A packing system is disclosed that has a series of flat blades arranged to promote mixing in a fluidized bed such as one in a FCC stripper, with an upward flowing gas stream and a downward flowing solid particle stream. The blade arrangement provides for different gas solids flow directions within a single layer of packing system to enhance cross mixing of gas and catalyst in all directions and reduces the potential for gas and catalyst bypassing. The blade arrangement has splits which minimizes the tendency for phase separation around the blade. The arrangement and sizing of the blades is intended to promote intimate contact between the two phases to ensure efficient mass transfer of material trapped inside the particles to the gas phase. The arrangement of the blades prevents excessive bubble growth and channeling, both of which reduce surface area for mass transfer.

A direct contact heat exchanger for a molten media reactor can include a plurality of trays or stages disposed in a vessel, a molten media flow path configured to pass a molten media through the plurality of trays or stages, and a gas pathway disposed through the plurality of trays or stages. The gas pathway is configured to directly contact a gas phase fluid with the molten media on the plurality of trays or stages.

Method of loading a tubular reactor with a catalyst tube assembly, method of unloading a catalyst tube assembly from a tubular reactor, and catalyst tube assembly for a tubular reactor, such as a steam reformer, comprising an outer reactor tube having an inlet end and an outlet end opposite the inlet end, and including an inwardly protruding element; a centering assembly including an inner tube having an inlet end and an outlet end; a tubular boundary having a closed end and an open end.

The contacting device for countercurrent contacting of fluid streams and having a first pair of intersecting grids of spaced-apart and parallel deflector blades and a second pair of intersecting grids of spaced-apart and parallel deflector blades. The deflector blades in each one of the grids are interleaved with the deflector blades in the paired intersecting grid and may have uncut side portions that join them together along a transverse strip where the deflector blades cross each other or adjacent opposed ends of the deflector blades and cut side portions that extend from the uncut side portions to the ends of the deflector blades. At least some of the deflector blades have directional tabs and associated openings to allow portions of the fluid streams to pass through the deflector blades to facilitate mixing of the fluid streams.

A gas-liquid contactor includes: a plurality of packing material sections through which exhaust gas passes; and a plurality of liquid distributors provided upon each of the plurality of packing material sections, dispersing a CO.sub.2 absorption liquid caused to come in contact with the exhaust gas, and supplying the CO.sub.2 absorption liquid to the plurality of packing material sections. The plurality of packing material sections include a first packing material layer and a second packing material layer that have provided therein flow paths (111a, 112a) for the CO.sub.2 absorption fluid that each extend in prescribed directions (D2, D3). The first packing material layer and the second packing material layer are characterized by being laminated such that the directions (D2, D3) of extension of the flow paths (111a, 112a) in the flow direction (D1) for the exhaust gas are different from each other.

The invention includes a gas processing system for transforming a hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into outflow gas products, where the system includes a gas delivery subsystem, a plasma reaction chamber, and a microwave subsystem, with the gas delivery subsystem in fluid communication with the plasma reaction chamber, so that the gas delivery subsystem directs the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the plasma reaction chamber, and the microwave subsystem directs microwave energy into the plasma reaction chamber to energize the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas, thereby forming a plasma in the plasma reaction chamber, which plasma effects the transformation of a hydrocarbon in the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the outflow gas products, which comprise acetylene and hydrogen. The invention also includes methods for the use of the gas processing system.

Liquid-liquid extraction column (1) comprising injection points for feedstock (2), for washing (3) and for backwashing (4), two withdrawal points (5, 6), trays (P.sub.i) located along the column and defining 2 to 30 zones each comprising at least two trays, the n zones comprising: at least one extraction zone Z.sub.i comprising the zones from Z.sub.1 to Z.sub.x, x being greater than or equal to 1, and at least one backwash zone comprising the zones from Z.sub.x+1 to Z.sub.n, n being greater than x; in which the trays of one and the same zone exhibit one and the same height H of inter-tray space (10); in which, when x>1, the height H of the zones Z.sub.i increases when i increases; and, when x=1, the height H of the at least one backwash zone is less than the height H of zone Z.sub.1.

The contacting device for countercurrent contacting of fluid streams and having a first pair of intersecting grids of spaced-apart and parallel deflector blades and a second pair of intersecting grids of spaced-apart and parallel deflector blades. The deflector blades in each one of the grids are interleaved with the deflector blades in the paired intersecting grid and may have uncut side portions that join them together along a transverse strip where the deflector blades cross each other or adjacent opposed ends of the deflector blades and cut side portions that extend from the uncut side portions to the ends of the deflector blades. At least some of the deflector blades have directional tabs and associated openings to allow portions of the fluid streams to pass through the deflector blades to facilitate mixing of the fluid streams.

A contactor media includes continuous surface segments, wherein a first continuous surface segment has at least 50% of its surface area follow at least one of: (a) a contour of a first zero-thickness surface having a Gaussian curvature (G.sub.c) of 400 mm.sup.2G.sub.c<0.01 mm.sup.2; and (b) a contour of a second zero-thickness surface having at least one principal curvature (k.sub.i) of 20 mm.sup.1k.sub.i<0.1 mm.sup.1; and wherein the first continuous surface segment provides at least: (a) a total liquid hold-up of between about 1 kg/m.sup.3 to about 800 kg/m.sup.3 or (b) a static liquid hold-up of about 0.1 kg/m.sup.3 to about 800 kg/m.sup.3.