A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene comprising steps of: a) supplying a gas composition to an alkylene oxide absorber through a gas inlet, the absorber comprising an absorption section and a sump, and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards; b) supplying a lean absorbent to the top of the absorption section and allowing the lean absorbent to pass downwards; c) intimately contacting the gas composition with lean absorbent in the absorption section in the presence of one or more catalysts that promote carboxylation and hydrolysis; and d) withdrawing fat absorbent from the absorption section and passing the fat absorbent and any liquid condensate through the sump, wherein the sump comprises one or more baffles that define a flow pathway from a sump inlet to a sump outlet between the one or more baffles.

A downcomer apparatus for use in a multi-stage bubble column humidifier. The humidifier comprises at least a first, second and third stage, wherein each of said stages includes an inlet, an outlet and a chamber defined by said stage, in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. In the humidifier, a heated liquid fluid stream flowing downwardly exchanges mass and heat with a cooler carrier gas stream flowing upwardly through the bubble column. A bubble generator comprising a perforated plate, or sparger, passes the carrier gas, such as air, from a lower chamber to form bubbles in a fluid, such as water, forming a bath on an upper chamber. An off-set arrangement of downcomer apparatuses, wherein said apparatus comprises a funnel, a watergate, and a downcomer, is used to prevent a recirculation of humid bubbles from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, thus preventing the air stream from circumventing the bubble generator in the form of the humid bubbles. This arrangement assures the maximum possible performance of the humidifier, as the entire air stream is forced to move through the bubble column, thus maximizing the air-water surface interface for an efficient mass and heat exchange.

A downcomer apparatus for use in a multi-stage bubble column humidifier. The humidifier comprises at least a first, second and third stage, wherein each of said stages includes an inlet, an outlet and a chamber defined by said stage, in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. In the humidifier, a heated liquid fluid stream flowing downwardly exchanges mass and heat with a cooler carrier gas stream flowing upwardly through the bubble column. A bubble generator comprising a perforated plate, or sparger, passes the carrier gas, such as air, from a lower chamber to form bubbles in a fluid, such as water, forming a bath on an upper chamber. An off-set arrangement of downcomer apparatuses, wherein said apparatus comprises a funnel, a watergate, and a downcomer, is used to prevent a recirculation of humid bubbles from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, thus preventing the air stream from circumventing the bubble generator in the form of the humid bubbles. This arrangement assures the maximum possible performance of the humidifier, as the entire air stream is forced to move through the bubble column, thus maximizing the air-water surface interface for an efficient mass and heat exchange.

A downcomer apparatus for use in a multi-stage bubble column humidifier. The humidifier comprises at least a first, second and third stage, wherein each of said stages includes an inlet, an outlet and a chamber defined by said stage, in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. In the humidifier, a heated liquid fluid stream flowing downwardly exchanges mass and heat with a cooler carrier gas stream flowing upwardly through the bubble column. A bubble generator comprising a perforated plate, or sparger, passes the carrier gas, such as air, from a lower chamber to form bubbles in a fluid, such as water, forming a bath on an upper chamber. An off-set arrangement of downcomer apparatuses, wherein said apparatus comprises a funnel, a watergate, and a downcomer, is used to prevent a recirculation of humid bubbles from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, thus preventing the air stream from circumventing the bubble generator in the form of the humid bubbles. This arrangement assures the maximum possible performance of the humidifier, as the entire air stream is forced to move through the bubble column, thus maximizing the air-water surface interface for an efficient mass and heat exchange.

A downcomer apparatus for use in a multi-stage bubble column humidifier. The humidifier comprises at least a first, second and third stage, wherein each of said stages includes an inlet, an outlet and a chamber defined by said stage, in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. In the humidifier, a heated liquid fluid stream flowing downwardly exchanges mass and heat with a cooler carrier gas stream flowing upwardly through the bubble column. A bubble generator comprising a perforated plate, or sparger, passes the carrier gas, such as air, from a lower chamber to form bubbles in a fluid, such as water, forming a bath on an upper chamber. An off-set arrangement of downcomer apparatuses, wherein said apparatus comprises a funnel, a watergate, and a downcomer, is used to prevent a recirculation of humid bubbles from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, thus preventing the air stream from circumventing the bubble generator in the form of the humid bubbles. This arrangement assures the maximum possible performance of the humidifier, as the entire air stream is forced to move through the bubble column, thus maximizing the air-water surface interface for an efficient mass and heat exchange.

Disclosed is a collector tray for collecting liquid in a pressure vessel such as a distillation column. The collector tray includes a liquid collecting surface having a curved shape such that the liquid collecting surface is generally upwardly concave or upwardly convex, and includes at least one chimney through the collector tray. The collector tray can be formed by attaching a plurality of collector tray panels to one another to form the collector tray having the liquid collecting surface. Methods for installing the collector tray and retrofitting a pressure vessel are also disclosed.

Disclosed is a collector tray for collecting liquid in a pressure vessel such as a distillation column. The collector tray includes a liquid collecting surface having a curved shape such that the liquid collecting surface is generally upwardly concave or upwardly convex, and includes at least one chimney through the collector tray. The collector tray can be formed by attaching a plurality of collector tray panels to one another to form the collector tray having the liquid collecting surface. Methods for installing the collector tray and retrofitting a pressure vessel are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a column (1) for thermal treatment of fluid mixtures, having a cylindrical, vertically aligned column body (2) which forms a column cavity (3), having a sequence of vertically spaced-apart dual-flow mass transfer trays (8) which are mounted in the column cavity (3) and which have orifices for passage of liquid and gas in countercurrent, and having at least one gas entry orifice (5) disposed below the lowermost of the sequence of dual-flow mass transfer trays (8). It is a characteristic feature of the column of the invention that a gas distribution tray (9) which is disposed between the lowermost of the sequence of dual-flow mass transfer trays (8) and the gas entry orifice (5) has orifices (32) for vertical passage of gas which can be introduced into the column cavity (3) via the gas entry orifice (5), the orifices (32) being formed so as to bring about equal gas distribution over the column cross section. The invention further relates to a process for thermal treatment of fluid mixtures in such a column (1).

The present invention relates to a chimney tray (3) for a column (1) for thermal treatment of fluid mixtures, comprising a collecting tray (4) and at least two chimneys (5-1, 5-2) spaced apart horizontally in the collecting tray (4), where each chimney (5-1, 5-2) forms a vertically aligned chimney body (6-1, 6-2) which forms a passage orifice (7-1, 7-2) through the collecting tray (4), and has a cover unit (8-1, 8-2) arranged spaced apart from the chimney body (6-1, 6-2), and where the cover unit (8-1, 8-2) covers the respective passage orifices (7-1, 7-2) in the vertical direction. The chimney tray (3) of the invention is characterized by a screen (9) which extends around the chimney body (6-1) of a first chimney (5-1), with the lower annular edge (14) of the screen (9) below the upper edge (13) of the chimney body (6-1) of the first chimney (5-1) and the upper annular edge (11) of the screen (9) above the lower outer edge (12) of the cover unit (8-1) of the first chimney (5-1) or adjoining the lower outer edge (12) of the cover unit (8-1) of the first chimney (5-1).

A multiple pass, parallel flow downcomer tray for a mass transfer column and method for liquid-vapor contacting in a mass transfer column is provided. The multiple pass, parallel flow downcomer tray has at least four mass transfer decks configured to provide contact between an ascending vapor passing upward through apertures on the tray surface and a traversing liquid on the tray surface. The tray further includes a central downcomers disposed near a central axis of the tray and two or more peripheral downcomers disposed near the edge of the tray and spaced apart from the central axis, wherein at least two of the four mass transfer decks are configured to discharge the traversing liquid into the peripheral downcomers and two of the four mass transfer decks are configured to discharge the traversing liquid into the central downcomer.