Droplet control elements

Claim 1

A method of treating a liquid-liquid dispersion comprising droplets of a first liquid phase dispersed in a second liquid phase so as to promote coalescence of said droplets of said first liquid phase, which method comprises: flowing said dispersion through a perforate packing comprising a coalescer body having an entry face, an exit face and a labyrinth of interstitial passages for said dispersion extending between said entry and exit faces, said body comprising high and low surface energy materials formed into threads, fibers or filaments, said high surface energy material being a metal, metal oxide, metal salt, glass or ceramic, and said low surface energy material being a solid organic polymeric material, said first liquid phase wetting one of said materials but not the other and said second liquid phase wetting said other material but not the said one material, said high and low surface energy materials meeting one another throughout said body at a plurality of surface junctions to provide enhanced droplet coalescence properties for said droplets of said first liquid phase, and said surface junctions occurring at said entry and exit faces and being substantially uniformly dispersed throughout said interstitial passages of said body exposed to said dispersion, whereby said body presents to said dispersion an array of surface junctions disposed along the path of flow of said dispersion at which said droplets coalesce, and removing coalesced droplets of said first liquid phase from the exit face of said coalescer body.

Claim 2

A method of treating a liquid-liquid dispersion comprising droplets of a first liquid phase dispersed in a second liquid phase so as to promote coalescence of said droplets of said first liquid phase, which method comprises: flowing said dispersion through a perforate packing comprising a coalescer body having an entry face, an exit face and a labyrinth of interstitial passages for said dispersion extending between said entry and exit faces, said body comprising high and low surface energy materials formed into threads, fibers or filaments, said high surface energy material being a metal, metal oxide, metal salt, glass or ceramic, and said low surface energy material being a solid organic polymeric material, said first liquid phase wetting one of said materials but not the other and said second liquid phase wetting said other material but not the said one material, said high and low surface energy materials meeting one another throughout said body at a plurality of surface junctions to provide enhanced droplet coalescence properties for said droplets of said first liquid phase, and said surface junctions occurring at said entry and exit faces and being substantially uniformly dispersed throughout said interstitial passages of said body exposed to said dispersion, whereby said body presents to said dispersion an array of surface junctions disposed along the path of flow of said dispersion at which said droplets coalesce, and removing coalesced droplets of said first liquid phase from the exit face of said coalescer body.