Fluid treating apparatus and packing construction therefor

Claim 1

A WET DUST COLLECTION APPARATUS COMPRISING, (A) AN ELONGATED CHAMBER HAVING ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS VERTICALLY DISPOSED, (B) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING DUST LADEN AIR INTO SAID CHAMBER ADJACENT ITS LOWER END AND IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION, AT AN ANGLE TO THE AXIS OF SAID ELONGATED CHAMBER, (C) MEANS DEFINING A PURE AIR OUTLET FORMED IN THE UPPER END OF SAID CHAMBER, (D) MEANS FOR CIRCULATING THE DUST LADEN AIR FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET, (E) A PLURALITY OF PACKING CONSTRUCTIONS DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID INLET AND SAID OUTLET, (F) SAID PACKING CONSTRUCTION BEING VERTICALLY SPACED IN SAID CHAMBER, (G) EACH OF SAID PACKING CONSTRUCTIONS, INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF UNIT CELLULAR STRUCTURES, (H) EACH OF SAID CELLULAR STRUCTURES DEFINING A LATTICE OF TUBULAR SHAPED PASSAGEWAYS, EXTENDING THROUGH ITS RESPECTIVE LAYERS, (I) EACH OF SAID PASSAGE OF EACH OF SAID LAYERS HAVING ITS CENTRAL AXIS INCLINED AT SUBSTANTIALLY 45* TO THE FLOW OF AIR THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, (J) AND EACH OF SAID LAYERS OF THE RESPECTIVE PACKING CONSTRUCTIONS BEING DISPOSED IN END TO END RELATIONSHIP SO THAT THE RESPECTIVE PASSAGEWAYS OF ADJACENT LAYERS ARE OPPOSITELY INCLINED TO DEFINE A LATTICE OF ZIG-ZAG PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE PACKINGS CONSTRUCTIONS, (K) MEANS FOR INTENSELY MOISTENING THE RESPECTIVE LAYERS OF SAID PACKING CONSTRUCTIONS WITH A LIQUID WHEREBY THE AIR FLOWING THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE PACKING IS WASHED BY THE LIQUID WETTING THE SAME, SAID MEANS INCLUDING SPRAY NOZZLES POSITIONED ABOVE THE UPPERMOST PACKING CONSTRUCTION AND DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY AND BELOW EACH OF SAID PACKING CONSTRUCTIONS AND DIRECTED UPWARDLY, (I) MEANS FORMED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER TO DEFINE AN OUTLET FOR THE SLUDGE RESULTING FROM THE WASHING OF THE AIR, (M) A SLUDGE COLLECTOR DISPOSED BENEATH SAID SLUDGE OUTLET FOR RECEIVING THE SLUDGE, (N) A CONVEYOR MEANS FOR REMOVING THE RESIDUE OF SAID SLUDGE FROM SAID RECESSES, (O) MEANS FOR RECIRCULATING THE LIQUID OF SAID SLUDGE COLLECTOR TO SAID UPWARDLY DIRECTED SPRAY NOZZLES, (P) MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FRESH LIQUID TO THE UPPERMOST SPRAY NOZZLE.