Evaporative gas treating system

Claim 1

An evaporative gas treating system for conditioning a gas stream, comprising: a housing forming a duct having upstream and downstream ends adapted to conduct the gas stream through the housing; a vertical panel of flow-through evaporative media secured across the upstream end of the duct; a blower mounted within the duct downstream from the evaporative panel adapted to draw the gas stream through the duct; liquid dispersal means adapted to conduct an evaporative liquid into the panel which evaporates into the gas stream as it flows through the panel; a liquid distribution pad overlying the upper edge of said panel beneath the liquid dispersal means for dispersal of liquid across the upper edge of said panel; said liquid dispersal means spanning the length of said liquid distribution pad and being off-set from the center of said pad toward the upstream edge of the pad; a drain plate member of a generally L-shaped cross-sectional configuration spanning the length of said liquid distribution pad, said member including a vertically extending plate portion encasing the downstream edge of the pad and a generally horizontal plate portion extending a preselected distance between the pad and the top of the panel adapted to conduct liquid in the pad toward the upstream side of the panel; said liquid dispersal means including an inverted U-shaped channel spanning the width of the panel aligned above its upper edge, and a pipe extending coextensively beneath said channel having a plurality of orifices distributed across the arcuate upper half of the pipe adapted to direct sprays of liquid against the total interior face of the channel to effect a relatively uniform distribution of the liquid widthwise across the upper edge of the panel as the liquid falls from the channel; liquid supply means connected with said liquid dispersal means adapted to conduct a metered flow of liquid to said dispersal means; and sensor means mounted within the duct downstream from the blower for measuring a preselected condition in the gas stream proximate said sensor means, said sensor means being operatively connected with said liquid supply means to selectively increase and decrease the flow of liquid into the panel through the dispersal means to maintain said condition in the gas stream at a predetermined magnitude downstream from the panel.