A cooling tower (2) for cooling a liquid (4) with a gas (6), which cooling tower (2) comprises: (i) a vessel (8) for receiving the gas (6) passing upwardly and the liquid (4) passing downwardly, with the liquid (4) being hotter than the gas (6); (ii) a gas outlet (4) which is at a top portion (16) of the vessel (8) and which is for allowing the gas (6) to pass out of the vessel (8), (iii) a support member (20) which is positioned across a bottom portion (22) of the vessel (8): (iv) a plurality of apertures (24) which are in the support member (20) and through which the gas (6) and the liquid (4) are able to pass; (v) a fluidised bed (26) of packing elements (28) on the support member (20); (vi) liquid emitting means (30) which is positioned in the vessel (8) above the fluidised bed (26), and which is for emitting alas liquid (4) to be cooled such the liquid (4) passes downwardly towards the fluidised bed (26); (vii) pump means (32) for pumping the liquid to the liquid emitting means (30); and (viii) a fan (34) for blowing the pas upwardly through the fluidised bed (26), and the cooling tower (2) being such that it includes (ix) control means (31) for controlling (a) the velocity of the gas through die vessel (8), and (b) the liquid to gas ratio in the vessel (8), whereby the fluidised bed (26) is caused to operate at a tumbling rate which when combined with selected pre-fluidised packing height causes an approach temperature of below 10° F. (5.6° C.); (x) wherein the tumbling rate is controlled by a combination of controlled gas velocity and liquid to gas ratio creating turbulent mixing and tumbling of packing elements (28) in the fluidised bed (26); (xi) and wherein the pre-fluidised height of the fluidised bed (26) is from 0.15-1.0 m.

Provided is a method of producing a zeolite film continuously and efficiently. Zeolite is formed on a surface of a support using a method including: a first step of attaching zeolite fine crystals to a surface of a support; a second step of preparing synthetic gel for growing the fine crystals; a third step of putting the support and the synthetic gel into a reactor and performing hydrothermal synthesis; and a fourth step of cleaning the support subjected to the hydrothermal synthesis, in which in the third step, multiple containers arranged to be movable in a constant-temperature apparatus are each used as the reactor, the temperature and pressure for the hydrothermal synthesis is adjusted by the temperature and pressure in the constant-temperature apparatus, and the reaction time of the hydrothermal synthesis is adjusted by setting the time from when the reactor enters the constant-temperature apparatus to when the reactor exits the constant-temperature apparatus.

A support grid for filling material packing and to a component set for producing such a support grid, including support strips and top strips which are inclined relative to one another in opposite directions. The support strips and top strips intersect one another, the inclination of each top strip is defined by at least one top strip receiving groove which is made in at least one support strip and in which the top strip is received, and the orientation of each support strip is stabilised by at least one support strip receiving groove in which the support strip is received.

A corrugated structured packing sheet has surface texturing that may be in the form of a grid of indented and raised structures. Each indented structure is separated from some or all of adjacent ones of the indented structures by the raised structures. The raised structures form rows of peaks and interconnecting saddles. Microchannels extend along adjacent ones of the indented structures and the interconnecting saddles and intersect the corrugation valleys at an angle in the range of 20 to 75 degrees. The surface texturing may be or include wavy parallel grooves in an upper edge region adjacent the upper edge and a lower edge region adjacent the lower edge and may be or include parallel groove segments in the bulk region that are oriented obliquely to upper and lower edges of the structured packing sheet.

The invention relates to a use of a fluorination gas, and the elemental fluorine (F.sub.2) is preferably present in a high concentration, for example, in a concentration of elemental fluorine (F.sub.2), especially of equal to much higher than 15% or even 20% by volume, and to a process for the manufacture of a fluorinated benzene derivative starting from benzoic acid derivative by direct fluorination employing a fluorination gas, wherein the elemental fluorine (F.sub.2) is preferably present in a high concentration, and subsequent decarboxylation of the benzoic acid hypofluorite derivative obtained by direct fluorination. The process of the invention is also directed to the manufacture of a benzoic acid hypofluorite derivative by direct fluorination of benzoic acid derivative. Especially the invention is of interest in the preparation of fluorinated benzene derivative, final products and as well intermediates, for usage in agro-, pharma-, electronics-, catalyst, solvent and other functional chemical applications.

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.

The present invention relates to a process for purifying ethoxyquin by distillation, to high-purity ethoxyquin obtainable by means of distillative purification and to the use thereof, particularly as additive in foodstuffs and feedstuffs.

Provided is a method of producing a zeolite film continuously and efficiently.

Zeolite is formed on a surface of a support using a method including: a first step of attaching zeolite fine crystals to a surface of a support; a second step of preparing synthetic gel for growing the fine crystals; a third step of putting the support and the synthetic gel into a reactor and performing hydrothermal synthesis; and a fourth step of cleaning the support subjected to the hydrothermal synthesis, in which in the third step, multiple containers arranged to be movable in a constant-temperature apparatus are each used as the reactor, the temperature and pressure for the hydrothermal synthesis is adjusted by the temperature and pressure in the constant-temperature apparatus, and the reaction time of the hydrothermal synthesis is adjusted by setting the time from when the reactor enters the constant-temperature apparatus to when the reactor exits the constant-temperature apparatus.

An annular divided wall column is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall and radially spaced therefrom to define an annulus column region as the space between the first annular column wall and the second annular column wall. An interior core column region is also defined by the interior space of the second annular column wall. The present annular divided wall column further includes a plurality of packing elements, disposed within the interior core column region within the annulus column region having different surface area densities and optionally, also have different geometries.

An annular divided wall column for the cryogenic rectification of air or constituents of air is provided. The annular divided wall column includes a first annular column wall and a second annular column wall disposed within the first annular column wall to define an annulus column region and an interior core column region. The present annular divided wall column further includes structured packing elements disposed within at least the annulus column region as well as a ring-shaped cantilevered collector; and a ring-shaped distributor disposed in the annulus column region above or below the plurality of structured packing elements. The thermal expansion and contraction of the second annular column wall in a radial direction and in an axial direction is independent of the thermal expansion and contraction of the first annular column wall in the radial and axial directions.