Method and means for treating moving gases by liquids

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR EFFECTING INTIMATE CONTACT BETWEEN A SMOKE-CONTAINING GASEOUS STREAM AND AN AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID STREAM, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) FEEDING SAID GASEOUS STREAM LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH A LIQUID-GAS CONTACT ZONE AT A VELOCITY OF FROM 1 TO 10 METERS PER SECOND; (B) SPRINKLING THE GASEOUS STREAM WITH AN AQUEOUS LIQUID SPRAY IMPRISING SAID STREAM TRANSVERSELY OF ITS DIRECTION OF FLOW; (C) INJECTING AMMONIA INTO SAID GASEOUS STREAM CONTAINING SAID AQUEOUS LIQUID SPRAY, LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF; (D) SUBJECTING SAID GASEOUS STREAM TO A FIRST TREATING STAGE BY SUCCESSIVELY (1) PROJECTING AT LEAST ONE GROUP OF CONICAL JETS OF AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ZONE IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID GROUP HAVING THEIR APICES SPACED ACROSS A FIRST PLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID ZONE AND HAVING PARALLEL AXES OF REVOLUTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID FIRST GROUP OF JETS ENGAGING ONE ANOTHER DOWNSTREAM OF SAID PLANE TO FORM A FRIST LIQUID MIST EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE CONTACT ZONE, PERPENDICULARLY OF SAID AXES OF REVOLUTION; (2) PASSING THE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID FIRST LIQUID MIST; (3) TRANSPORTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS, FROM SAID FIRST MIST, IN SAID GASEOUS STREM TOWARD A GASPERMEABLE BARRIER SPACED FROM 20 TO 200 CM. FROM SAID FIRST PLANE DEFINED BY THE APICES OF SAID GROUP OF CONICAL JETS; (4) IMPINGING THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLET-LADEN GASEOUS STREAM UPON SAID BARRIER TO REMOVE THE LIQUID DROPLETS FROM SAID STREAM AND PRODUCE A LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM; (5) PASSING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID BARRIER; (6) FEEDING THE LIQUID DROPLETS REMOVED FROM THE GASEOUS STREAM IN STEP (D) (4) TO A STORAGE CHAMBER; AND (7) RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID FROM SAID STORAGE CHAMBER TO SAID GROUP OF CONICAL JETS FOR THE FORMATION OF A FURTHER MIST THEREOF; (E) REMOVING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID FIRST TREATING STAGE AND SUBJECTING SAID STREAM TO A SECOND TREATING STAGE BY SUCCESSIVELY (1) PROJECTING AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL GROUP OF CONICAL JETS OF AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ZONE IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID ADDITIONAL GROUP HAVING THEIR APICES SPACED ACROSS A SECOND PLANE SPACED LONGITUDINALLY DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID GAS-PERMEABLE BARRIER TRANSVERSE TO SAID ZONE AND HAVING PARALLEL AXES OF REVOLUTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID ADDITIONAL GROUP OF JETS ENGAGING ONE ANOTHER DOWNSTREAM OF SAID SECOND PLANE TO FORM A LIQUID MIST EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE CONTACT ZONE, PERPENDICULARLY OF SAID LAST MENTIONED AXES OF REVOLUTION; (2) PASSING THE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID SECOND LIQUID MIST; (3) TRANSPORTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUSCONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS FROM SAID SECOND MIST IN SAID GASEOUS STREAM TOWARD A SECOND GASPERMEABLE BARRIER SPACED FROM 20 TO 200 CM. FROM SAID SECOND PLANE DEFINED BY THE APICES OF SAID ADDITIONAL GROUP OF CONICAL JETS; (4) IMPINGING THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLET-LADEN GASEOUS STREAM UPON SAID SECOND BARRIER TO REMOVE THE LIQUID DROPLETS FROM SAID STREAM AND PRODUCE A LIQUID DROPLETFREE GASEOUS STREAM; (5) PASSING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID SECOND BARRIER; (6) FEEDING THE LIQUID DROPLETS REMOVED FROM THE GASEOUS STREAM IN STEP (E) (4) TO A SECOND STORAGE CHAMBER; AND (7) RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID FROM SAID SECOND STORAGE CHAMBER TO BOTH THE ADDITIONAL GROUP OF CONICAL JETS IN SAID SECOND TREATING STAGE AND THE FIRST GROUP OF CONICAL JETS IN SAID FIRST TREATING STAGE FOR THE FORMATION OF LIQUID MISTS THEREFROM; AND (F) REMOVING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM FROM THE LIQUID-GAS CONTACT ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR EFFECTING INTIMATE CONTACT BETWEEN A SMOKE-CONTAINING GASEOUS STREAM AND AN AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID STREAM, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) FEEDING SAID GASEOUS STREAM LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH A LIQUID-GAS CONTACT ZONE AT A VELOCITY OF FROM 1 TO 10 METERS PER SECOND; (B) SPRINKLING THE GASEOUS STREAM WITH AN AQUEOUS LIQUID SPRAY IMPRISING SAID STREAM TRANSVERSELY OF ITS DIRECTION OF FLOW; (C) INJECTING AMMONIA INTO SAID GASEOUS STREAM CONTAINING SAID AQUEOUS LIQUID SPRAY, LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF; (D) SUBJECTING SAID GASEOUS STREAM TO A FIRST TREATING STAGE BY SUCCESSIVELY (1) PROJECTING AT LEAST ONE GROUP OF CONICAL JETS OF AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ZONE IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID GROUP HAVING THEIR APICES SPACED ACROSS A FIRST PLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID ZONE AND HAVING PARALLEL AXES OF REVOLUTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID FIRST GROUP OF JETS ENGAGING ONE ANOTHER DOWNSTREAM OF SAID PLANE TO FORM A FRIST LIQUID MIST EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE CONTACT ZONE, PERPENDICULARLY OF SAID AXES OF REVOLUTION; (2) PASSING THE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID FIRST LIQUID MIST; (3) TRANSPORTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS, FROM SAID FIRST MIST, IN SAID GASEOUS STREM TOWARD A GASPERMEABLE BARRIER SPACED FROM 20 TO 200 CM. FROM SAID FIRST PLANE DEFINED BY THE APICES OF SAID GROUP OF CONICAL JETS; (4) IMPINGING THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLET-LADEN GASEOUS STREAM UPON SAID BARRIER TO REMOVE THE LIQUID DROPLETS FROM SAID STREAM AND PRODUCE A LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM; (5) PASSING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID BARRIER; (6) FEEDING THE LIQUID DROPLETS REMOVED FROM THE GASEOUS STREAM IN STEP (D) (4) TO A STORAGE CHAMBER; AND (7) RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID FROM SAID STORAGE CHAMBER TO SAID GROUP OF CONICAL JETS FOR THE FORMATION OF A FURTHER MIST THEREOF; (E) REMOVING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM FROM SAID FIRST TREATING STAGE AND SUBJECTING SAID STREAM TO A SECOND TREATING STAGE BY SUCCESSIVELY (1) PROJECTING AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL GROUP OF CONICAL JETS OF AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ZONE IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF SAID GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID ADDITIONAL GROUP HAVING THEIR APICES SPACED ACROSS A SECOND PLANE SPACED LONGITUDINALLY DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID GAS-PERMEABLE BARRIER TRANSVERSE TO SAID ZONE AND HAVING PARALLEL AXES OF REVOLUTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE GASEOUS STREAM, THE INDIVIDUAL JETS OF SAID ADDITIONAL GROUP OF JETS ENGAGING ONE ANOTHER DOWNSTREAM OF SAID SECOND PLANE TO FORM A LIQUID MIST EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE CONTACT ZONE, PERPENDICULARLY OF SAID LAST MENTIONED AXES OF REVOLUTION; (2) PASSING THE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID SECOND LIQUID MIST; (3) TRANSPORTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUSCONTAINING LIQUID DROPLETS FROM SAID SECOND MIST IN SAID GASEOUS STREAM TOWARD A SECOND GASPERMEABLE BARRIER SPACED FROM 20 TO 200 CM. FROM SAID SECOND PLANE DEFINED BY THE APICES OF SAID ADDITIONAL GROUP OF CONICAL JETS; (4) IMPINGING THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID DROPLET-LADEN GASEOUS STREAM UPON SAID SECOND BARRIER TO REMOVE THE LIQUID DROPLETS FROM SAID STREAM AND PRODUCE A LIQUID DROPLETFREE GASEOUS STREAM; (5) PASSING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID SECOND BARRIER; (6) FEEDING THE LIQUID DROPLETS REMOVED FROM THE GASEOUS STREAM IN STEP (E) (4) TO A SECOND STORAGE CHAMBER; AND (7) RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE AQUEOUS AMMONIA-CONTAINING LIQUID FROM SAID SECOND STORAGE CHAMBER TO BOTH THE ADDITIONAL GROUP OF CONICAL JETS IN SAID SECOND TREATING STAGE AND THE FIRST GROUP OF CONICAL JETS IN SAID FIRST TREATING STAGE FOR THE FORMATION OF LIQUID MISTS THEREFROM; AND (F) REMOVING THE LIQUID DROPLET-FREE GASEOUS STREAM FROM THE LIQUID-GAS CONTACT ZONE.