Scrubber

Claim 2

SCRUBBING APPARATUS FOR TREATING A STREAM OF STACK GAS WITH AN ALKALINE CHEMICAL TO REMOVE SULFUR DIOXIDE THEREFROM COMPRISING A TREATMENT CHAMBER WITH A STRAIGHT REACTION PORTION OF UNIFORM CROSS-SECTION HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR SAID STREAM, SAID PORTION BEING FREE OF FLOW DISTURBANCE THEREIN, A FLOW EQUALIZING PLATE WITH ORIFICES THEREIN AFFIXED IN SAID TREATMENT CHAMBER ACROSS THE INLET OF SAID STRAIGHT PRTION, SAID EQUALIZING PLATE PARTIALLY IMPEDING SAID STREAM AND PRODUCING A PRESSURE DROP GREATER THAN PRESSURE DIFFERENES TRANSVERSE TO THE FLOW DIRECTION, SAID PRESSURE DROP HAVING A GRADIENT TRANSVERSE TO THE FLOW DIRECTION OF THE STACK GAS COMPENSATING FLOW CONCENTRATION BY STRUCTURE UPSTREAM OF SAID EQUALIZING PLATE TO EQUALIZE THE FLOW IN SAID STRAIGHT PORTION, AN ISOLATING PLATE WITH ORIFICES THEREIN, AFFIXED IN SAID TREATMENT CHAMBER ACROSS THE OUTLET OF SAID STRAIGHT PORTION, SAID ISOLATING PLATE PARTIALLY IMPEDING SAID STREAM AND PRODUCING A PRESSURE DROP GREATER THAN PRESSURE DIFFERENCES TRANSVERSE TO THE FLOW DIRECTION, SAID PRESSURE DROP PRODUCED BY THE ISOLATING PLATE HAVING A GRADIENT TRANSVERSE TO THE FLOW DIRECTION COMPENSATING PRESSURE VARIATIONS PRODUCED BY STRUCTURE DOWNSTREAM OF SAID ISOLATING PLATE TO ISOLATE FLOW WITHIN SAID STRAIGHT PORTION FROM FLOW CONCENTRATING EFFECTS OF DOWNSTREAM STRUCTURE,

Claim 3

In scrubbing apparatus for removing from a gas stream a gaseous component by exposing said stream to drops of a liquid reactive with said gaseous component, said apparatus including a supply for said liquid and a treatment chamber in which said drops make contact with said stream, the improvement comprising a straight reaction portion of said treatment chamber with an entrance through which said stream enters and an exit through which said stream exits and with a uniform cross section between said entrance and said exit, said portion being free of flow disturbance, a flow equalizing plate affixed across said straight portion at its entrance with orifices distributed thereon for delivery of said stream into said portion, said plate partially impeding said stream to provide a pressure drop from one face of said plate to the other, said pressure drop having a gradient transverse to the flow direction compensating flow concentrating effects induced in the gas stream approaching said plate by structure upstream of said equalizing plate, and equalizing the flow of said gas stream in said straight portion, and dispersive means for dispersing said reactive liquid uniformly through said gas in drops spaced for effective diffusive interaction with said gaseous component, said means being connected to said supply and positioned to discharge said liquid into said straight portion.

Claim 4

In scrubbing apparatus for removing from a gas stream a gaseous component by exposing said stream to drops of a liquid reactive with said gaseous component, said apparatus including a supply for said liquid and a treatment chamber in which said drops make contact with said stream, the improvement comprising a straight reaction portion of said treatment chamber with an entrance through which said stream enters and an exit through which said stream exits and with a uniform cross section between said entrance and said exit, said portion being free of flow disturbance, a flow equalizing plate affixed across said straight portion at its entrance with orifices distributed thereon for delivery of said stream into said portion, said plate partially impeding said stream to provide a pressure drop from one face of said plate to the other, said pressure drop having a gradient transverse to the flow direction compensating flow concentrating effects induced in the gas stream approaching said plate by structure upstream of said equalizing plate, and equalizing the flow of said gas stream in said straight portion, and dispersive means for dispersing said reactive liquid uniformly through said gas in drops spaced for effective diffusive interaction with said gaseous component, said means being connected to said supply and positioned to discharge said liquid into said straight portion.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said sprayers being supported on the downstream face of said equalizing plate between said orifices and directing discharge of said liquid away from said equalizing plate to discharge said drops into said straight portion of uniform cross section without wetting said equalizing plate with said liquid.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said sprayers producing drops of a size entrained in said stream.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 said drops being predominantly less than 0.005 cm diameter.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including an isolating plate affixed across said exit of said straight, uniform portion, said isolating plate having orifices therethrough for exiting of said stream from said straight, uniform portion, said isolating plate partially impeding the flow of said stream to produce between its faces a pressure drop with a gradient transverse to the direction of flow compensating pressure variations produced by structure downstream of said isolating plate to isolate flow within said straight uniform portion from effects of downstream structure.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, including delivery means supplying said diffusive means with said reactive constituent at a rate close to stoichiometric ratio to said gaseous component.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said liquid including a volatile vehicle and a reactive constituent dispersed therein, in combination with a saturator chamber connected to process said stream before it enters into said treatment chamber, said saturator chamber being supplied with said volatile vehicle without said reactive constituent dispersed therein for evaporation into and saturation of said stream with vapor of said vehicle before it enters into said treatment chamber.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, including delivery means supplying said sprayers with liquid having said reactive constituent dissolved in said vehicle at a concentration close to the limit of solubility.

Claim 14

A method as claimed in claim 10, said reactive solution being supplied at a rate close to the stoichiometric ratio for reaction with said component.

Claim 15

A method as claimed in claim 10 including the step of saturating said gas prior to dispersal of said reactive solution therein with the solvent of said solution.

Claim 16

A method as claimed in claim 12, said reactive solution having reactant dissolved therein to its limit of solubility.