Tray apparatus, column with same and method of assembling and using

Abstract

A vapor-liquid contact tray apparatus having a tray with a fluid infeed section and a fluid travel section together with downcomer which is in fluid communication with the fluid travel section of the tray. A redirecting baffle is positioned at an inlet opening of the downcomer and push valves are provided in the fluid travel section of the tray. The push valves are preferably arranged in one or more zones of high concentration of push valves relative to one or more bubbling aperture zones with a lower concentration of push valves or no push valves. The redirecting baffle is provided in the downcomer and extends above the tray to capture fluid flowing horizontally off of the tray (e.g., exiting from a weirless or weir interface) and into a preferably concave upper portion of the redirecting baffle for controlling and redirecting the high momentum flow into and through the downcomer. A plurality of redirecting baffles are featured in one embodiment together with apertured straight sections extending down into the downcomer as in down to the half way mark of downcomer depth or further down including out of the bottom of the downcomer.