A packing has a plurality of sheet materials spaced and arranged in parallel, and liquid flows along the flat surface thereof in a standing use state. Each sheet material has at least one member group including a plurality of support members arranged such that the upper end of the uppermost support member corresponds to the upper end of the sheet material and the lower end of the lowermost support member corresponds to the lower end of the sheet material. Each support member has a pair of support walls parallel to the liquid flow direction and perpendicular to the sheet material surface, and a bridging part connecting the support walls. A sandwiching structure is formed that one sheet material is held by at least one support member attached thereto and at least one support member attached to an adjacent sheet material, and it extends linearly through the plurality of sheet materials.

A structured packing sheet includes a top interface region, a first turning region, a central region, a second turning region, and a bottom interface region. The central region includes a plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion and arranged generally parallel to each other. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a first angle with respect to a vertical axis. The top interface region and the bottom interface region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a second angle with respect to the vertical axis. The second angle is smaller than the first angle. The first turning region and the second turning region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross. The plurality of corrugations have a plurality of breaks in the first turning region and the second turning region.

A structured packing sheet includes a top interface region, a first turning region, a central region, a second turning region, and a bottom interface region. The central region includes a plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion and arranged generally parallel to each other. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a first angle with respect to a vertical axis. The top interface region and the bottom interface region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a second angle with respect to the vertical axis. The second angle is smaller than the first angle. The first turning region and the second turning region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross. The plurality of corrugations have a plurality of breaks in the first turning region and the second turning region.

In general, the subject matter described herein relates to wettable materials that can be used to expose a liquid phase to a gas phase. An example method includes: providing a material including a polymeric substrate and at least one of: a silicate coating disposed over the polymeric substrate; or a polar mineral additive dispersed within the polymeric substrate at a loading from about 1% to about 25%, by weight; and using the material in a chemical process in which the material is at least partially covered by a liquid phase and the liquid phase is exposed to a gas phase.

An exchange column having at least a first layer of structured packing and a second layer of structured packing, each layer formed from corrugated plates, the corrugated plates of the second layer having an orientation that is rotated at an angle relative to the corrugated plates of the first layer from 20 to 90, wherein the vertical height of the first layer and/or the vertical height of the second layer is greater than 350 mm or greater than 400 mm.

An exchange column having at least a first layer of structured packing and a second layer of structured packing, each layer formed from corrugated plates, the corrugated plates of the second layer having an orientation that is rotated at an angle relative to the corrugated plates of the first layer from 20 to 90, wherein the vertical height of the first layer and/or the vertical height of the second layer is greater than 350 mm or greater than 400 mm.

A contactor for a heat and/or material exchange column includes an arrangement of two structured packings developing different geometric surface areas and having parallel principal directions. A heat exchange column, a floating structure including such a contactor, and the use of a column equipped with such a contactor are also disclosed.

An apparatus includes an inlet, an outlet, and a sheet disposed proximate a heat transfer surface, wherein the sheet is oriented in a sheet plane that is displaced from a plane of the heat transfer surface by an angle of at least 10 degrees. The apparatus also includes a plurality of tabs attached to the sheet, the tabs lying in respective tab planes, wherein the tab planes and the sheet plane intersect forming respective intersections. The intersections of the tab planes and the sheet plane are substantially parallel. The intersections of the tab planes and the sheet plane are at an angle of less than 88 to the heat transfer surface, and the plurality of tabs collectively form channels directing a fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet to impinge the heat transfer surface.

A gravity liquid distributor a having a lower plate provided with orifices via which a liquid leaves the distributor in order to irrigate a lower element. Parallel parallelepipedal chimneys dedicated to the passage of the ascending gas. The chimneys are distributed over an entire central portion with a circular cross section of the lower plate, which frees up a peripheral channel, which is fluidically connected to the troughs, over the perimeter of the lower plate. A plurality of hats that are able to guide the liquid collected above the troughs towards the peripheral channel, each hat having an elongate rectangular form with two ends, with just one hat per trough, the hat being closed off at just one end such that at least the majority of the liquid collected flows towards the peripheral channel. The hats are oriented at an acute or zero angle with respect to the horizontal.

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.