Material exchange column

Claim 1

IN A MATERIAL EXCHANGE COLUMN FOR EFFECTING CONTACT BETWEEN A LIQUID AND A GASEOUS MEDIUM FLOWING COUNTERCURRET THERETHROUGH, THE COLUMN BEING SUBDIVIDED INTO AT LEAST TWO MATERIAL EXCHANGE SECTIONS WHICH ARE SEPARATED VERTICALLY FROM ONE ANOTHER BY AN INTERVENING SPACE, LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS BEING PROVIDED IN SAID SPACE FOR COLLECTING LIQUID MEANS BEING PROVIDED IN SAID SPACE FOR CHANGE SECTION AND FOR CONVEYING THE LIQUID TO DISTRIBUTOR MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING THE LIQUID ONTO THE MATERIAL EXCHANGE SECTION DISPOSED IMMEDIATELY BELOW, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING LIQUID COLLECTING MEANS ADAPTED TO COLLECT ALL OF THE LIQUID DESCENDING FROM THE UPPER MATERIAL EXCHANGE SECTION, SAID COLLECTING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PLATE-LIKE GUID ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN HORIZONTALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER OVER THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE MATERIAL EXCHANGE SECTION SO THAT AT ANY SINGLE HORIZONTAL PLANE EXTENDING THROUGH THE HORIZONTALLY SPACED GUIDE ELEMENTS THE GUIDE ELEMENTS PHYSICALLY BLOCK ONLY A RELATIVELY SMALL PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL CROSS-SECTION AREA OF THE COLUMN WHEREBY AN UPWARDLY FLOWING GASEOUS MEDIUM CAN PASS FREELY THROUGH THE OPEN PASSAGES BETWEEN THE GUIDE ELEMENTS, SAID HORIZONTALLY SPACED GUIDE ELEMENTS BEING INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO VERTICAL SO THAT THE ELEMENTS COVER IN VERTICAL PROJECTION THE ENTIRE FREE CROSS-SECTION OF THE COLUMN, EACH GUIDE ELEMENT BEING PROVIDED WITH A LIQUID COLLECTING TROUGH ADJACENT THE BOTTOM EDGE THEREOF, SAID COLLECTING TROUGHS BEING ADAPTED TO COLLECT THE DESCENDING LIQUID FLOWING DOWN THE PLATELIKE GUIDE ELEMENTS AND TO DELIVER SAID LIQUID TO SAID DISTRIBUTOR MEANS WHICH IS ADAPTED TO DISTRIBUTE THE LIQUID UNIFORMLY OVER THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL EXCHANGE SECTION LOCATED IMMEDIATELY BELOW.