A hybrid contact tray for a mass transfer column is provided. The contact tray includes a tray deck for passage of liquid along a liquid flow path thereon. The tray deck has a plurality of orifices for passage of ascending vapor through the tray deck, a cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section having a first portion of the plurality of orifices, and a co-current vapor-liquid mixing section including at least one co-current mixing device associated with a second portion of the plurality of orifices. The tray deck also has features capable of altering liquid head levels with respect to the plurality of orifices such that the liquid head level within the co-current vapor-liquid mixing section is greater than the liquid head level within the cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section.

A tray assembly for improved gas/liquid contact in a chemical process tower includes a tray deck and a downcomer. A mixer is provided in the top of the downcomer and a distributor is attached to a floor of the downcomer. The mixer includes at least one mixing baffle parallel to an outlet weir on the tray. The distributor includes a plurality of spaced apart flow directing plates extending downwardly toward and spaced apart from the floor of the downcomer. In combination, the mixer and distributor effect even liquid flow across the surface of a subjacent tray deck.

Condensing apparatuses and their use in various heat and mass exchange systems are generally described. The condensing apparatuses, such as bubble column condensers, may employ a heat exchanger positioned external to the condensing vessel to remove heat from a bubble column condenser outlet stream to produce a heat exchanger outlet stream. In certain cases, the condensing apparatus may also include a cooling device positioned external to the vessel configured and positioned to remove heat from the heat exchanger outlet stream to produce a cooling device outlet stream. The condensing apparatus may be configured to include various internal features, such as a vapor distribution region and/or a plurality of liquid flow control weirs and/or chambers within the apparatus having an aspect ratio of at least 1.5. A condensing apparatus may be coupled with a humidifier to form part of a desalination system, in certain cases.

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).

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.

Liquid-liquid extraction column (1) comprising points for feedstock injection (2), washing (3) and 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 the same zone have the same number of holes per perforated tray; in which, when x>1, the number of holes per perforated tray of the zones Z.sub.i increases when i increases; and when x=1, said number of holes of the backwash zone is less than/greater than than that of the zone Z.sub.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.

A separation device including a cylindrical column; a plurality of dual flow trays provided inside the cylindrical column to partition a plurality of stages; and a feed supply unit provided in one of the plurality of stages to supply a raw material including a liquid reactive monomer, in which a structure of the feed supply unit is designed so that feed can be uniformly distributed inside the column, thereby improving column efficiency. The feed supply unit can include a circular feed transfer pipe spaced apart between a lower and an upper dual flow tray of the stage in which the feed supply unit is provided, a plurality of inner pipes extending in a direction of a central axis from the feed transfer pipe, and a plurality of spray nozzles, where each of the plurality of inner pipes is individually provided with a plurality of the spray nozzles.