Evaporative media pads for direct evaporative cooling systems and, in particular, evaporative media pads that have a reduced internal spacing to increase cooling capacity. In one embodiment, an evaporative media pad includes a plurality of sheets, each of the plurality of sheets including a plurality of flutes, each of the plurality of flutes having a flute height of at most 4.5 mm. In one embodiment, the flute height is at most 4 mm.

A device for the intimate mixing of solid particles and a gaseous medium within a gas-solid fluidized bed, comprising a plurality corrugated and/or ribbed planar stanchions arranged in alternating intersecting planes that provide a plurality of open spaces between or adjacent the alternating intersecting planar stanchions. The element has a three-dimensional lattice configuration and the corrugated and/or ribbed planar stanchions are formed from metal having peaks and valleys or ribs, such that the peaks and valleys or ribs are angled at less than 90 degrees from the fall-line of the planar stanchion when assembled into the element. The angled peaks and valleys or ribs form channels that enhance lateral movement of catalyst particles into the spaces between the stanchions to provide improved vapor/solids mixing and contact.

A structured packing element for a column for at least one of mass transfer and heat exchange between a heavy fluid phase and a light fluid phase. The structured packing element comprises at least two layers of a grid comprising openings that are surrounded and separated from each other by separating elements. At least two of the layers are arranged in a longitudinal direction parallel and in touching contact with each other such that an open space extending from one end to an opposite end of the layers is provided between the layers such that at least one of the heavy fluid phase and the light fluid phase may flow therethrough. An average width of at least 50% of the separating elements between adjacent openings is at least 15 times a layer material thickness and is between 70% and 125% of an average hydraulic diameter of the adjacent openings.

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 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.

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.

A packing module for use in a mass transfer column has a plurality of packing elements positioned in an upright, parallel relationship to each other. Each packing element has a plurality of side-by-side and parallel longitudinal rows of arched outer rib elements that are connected at opposite ends to spaced apart side strips. The outer rib elements project outwardly in opposite directions from the side strips. In an upper edge region and a lower edge region at least one of the side strips in each longitudinal row converges toward the other side strip. The convergence of the side strips causes a reduction in length and outward projection of the outer rib elements that are connected at opposite ends to the converging side strips. The longitudinal rows of outer rib elements in adjacent packing elements are arranged in crisscrossing relationship to each other.

A packing element has components that form snap-lock connections with like packing elements used to form a contact assembly. The packing elements can be readily and easily assembled together using little force by connecting the packing elements with connectors in a snap-lock manner. The packing elements are retained by the snap-lock connectors in the contact assembly such that the packing elements cannot be separated without such force that the material forming at least one of components of the snap-lock connections or the packing element will fail to the extent that a contact assembly made using the packing elements would not be functional.

Disclosed is a packing made up of a stack of plates, having been shaped to form corrugations in the plate and assembled to form a cross-corrugated packing block for a mass and/or heat transfer application, wherein the material of the packing plates is an open-pore metal foam, and in that the specific surface area of the packing is greater than 500 m2/m3 and in that the thickness (e) of the plate is less than 2 mm before the shaping operation.

A structured cross-channel packing element for a column for at least one of mass transfer and heat exchange between a heavy fluid phase and a light fluid phase. The structured cross-channel packing element comprises at least two adjacent layers made of expanded metal sheets each comprising openings that are surrounded and separated from each other by separating elements. At least two of layers are arranged in a longitudinal direction parallel and in touching contact with each other such that an open space extending from one end to an opposite end of the layers is provided between the layers such that at least one of the heavy fluid phase and the light fluid phase may flow therethrough. A ratio between an average width of at least 50% of the separating elements between adjacent ones of the openings and a sheet material thickness is at least 15.