Cooling tower sump

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH HEAT EXCHANGER APPARATUS UTILIZING MEANS FOR FLOWING A DISPERSED LIQUID STREAM DOWNWARDLY, GAS INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A GAS INTO CONTACT WITH SAID LIQUID, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED SUPPORT STRUCTURE HAVING A LOWER PORTION, A SUMP MOUNTED WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE VERTICALLY BELOW SAID DISPERSED LIQUID STREAM TO RECEIVE THE SAME, SAID SUMP INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL EDGE AND A CENTER AND FORMED OF A ONE-PIECE SHEET OF BENDABLE MATERIAL, A PLURALITY OF FORMED SECTIONS OF DEFORMED SHEET MATERIAL DEFINED IN SAID SHEET, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS COMPRISING A PAIR OF INTERSECTING SHEET PORTIONS EACH HAVING A VERTICAL DIMENSION AND A LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID SUMP TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE CENTER THEREOF, THE PORTIONS COMPRISING A COMMON SECTION CONVERGING TO INTERSECT WITH EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE VERTICAL DIMENSION AND DECREASING IN VERTICAL DIMENSION TOWARD THE CENTER OF SAID SUMP FORMING SAID SUMP INTO A FUNNEL-LIKE SHAPE, GENERALLY TRIANGULAR SHAPED WALL PORTIONS EXTENDING BETWEEN EACH OF SAID FORMED SHEET SECTION AND CONVERGING TOWARD THE CENTER OF SAID SUMP, SAID SUMP CENTER BEING VERTICALLY RELATED BELOW SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE, AND A DRAIN OUTLER DEFINED IN SAID SHEET MATERIAL FORMING SAID SUMP AT SAID SUMP CENTER.