Scrubber and combustion apparatus

Claim 2

A pollution control unit for treating contaminated gases, said unit comprising a tank having inlet and outlet compartments therein extending transversely of a serpentine flow path of said gases thru said tank, a plurality of spray and deentrainment compartments positioned in an alternating array between said inlet and said outlet compartments and likewise extending transversely of said gas flow, a series of spaced baffles defining said compartments, said baffles in addition defining said serpentine flow path of said gases in seriatim thru said compartments, said tank having a common sump communicating with lower end portions of each of said compartments, alternate ones of said baffles terminating beneath the surface of a liquid contained in said sump but short of a bottom of said tank in maintenance of a common character of said sump, said alternate baffles and the remainder of said baffles terminating respectively short of a top of said tank and short of said liquid surface in provision of said serpentine path, said remainder baffles sealingly engaging said tank top, arrays of spray devices mounted on said tank top and communicating respectively with top portions of said spray compartments, each of said arrays likewise extending transversely of said fluid flow and substantially co-extending with the length of said spray compartments, said spray devices being disposed for directing water sprays downwardly into said gases and within said spray compartments only, the short terminations of said baffles being spaced sufficiently close to said tank top and to said liquid surface respectively for centrifugal deentrainment of said gases when passing around the associated baffle edges, said baffles and said compartments being elongated in the transverse direction of said fluid flow in provision of elongated flow slots between adjacent free edges of said baffles on the one hand and the tank top and the liquid surface respectively on the other hand for high volumetric flows through said tank, and conduit means coupling said outlet compartment to an exhaust stack and a combustion device, whereby the treated gases can be exhausted thru either or both of said stack and said device.

Claim 3

The combination according to claim 1 including an overflow pipe extended through a wall of said tank and positioned to define the liquid level of said sump, and means for circulating overflow water from said overflow pipe to said arrays of spray devices.

Claim 4

The combination according to claim 2 wherein said some baffles terminate sufficiently below said liquid surface to maintain a quiescent character of said sump to facilitate settling of pollutants cleansed from said gases.

Claim 5

A pollution control unit for treating contaminated gases, said unit comprising a tank having inlet and outlet compartments therein extending transversely of a serpentine flow path of said gases thru said tank, a plurality of spray and deentrainment compartments positioned in an alternating array between said inlet and said outlet compartments and likewise extending transversely of said gas flow, a series of spaced baffles defining said compartments, said baffles in addition defining said serpentine flow path of said gases in seriatim thru said compartments, said tank having a common sump communicating with lower end portions of each of said compartments, alternate ones of said baffles terminating beneath the surface of a liquid contained in said sump but short of a bottom of said tank in maintenance of a common character of said sump, said alternate baffles and the remainder of said baffles terminating respectively short of a top of said tank and short of said liquid surface in provision of said serpentine path, said remainder baffles sealingly engaging said tank top, arrays of spray devices mounted on said tank top and communicating respectively with top portions of said spray compartments, each of said arrays likewise extending transversely of said fluid flow and substantially co-extending with the length of said spray compartments, said spray devices being disposed for directing water sprays downwardly into said gases and within said spray compartments only, the short terminations of said baffles being spaced sufficiently close to said tank top and to said liquid surface respectively for centrifugal deentrainment of said gases when passing around the associated baffle edges, said baffles and said compartments being elongated in the transverse direction of said fluid flow in provision of elongated flow slots between adjacent free edges of said baffles on the one hand and the tank top and the liquid surface respectively on the other hand for high volumetric flows through said tank, groups of multiple inlet conduits and multiple outlet conduits coupled respectively to said inlet and said outlet compartments, said inlet and said outlet conduit groups each extending transversely of said fluid flow, and conduit means coupling at least one of said outlet conduits to a combustion device and to an exhaust stack whereby the treated gases can be exhausted thru either one or both of said stack and said device.

Claim 6

A pollution control unit for treating contaminated gases, said unit comprising a tank having inlet and outlet compartments therein extending transversely of a serpentine flow path of said gases thru said tank, a plurality of spray and deentrainment compartments positioned in an alternating array between said inlet and said outlet compartments and likewise extending transversely of said gas flow, a series of spaced baffles defining said compartments, said baffles in addition defining said serpentine flow path of said gases in seriatim thru said compartments, said tank having a common sump communicating with lower end portions of each of said compartments, alternate ones of said baffles terminating beneath the surface of a liquid contained in said sump but short of a bottom of said tank in maintenance of a common character of said sump, said alternate baffles and the remainder of said baffles terminating respectively short of a top of said tank and short of said liquid surface in provision of said serpentine path, said remainder baffles sealingly engaging said tank top, arrays of spray devices mounted on said tank top and communicating respectively with top portions of said spray compartments, each of said arrays likewise extending transversely of said fluid flow and substantially co-extending with the length of said spray compartments, said spray devices being disposed for directing water sprays downwardly into said gases and within said spray compartments only, the short terminations of said baffles being spaced sufficiently close to said tank top and to said liquid surface respectively for centrifugal deentrainment of said gases when passing around the associated baffle edges, said baffles and said compartments being elongated in the transverse direction of said fluid flow in provision of elongated flow slots between adjacent free edges of said baffles on the one hand and the tank top and the liquid surface respectively on the other hand for high volumetric flows through said tank, groups of multiple inlet conduits and multiple outlet conduits coupled respectively to said inlet and said outlet compartments, said inlet and said outlet conduit groups each extending transversely of said fluid flow, and conduit means coupling at least one of said outlet conduits to a combustion device and to an exhaust stack whereby the treated gases can be exhausted thru either one or both of said stack and said device.

Claim 7

A pollution control unit for treating contaminated gases, said unit comprising a tank having inlet and outlet compartments therein extending transversely of a serpentine flow path of said gases thru said tank, a plurality of spray and deentrainment compartments positioned in an alternating array between said inlet and said outlet compartments and likewise extending transversely of said gas flow, a series of spaced baffles defining said compartments, said baffles in addition defining said serpentine flow path of said gases in seriatim thru said compartments, said tank having a common sump communicating with lower end portions of each of said compartments, alternate ones of said baffles terminating beneath the surface of a liquid contained in said sump but short of a bottom of said tank in maintenance of a common character of said sump, said alternate baffles and the remainder of said baffles terminating respectively short of a top of said tank and short of said liquid surface in provision of said serpentine path, said remainder baffles sealingly engaging said tank top, and arrays of spray devices mounted on said tank top and communicating respectively with top portions of said spray compartments, each of said arrays likewise extending transversely of said fluid flow and substantially co-extending with the length of said spray compartments, said spray devices being disposed for directing water sprays downwardly into said gases and within said spray compartments only, the short terminations of said baffles being spaced sufficiently close to said tank top and to said liquid surface respectively for centrifugal deentrainment of said gases when passing around the associated baffle edges, said baffles and said compartments being elongated in the transverse direction of said fluid flow in provision of elongated flow slots between adjacent free edges of said baffles on the one hand and the tank top and the liquid surface respectively on the other hand for high volumetric flows through said tank, said outlet compartment being coupled to at least one combustion device for recirculating at least a portion of the gases passing thru said unit to said combustion device.

Claim 8

A pollution control unit for treating contaminated gases, said unit comprising a tank having inlet and outlet compartments therein extending transversely of a serpentine flow path of said gases thru said tank, a plurality of spray and deentrainment compartments positioned in an alternating array between said inlet and said outlet compartments and likewise extending transversely of said gas flow, a series of spaced baffles defining said compartments, said baffles in addition defining said serpentine flow path of said gases in seriatim thru said compartments, said tank having a common sump communicating with lower end portions of each of said compartments, alternate ones of said baffles terminating beneath the surface of a liquid contained in said sump but short of a bottom of said tank in maintenance of a common character of said sump, said alternate baffles and the remainder of said baffles terminating respectively short of a top of said tank and short of said liquid surface in provision of said serpentine path, said remainder baffles sealingly engaging said tank top, and arrays of spray devices mounted on said tank top and communicating respectively with top portions of said spray compartments, each of said arrays likewise extending transversely of said fluid flow and substantially co-extending with the length of said spray compartments, said spray devices being disposed for directing water sprays downwardly into said gases and within said spray compartments only, the short terminations of said baffles being spaced sufficiently close to said tank top and to said liquid surface respectively for centrifugal deentrainment of said gases when passing around the associated baffle edges, said baffles and said compartments being elongated in the transverse direction of said fluid flow in provision of elongated flow slots between adjacent free edges of said baffles on the one hand and the tank top and the liquid surface respectively on the other hand for high volumetric flows through said tank, said outlet compartment being coupled to at least one combustion device for recirculating at least a portion of the gases passing thru said unit to said combustion device.