High temperature pollutant removal from gas streams

Claim 1

A process for providing heat transfer between and pollutant removal from a pair of gas streams which comprises: providing first and second confined horizontal flow passageways; providing first and second pools at the bottom of said first and second passageways respectively containing liquid having a low viscosity and having a low vapor pressure over a temperature range of a process conducted in said passageways selected from the group consisting of molten metal and a molten inorganic salt; generating a plurality of liquid droplets in said first flow passageway by throwing the droplets from said first pool of liquid; passing a first gas stream at a higher temperature than said first passageway droplets through the first flow passageway in heat exchange and pollutant exchange relationship with the droplets cooling the gas stream and heating said droplets; recovering the heated droplets and pollutant in said first pool, thereby heating liquid in said first pool; removing said pollutant from said first pool; transferring the heated liquid from said first pool to said second pool; generating a plurality of said liquid droplets in said second passageway by throwing the droplets from said second pool of liquid; passing a second gas stream at a lower temperature than said second passageway droplets through the second flow passageway in heat exchange and pollutant exchange relationship with the droplets heating the gas stream and cooling said droplets; recovering the cooled droplets in said second pool, thereby cooling the liquid in said second pool; removing said pollutant from said second pool; and recycling the cooled liquid from said second pool to said first pool.