Gas washers having improved gas flow characteristics

Claim 1

IN A GAS WASHER OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED AND HAVING A GENERALLY VERTICAL HOUSING WITH A GAS INLET ADJACENT THE BOTTOM AND A GAS OUTLET ADJACENT THE TOP THEREOF, MEANS FOR FLOWING A GAS TO BE WASHED UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID HOUSING, A RESERVOIR FOR CONTAINING A LIQUID WASHING MEDIUM AND DISPOSED GENERALLY IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING, PUMP MEANS FOR RAISING SAID LIQUID WASHING MEDIUM FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO A SPRAY ZONE IN SAID HOUSING GENERALLY ABOVE SAID GAS INLET, ROTATING IMPELLER MEANS ACTING ON SAID WASHING MEDIUM RAISED FROM SAID RESERVOIR FOR PRODUCING A GENERALLY TRANSVERSE AND ROTATING SPRAY PATTERN OF RAPIDLY MOVING DROPLETS OF SAID WASHING MEDIUM IN SAID SPRAY ZONE FOR WASHING SAID GAS AND ENTRAINMENT OF SAID DROPLETS THEREWITH AS SAID GAS FLOWS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID WASHER, AND MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID ENTRAINED WASHING MEDIUM DROPLETS FROM SAID GAS FLOW ABOVE SAID SPRAY ZONE, THE COMBINATION WHICH COMPRISES A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL TRANSVERSE PARTITION, EXTENDING ACROSS SAID HOUSING IN THE VERTICAL VICINITY OF SAID SPRAY ZONE AND HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING THEREIN SURROUNDING AND SPACED FROM SAID ROTATING IMPELLER MEANS, SAID PARTITION BEING ABOVE SAID GAS INLET AND SEALED WITH RESPECT THERETO SO THAT ALL GAS TO BE WASHED ENTERING SAID INLET AND FLOWING THROUGH SAID HOUSING MUST FLOW THROUGH SAID CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID PARTITION AND THUS CENTRALLY THROUGH SAID SPRAY ZONE AND SAID PARTITION BEING GENERALLY BELOW SAID MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID ENTRAINED DROPLETS OF WASHING MEDIUM FROM SAID GAS FLOW WHEREBY SAID SEPARATED DROPLETS FALL ONTO SAID PARTITION IN AREAS THEREOF OTHER THAN SAID CENTRAL OPENING, DRAINAGE MEANS AT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PARTITION AND SAID WASHER FORMING A PASSAGE FOR RETURNING SAID SEPARATED ENTRAINED DROPLETS OF WASHING MEDIUM TO SAID RESERVOIR BELOW SAID PARTITION AT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF AND BY A PASSAGE OTHER THAN THROUGH SAID CENTRAL OPENING, SAID PERIPHERAL MEANS FOR RETURNING SAID DROPLETS BEING IN SEALED SEPARATION FROM ANY PATH OF UPWARD FLOW OF SAID GASES TO BE WASHED.