Sulzer Brothers Limited

Raymond C Pluss

Lorenzo Ghelfi

The supporting grate for material exchange columns has a corrugated profile (3) and gas openings (5) which are all arranged in the flanks (6) of the profile above a minimum height H1. A projecting edge (13) of the gas openings increases the strength of the profile and forces the fluid to run off into the corrugation trough of the profile and from there into a collecting trough (12) lying below it. In this way the supporting grate also acts as a fluid collector.

Supporting grate for packings in material exchange columns

An arrangement of troughs is disposed above a liquid/distribution tray in a counter-current column for collecting and mixing liquid from an upper exchange portion prior to distribution onto the tray. The arrangement includes duct-like troughs each of which has a base with a closed first part and a second part with at least one outlet for liquid. As a result, the liquid trickled into each trough is mixed transversely prior to being expelled onto the distributor tray thus levelling out any differences in concentration along the length of the trough.

Arrangement for collecting and mixing liquid in a counter-current column

The gas/liquid distributor for a counter-current column has tubes for the liquid with outlets extending almost to the column portion underneath. At least ten flues per square meter of area of the distributor base are provided for guiding and distributing the upward-flowing gas. The total flow cross-section of the flues is not more than 10% of the area of the base which fills the entire column cross-section. The flow cross-sections of the flues are constricted in addition to their relatively narrow inlet cross-sections.

Gas/liquid distributor for a counter-current column

A regular packing element for mass transfer and heat exchange columns has coarsely folded layers each being made of a thin foil-like material such as sheet metal. Both the front and back surfaces of the layers are provided with an identical fine structuring or patterning defining a network of crossing channels with bases. The channels are bounded by the flanks of, for example, pyramidal protuberances and depressions. Because of the fine structuring, the liquid flowing along the channels is distributed uniformly over the surfaces of the layers by capillary action and gravity. Also, satisfactory cross-mixture of the liquid occurs since liquid can flow between channels at the channel intersections.

Regular packing element of thin foil-like material for mass transfer and

The packing layers are constructed with parallel bridges between which a plurality of parallel angularly disposed deflecting surfaces are connected in bannister-fashion. The packing layers can be made from flat sheet metal bodies which can be punched and bent to form the various layers.

Packing made of one-piece layers

The packing is made up of layers each of which is deformed into a zig-zag shape. Each layer has contiguous rows of deflecting surfaces which are interconnected by bridges and with every other deflecting surface being stamped out so as to be bent out of the plane of the layer. The stamped out deflecting surfaces of adjacent rows are offset from one another by the width of one deflecting surface and are bent out of so far as to be parallel to the next flank.

Zig-zag profile packing and method of making

The random or statistical packing is of hexagonal cross-section and has rectangular tongues and apertures punched out of the walls. The tongues extend towards the longitudinal axis of the packing with the opposite tongues being coplanar. The planes of the tongues are substantially parallel to the sides of the packing so that crossing channels arise for the passage of a gas. The packing has substantially the effect of a regular packing such that a satisfactory lateral distribution of liquid and gas with a relatively low pressure drop is obtained.

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Klein-Andelfingen, Switzerland

Raymond C Pluss