALING CONTACT AT ITS PERIHERAL EDGE WITH RESPECT TO THE UPWARDLY EXTENDING WALL OF SAID TOWER, (B) SAID PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF RISER OPENINGS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, (C) A RISER MOUNTED ON SAID PLATE AT EACH OF SAID RISER OPENINGS THEREIN, (D) EACH RISER HAVING AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING, ENCIRCLING SIDE WALL IN GAS-TIGHT CONTACT WITH THE EDGE OF THE RISER OPENING IN SAID PLATE ASSOCIATED THEREWTIH TO PROVIDE A PASSAGEWAY THROUGH SAID MIXING CHAMBER INTO A REGION THEREABOVE FOR GAS FLOWING UPWARDLY IN SAID TOWER, (E) SAID PLATE HAVING A FLAT UPPER SURFACE BOUNDED AT THE EDGE THEREOF BY AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING CONTINUOUS WALL MOUNTED ON SAID PLATE AND SURROUNDING SAID RISERS AND SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID PLATE, AND PRODIVIDNG AN INNER LIQUID-COLLECTING CHAMBER AND AN OUTER LIQUID-COLLECTING CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBERS BEING IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION AT SUBSTANTIALLY A COMMON LEVEL IN SAID TOWER, (F) THE BOTTOM OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INNER AND OUTER CHAMBERS BEING IMPERFORATE, (G) SAID CONTINUOUS WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SPACED OPENINGS TO PERMIT THE FLOW OF LIQUID THERETHROUGH BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER LIQUID-COLLECTING CHAMBERS OF LIQUIDS OF DIFFERENT PROPERTIES COLLECTED IN SAID CHAMBERS, (H) SAID RISERS BEING SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM SAID CONTINUOUS WALL, AND BEING LOCATED AWAY FROM THE EDGE OF THE PLATE AND BEING SO DISTRIBUTED THAT IN THE VARIOUS DIRECTIONS IN WHICH LIQUID REACHING VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON THE TO FLOW, THERE IS AT LEAST ONE OF SAID RISERS WHICH DIVERTS THE LIQUID FLOW ACROSS THE PLACE AND LIQUID FLOWING IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS ON THE PLATE IS MIXED, WHEREBY LIQUIDS OF DIFFERENT PROPERTIES COLLECTED IN SAID INNER AND OUTER LIQUID-COLLECTING CHAMBERS ARE THOROUGHLY MIXED BY THE FLOW OF LIQUID THROUGH SAID OPENINGS IN SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING CONTINUOUS WALL AND BY DIVERSION OF THE LIGHT FLOWIN G ACROSS SAID INNER CHAMBER BY SAID RISERS.