Process for intimately contacting two fluids

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REMOVING FINELY DISTRIBUTED SOLID PARTICLES FROM A GAS STREAM, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MOVING A GAS STREAM CONTAINING SMALL SOLID PARTICLES AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED THROUGH A VENTURI TUBE SUBSTANTIALLY IN DIRECTION OF THE AXIS THEREOF; AND PROJECTING LIQUID PARTICLES AT A LOWER RATE OF SPEED ALONG A FIRST HOLLOW CONICAL PATH HAVING AN AXIS COXIAL WITH SAID AXIS OF SAID VENTURI TUBE ONTO THE ANNULAR INLET ZONE THEREOF SO THAT SAID LIQUID PARTICLES PROJECTED ALONG SAID HOLLOW CONICAL LIQUID PATH FORM A FIRST CURTAIN OF LIQUID PARTICLES INCLINED TO THE PATH OF SAID SOLID PARTICLES-CONTAINING GAS STREAM, REBOUNDING THE THUS-PROJECTED LIQUID PARTICLES THEN FROM SAID ANNULAR INLET ZONE OF SAID VENTURI TUBE ALONG A SECOND TRANSVERSE PATH SUBSTANTIALLY INTO THE NECK ZONE OF SAID VENTURI TUBE AND FORMING A SECOND CURTAIN OF LIQUID PARTICLES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO THE PATH OF SAID SOLID PARTICLES-CONTAINING GAS STREAM, WHEREBY SAID SOLID PARTICLESCONTAINING GAS STREAM MOVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED FIRST INTERSECTS AND COLLIDES WITH SAID FIRST CURTAIN OF SAID SLOWER MOVING LIQUID PARTICLES AND THEREAFTER INTERSECTS AND COLLIDES WITH SAID SECOND CURTAIN OF SAID SLOWER MOVING LIQUID PARTICLES SO THAT SAID SOLID PARTICLES IN SAID GAS STREAM MOVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED ARE ABSORBED AND REMOVED FROM THE GAS STREAM BY SAID SLOWER MOVING LIQUID PARTICLES.