Treating gas with chemically reactive dust in panel bed

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF TREATING A GAS INCLUDING ITS CONTACTING WITH A FINE CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM, COMPRISING: A. ARRANGING GRANULAR MATERIAL SMALLER THAN ABOUT 40 MESH IN A PANEL BED HAVING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED UPWARDLY SPACED GAS ENTRY PORTIONS SEPARATED BY INTERPOSED SUPPORTING MEMBERS HAVING OUTER AND INNER EDGES WITH RESPECT TO THE BED WHEREIN SAID GAS ENTRY PORTIONS HAVE GAS ENTRY FACES SUBSTANTIALLY CONTIGUOUS WITH SAID OUTER EDGES AND WHEREIN SAID BED HAS GAS EXIT PORTIONS SPACED FROM SAID INNER EDGES; B. FORWARDLY FLOWING GAS THROUGH THE GAS ENTRY PORTIONS OF THE GRANULAR MATERIAL BED AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE GAS END PORTIONS WHILE ADDING TO SAID GAS A CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN ABOUT 120 MESH TO SEPARATE AND ACCUMULATE SAID MEDIUM IN SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS AT SAID GAS ENTRY FACES WHEREIN SAID GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A VELOCITY GREATER THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE DURING AT LEAST A PART OF THIS STEP (B); C. STOPPING THE FORWARD FLOW OF SAID GAS OS STEP (B); D. CAUSING A TRANSIENT FLOW OF GAS TO MOVE IN THE DIRECTION IN REVERSE TO THE FLOW OF SAID GAS IN (B); E. SAID TRANSIENT REVERSE FLOW PRODUCING FIRST A RISE AT A GIVEN RATE OF RISE AND SUBSEQUENTLY A FALL IN THE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID GAS EXIT PORTIONS AND SAID GAS ENTRY PORTIONS, SAID DIFFERENCE REMAINING GREATER THAN A FIRST CRITICAL MINIMUM DIFFERENCE FOR A TIME INTERVAL OF LESS THAN ABOUT 50 MILLISECONDS, SAID FIRST CRITICAL DIFFERENCE BEING THAT DIFFERENCE AT WHICH A STEADY FLOW OF GAS IN SAID REVERSE DIRECTION JUST PRODUCES A K LOCALIZED SPILL OF SAID FIRST GRANULAR MATERIAL FROM SAID GAS ENTRY FACES, AND SAID DIFFERENCE PRODUCED BY SAID TRANSIENT REVERSE FLOW PEAKING TO A TOP VALUE BEYOND A SECOND CRITICAL MINIMUM DIFFERENCE, WHICH IS THE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE AT WHICH A TRANSIENT FLOW OF GAS IN SAID REVERSE DIRECTION PRODUCING SAID PRESSURE DIFFERENCE AT SAID RATE OF RISE JUST INITIATES A BODY MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST GRANULAR MATERIAL TOWARD SAID GAS ENTRY FACES TO SPILL A PORTION OF THE GRANULAR MATERIAL AND SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID ACCUMULATED CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM FROM THE BED; F. SUPPLYING FRESH GRANULAR MATERIAL TO REPLACE MATERIAL SPILLED FROM SAID GAS ENTRY PORTIONS; G. REPEATING THE CYCLE OF SAID STEPS (B), (C), (D), (E), AND (F) AT LEAST TWO TIMES; H. FORWARDLY FLOWING GS THROUGH THE GAS ENTRY PORTIONS OF THE GRANULAR MATERIAL BED AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE GAS EXIT PORTIONS WHILE ADDING TO SAID GAS A FIRST INCREMENT OF SAID CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM AT A RATE OF ADDITION LESS THAN ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER CUBIC METER OF SAID GAS TO SEPARATE AND ACCUMULATE SAID MEDIUM IN SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS AT SAID GAS ENTRY FACES WHEREIN SAID GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A FIRST VELOCITY GREATER THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE UNTIL THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS SAID SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS REACHES ABOUT 0.05 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE OF SAID FIRST VELOCITY AND THEN ADDING TO SAID GAS A SECOND INCREMENT OF SAID MEDIUM AT A RATE OF ADDITION LESS THAN ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER CUBIC METER OF SAID GAS WHILE THE GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A SECOND VELOCITY GREATER THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE UNTIL SAID PRESSURE DROP INCREASES BY AT LEAST ABOUT 0.1 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE OF SAID SECOND VELOCITY AND WHEREIN SUBSEQUENTLY THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID GAS IS REDUCED SO THAT THE GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A THIRD VELOCITY LESS THAN ABOUT ONE-HALF OF SAID FIRST VELOCITY AND OF SAID SECOND VELOCITY AND ALSO LESS THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE WHILE ADDING TO SAID GAS AT A RATE OF ADDITION LESS THAN ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER CUBIC METER OF SAID GAS A THIRD INCREMENT OF SAID MEDIUM WHEREIN SAID THIRD INCREMENT IS AT LEAST ABOUT 1.5 TIMES AS LARGE AS SAID SECOND INCREMENT WHEN SAID PRESSURE DROP INCREASED WITH THE ADDITION OF SAID SECOND INCREMENT BY ABOUT 0.1 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE AND WHEREIN, WHEN SAID PRESSURE DROP INCREASED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER AMOUNT, SAID THIRD INCREMENT IS AT LEAST ABOUT 1.5 TIMES AS LARGE AS THE PRO RATA PORTION OF SAID SECOND INCREMENT THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN INCREASE OF EXACTLY 0.1 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE; I. STOPPING THE FORWARD FLOW OF SAID GAS OF STEP (H) AND FORWARDLY FLOWING GAS TO BE TREATED AT A RATE TO INTER SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A VELOCITY NOT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID THIRD VELOCITY AND THEREBY TREATING SAID GAS BY CONTACT WITH SAID SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS OF SAID CHEMICALLY REACTIVE MEDIUM; J. STOPPING THE FORWARD FLOW OF SAID GAS OF STEP (I); AND K. REPEATING THE STEPS (D), (E), (F), (H), (I), AND (J) IN A CY CLIC MANNER.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF TREATING A GAS INCLUDING ITS CONTACTING WITH A FINE CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM, COMPRISING: A. ARRANGING GRANULAR MATERIAL SMALLER THAN ABOUT 40 MESH IN A PANEL BED HAVING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED UPWARDLY SPACED GAS ENTRY PORTIONS SEPARATED BY INTERPOSED SUPPORTING MEMBERS HAVING OUTER AND INNER EDGES WITH RESPECT TO THE BED WHEREIN SAID GAS ENTRY PORTIONS HAVE GAS ENTRY FACES SUBSTANTIALLY CONTIGUOUS WITH SAID OUTER EDGES AND WHEREIN SAID BED HAS GAS EXIT PORTIONS SPACED FROM SAID INNER EDGES; B. FORWARDLY FLOWING GAS THROUGH THE GAS ENTRY PORTIONS OF THE GRANULAR MATERIAL BED AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE GAS END PORTIONS WHILE ADDING TO SAID GAS A CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN ABOUT 120 MESH TO SEPARATE AND ACCUMULATE SAID MEDIUM IN SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS AT SAID GAS ENTRY FACES WHEREIN SAID GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A VELOCITY GREATER THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE DURING AT LEAST A PART OF THIS STEP (B); C. STOPPING THE FORWARD FLOW OF SAID GAS OS STEP (B); D. CAUSING A TRANSIENT FLOW OF GAS TO MOVE IN THE DIRECTION IN REVERSE TO THE FLOW OF SAID GAS IN (B); E. SAID TRANSIENT REVERSE FLOW PRODUCING FIRST A RISE AT A GIVEN RATE OF RISE AND SUBSEQUENTLY A FALL IN THE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID GAS EXIT PORTIONS AND SAID GAS ENTRY PORTIONS, SAID DIFFERENCE REMAINING GREATER THAN A FIRST CRITICAL MINIMUM DIFFERENCE FOR A TIME INTERVAL OF LESS THAN ABOUT 50 MILLISECONDS, SAID FIRST CRITICAL DIFFERENCE BEING THAT DIFFERENCE AT WHICH A STEADY FLOW OF GAS IN SAID REVERSE DIRECTION JUST PRODUCES A K LOCALIZED SPILL OF SAID FIRST GRANULAR MATERIAL FROM SAID GAS ENTRY FACES, AND SAID DIFFERENCE PRODUCED BY SAID TRANSIENT REVERSE FLOW PEAKING TO A TOP VALUE BEYOND A SECOND CRITICAL MINIMUM DIFFERENCE, WHICH IS THE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE AT WHICH A TRANSIENT FLOW OF GAS IN SAID REVERSE DIRECTION PRODUCING SAID PRESSURE DIFFERENCE AT SAID RATE OF RISE JUST INITIATES A BODY MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST GRANULAR MATERIAL TOWARD SAID GAS ENTRY FACES TO SPILL A PORTION OF THE GRANULAR MATERIAL AND SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID ACCUMULATED CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM FROM THE BED; F. SUPPLYING FRESH GRANULAR MATERIAL TO REPLACE MATERIAL SPILLED FROM SAID GAS ENTRY PORTIONS; G. REPEATING THE CYCLE OF SAID STEPS (B), (C), (D), (E), AND (F) AT LEAST TWO TIMES; H. FORWARDLY FLOWING GS THROUGH THE GAS ENTRY PORTIONS OF THE GRANULAR MATERIAL BED AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE GAS EXIT PORTIONS WHILE ADDING TO SAID GAS A FIRST INCREMENT OF SAID CHEMICALLY REACTIVE GRANULAR MEDIUM AT A RATE OF ADDITION LESS THAN ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER CUBIC METER OF SAID GAS TO SEPARATE AND ACCUMULATE SAID MEDIUM IN SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS AT SAID GAS ENTRY FACES WHEREIN SAID GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A FIRST VELOCITY GREATER THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE UNTIL THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS SAID SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS REACHES ABOUT 0.05 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE OF SAID FIRST VELOCITY AND THEN ADDING TO SAID GAS A SECOND INCREMENT OF SAID MEDIUM AT A RATE OF ADDITION LESS THAN ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER CUBIC METER OF SAID GAS WHILE THE GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A SECOND VELOCITY GREATER THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE UNTIL SAID PRESSURE DROP INCREASES BY AT LEAST ABOUT 0.1 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE OF SAID SECOND VELOCITY AND WHEREIN SUBSEQUENTLY THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID GAS IS REDUCED SO THAT THE GAS ENTERS SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A THIRD VELOCITY LESS THAN ABOUT ONE-HALF OF SAID FIRST VELOCITY AND OF SAID SECOND VELOCITY AND ALSO LESS THAN ABOUT 16 FEET PER MINUTE WHILE ADDING TO SAID GAS AT A RATE OF ADDITION LESS THAN ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER CUBIC METER OF SAID GAS A THIRD INCREMENT OF SAID MEDIUM WHEREIN SAID THIRD INCREMENT IS AT LEAST ABOUT 1.5 TIMES AS LARGE AS SAID SECOND INCREMENT WHEN SAID PRESSURE DROP INCREASED WITH THE ADDITION OF SAID SECOND INCREMENT BY ABOUT 0.1 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE AND WHEREIN, WHEN SAID PRESSURE DROP INCREASED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER AMOUNT, SAID THIRD INCREMENT IS AT LEAST ABOUT 1.5 TIMES AS LARGE AS THE PRO RATA PORTION OF SAID SECOND INCREMENT THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN INCREASE OF EXACTLY 0.1 CENTIMETERS OF WATER PER FOOT PER MINUTE; I. STOPPING THE FORWARD FLOW OF SAID GAS OF STEP (H) AND FORWARDLY FLOWING GAS TO BE TREATED AT A RATE TO INTER SAID GAS ENTRY FACES AT A VELOCITY NOT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID THIRD VELOCITY AND THEREBY TREATING SAID GAS BY CONTACT WITH SAID SURFACE LAYER DEPOSITS OF SAID CHEMICALLY REACTIVE MEDIUM; J. STOPPING THE FORWARD FLOW OF SAID GAS OF STEP (I); AND K. REPEATING THE STEPS (D), (E), (F), (H), (I), AND (J) IN A CY CLIC MANNER.

Claim 7

The method of treating a gas involving its contacting with a fine chemically reactive granular medium, comprising: a. arranging granular material smaller than about 20 mesh in a panel bed having a plurality of transversely disposed upwardly spaced gas entry portions separated by interposed supporting members having outer and inner edges with respect to the bed wherein said gas entry portions have gas entry faces substantially contiguous with said outer edges and wherein said bed has gas exit portions spaced from said inner edges; b. forwardly flowing gas through the gas entry portions of the granular material bed and outwardly from the gas exit portions while adding to said gas a chemically reactive granular medium substantially smaller than about 120 mesh to separate and accumulate said medium in surface layer deposits at said gas entry faces wherein said gas enters said gas entry faces at a velocity greater than about 16 feet per minute during at least a part of this step (b); c. thereafter causing a transient flow of gas to move in the direction in reverse to the flow of said gas in (b); (d) said transient reverse flow producing first a rise at a given rate of rise and subsequently a fall in the pressure difference between said gas exit portions and said gas entry portions, said difference produced by said transient reverse flow remaining greater than a first critical minimum difference for a time interval of less than about 150 milliseconds, said first critical difference being that difference at which a steady flow of gas in said reverse direction just produces a localized spill of granular material from said gas entry faces, and said difference produced by said transient reverse flow peaking to a top value beyond a second critical minimum difference, which is the pressure difference at which a transient flow of gas in said reverse direction producing said pressure difference at said rate of rise just initiates a body movement of said granular material toward said gas entry faces to spill a portion of the granular material and substantially all of said accumulated chemically reactive granular medium from the bed; e. supplying fresh granular material to replace material spilled from said gas entry portions; f. repeating the cycle of said steps (b), (c), (d), and (e) at least 2 times and then repeating step (b); g. forwardly flowing gas to be treated through the gas entry portions of the granular material bed and outwardly from the gas exit portions to treat said gas by contact with said surface layer deposits of said chemically reactive medium and wherein either at least a first part of this step (g) occurs simultaneously with a said step (b), the gas in (b) comprising the gas to be treated, or this step (g) is wholly subsequent to said step (b); and h. thereafter repeating steps (c), (d), (e), (b), and (g) in a cyclic manner.

Claim 8

The method of treating a gas involving its contacting with a fine chemically reactive granular medium, comprising: a. arranging granular material smaller than about 20 mesh in a panel bed having a plurality of transversely disposed upwardly spaced gas entry portions separated by interposed supporting members having outer and inner edges with respect to the bed wherein said gas entry portions have gas entry faces substantially contiguous with said outer edges and wherein said bed has gas exit portions spaced from said inner edges; b. forwardly flowing gas through the gas entry portions of the granular material bed and outwardly from the gas exit portions while adding to said gas a chemically reactive granular medium substantially smaller than about 120 mesh to separate and accumulate said medium in surface layer deposits at said gas entry faces wherein said gas enters said gas entry faces at a velocity greater than about 16 feet per minute during at least a part of this step (b); c. thereafter causing a transient flow of gas to move in the direction in reverse to the flow of said gas in (b); (d) said transient reverse flow producing first a rise at a given rate of rise and subsequently a fall in the pressure difference between said gas exit portions and said gas entry portions, said difference produced by said transient reverse flow remaining greater than a first critical minimum difference for a time interval of less than about 150 milliseconds, said first critical difference being that difference at which a steady flow of gas in said reverse direction just produces a localized spill of granular material from said gas entry faces, and said difference produced by said transient reverse flow peaking to a top value beyond a second critical minimum difference, which is the pressure difference at which a transient flow of gas in said reverse direction producing said pressure difference at said rate of rise just initiates a body movement of said granular material toward said gas entry faces to spill a portion of the granular material and substantially all of said accumulated chemically reactive granular medium from the bed; e. supplying fresh granular material to replace material spilled from said gas entry portions; f. repeating the cycle of said steps (b), (c), (d), and (e) at least 2 times and then repeating step (b); g. forwardly flowing gas to be treated through the gas entry portions of the granular material bed and outwardly from the gas exit portions to treat said gas by contact with said surface layer deposits of said chemically reactive medium and wherein either at least a first part of this step (g) occurs simultaneously with a said step (b), the gas in (b) comprising the gas to be treated, or this step (g) is wholly subsequent to said step (b); and h. thereafter repeating steps (c), (d), (e), (b), and (g) in a cyclic manner.