LIQUID DISTRIBUTOR OF A PROCESS-TECHNOLOGY COLUMN

Abstract

A process-technology column including a novel liquid distributor which is to be as insensitive as possible to dirt or solids carried in the liquid and which can be operated over a load range as great as possible without the possibility of the delivered liquid being excessively easily entrained by the gas flow which rises in the column is provided. The liquid distributor includes a liquid feed for conducting a liquid and at least 2 nozzles connected thereto for producing a respective liquid jet. The nozzles are flat-jet nozzles for producing a respective flat jet. The flat-jet nozzles are so oriented that the flat jet produced by them impinges on a drain element which is arranged at the liquid distributor and at which the liquid of the flat jet can drain away.

Claims

1. A liquid distributor of a process-technology column, wherein the liquid distributor has a liquid feed for conducting a liquid and at least 2 nozzles connected thereto for producing a respective liquid jet, wherein the nozzles are flat-jet nozzles for producing a respective flat jet, wherein the flat-jet nozzles are so oriented that the flat jet produced by them impinges on a drain element which is arranged at the liquid distributor and at which the liquid of the flat jet can drain away.

2. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein the drain element is a drain surface, a porous material or a packing element.

3. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein the spray angle (β) which is reached at the wide side of the flat-jet nozzles is in a range of between 30° and 150°.

4. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein the drain element is a drain surface which has a horizontally extending longitudinal exchange element for longitudinal exchange of the liquid film draining away at the drain surface.

5. The liquid distributor according to claim 4, wherein the longitudinal exchange element is a channel, a porous material or a packing element.

6. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein the volume flow V per minute at a pressure p of 1 bar is between 0.2 and 20 l/min/nozzle.

7. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein the number of flat-jet nozzles is in the range of between 1 and 20 flat-jet nozzles per m.sup.2 of column cross-section.

8. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein there is provided thereon at least one screening element which screens at least a wide side of the flat jet with respect to the surroundings.

9. The liquid distributor according to claim 8, wherein the screening element is a screening surface, a porous screening material or a screening packing element.

10. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein the flat jet produced by the flat-jet nozzle impinges on the one side with its wide side at an impingement angle (α) in the range of between 1° and 60° on a guide plate provided as the drain element, wherein the opposite side of the flat jet is additionally screened by a screening plate with respect to the column interior.

11. The liquid distributor according to claim 1 in which the flat-jet nozzles are arranged in at least one row, wherein the flat-jet nozzles in the at least one row are so oriented that the longitudinal sides of the flat jets produced by them extend on a line.

12. The liquid distributor according to claim 1 in which the vertical difference between the height of the nozzle outlet opening and the height of the geometrical center point of the cross-sectional area of the flat jet incident on the drain element is in the range of between 5 and 80 cm.

13. A process-technology column including the liquid distributor according to claim 1.

14. A method of purifying or separating a liquid mixture by means of packings or filling bodies disposed in a process-technology column, wherein the liquid mixture to be purified or separated is passed on to the packings or filling bodies by way of the liquid distributor according to claim 1.

15. The liquid distributor according to claim 1, wherein the process-technology column is a column for thermal separation of liquid mixtures.

16. The process-technology column according to claim 11, wherein the process-technology column is a column for thermal separation of liquid mixtures.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the process-technology column is a column for thermal separation of liquid mixtures.

Description

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

[0034] In accompanying FIGS. 1 through 4:

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the liquid distributor according to the invention in which the liquid jet is directed on to a drain plate,

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a detail of the liquid delivery of a specific embodiment of the present invention,

[0037] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the liquid distributor according to the invention involving an alternative geometry, and

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a row arrangement of flat-jet nozzles in a certain embodiment of the invention in the form of a line distributor.

[0039] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the liquid to be passed on to the separation column is passed by way of a tubular liquid feed 1 to the flat-jet nozzles 3. Disposed at the transition of the tube of the liquid feed 1 to the flat-jet nozzle is a quantitative regulation element 2. That quantitative regulation element 2 in this embodiment is in the form of an orifice member for regulating the quantity of liquid passing therethrough. After the liquid passes through the quantitative regulating element 2 the liquid passes into the flat-jet nozzle 3. That flat-jet nozzle 3 produces the flat jet 5 which impinges at the impingement angle (α) 6 on a drain element 4 arranged on the liquid distributor. In this embodiment the drain element 4 is in the form of a guide plate which is arranged on the liquid distributor and which extends from just above the flat-jet nozzle 3 downwardly, the guide plate being set slightly at an angle in the direction of the flat jet. That gives an impingement angle (α) 6 between the wide side of the vertically downwardly directed flat jet 3 and the inwardly directed surface of the guide plate provided as the drain element 4.

[0040] The drain element 4 provided in the form of the guide plate screens the one side of the flat jet relative to the column interior while on the opposite side the flat jet 5 in the embodiment discussed here is screened relative to the column interior by the screening plate provided in the form of the additional screening surface 7. In the embodiment illustrated here the surface of the screening plate 7 extends over the entire length of the flat jet including the length over which the flat jet runs down on the drain element.

[0041] A liquid delivery means 11 of a specific configuration at the lower end adjoins the guide plate of the drain element 4 in the embodiment illustrated here, and a detail of that liquid delivery means 11 of the embodiment illustrated here is shown in following FIG. 2.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a liquid delivery means 11 as can be implemented in many embodiments of the present invention, for example the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. At the lower end of the guide plate of the drain element 4 the guide plate in this embodiment is curved a distance further upwardly in order thus to form a channel 9 serving as a longitudinal exchange element for homogenizing a flat jet which is possibly not completely homogeneous. More specifically, the liquid draining down on the guide plate of the drain element 4 can collect in the channel and in that situation can be distributed uniformly in the longitudinal direction. When the level of the liquid 14 collected in the channel 9 has reached the height of the overflow edge 12 the liquid 5 can drain away over the adjoining drip surface 13 and drip off at the lower edge of that drip surface 13. In the embodiment illustrated here the lower edge of the drip surface 13 is of a jagged configuration to make it easier for liquids of particularly high cohesion force like for example water to more readily drip off.

[0043] Optionally in the embodiment illustrated here apertures 10 can be provided at the lowest point of the channel 9, through which apertures liquid can also drip out of the liquid distributor according to the invention. Those apertures 10 do not necessarily have to be at the lowest point of the channel 9 but that is desirable to ensure that the liquid completely runs away when the liquid delivery is to be concluded.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the present invention. Here too provision of the liquid to be delivered is implemented by way of the liquid feed 1 which passes the liquid to the flat-jet nozzle 3. In contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment provides that the guide plate acting as the drain element 4 extends vertically and parallel to the flat jet 5. It is only right at the end of the guide plate that the guide plate bends in the direction of the flat jet 5 and forms with the vertically downwardly directed flat jet 5 the impingement angle (α) 6. Adjoining the region in which the flat jet 5 impinges on the guide plate the guide plate once again bends away vertically downwardly and at the lowermost end forms a drip edge from which the liquid draining down on the guide plate can drip off.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a row arrangement of flat-jet nozzles 3 in a certain embodiment of the present invention. More specifically three flat-jet nozzles 3 are shown, which are so arranged in the liquid distributor according to the invention that the flat jets 5 thereof lie in the longitudinal direction on a line, wherein the spray angle (β) 8 is so selected that the flat jets 5 of two adjacent flat-jet nozzles 3 are in contact at the location at which they impinge on the drain element 4. That provides a continuous liquid film which can drip off at the lower end of the drain element 4 over the entire length of the flat-jet nozzle row on a line. Taking the example of the flat-jet nozzle shown as alternative 3′, the Figure shows how the width of the flat jet can be varied by selecting flat-jet nozzles of greater or lesser length. The spray angle (β) 8 is preferably in a range of between 30° and 150°.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0046] 1 liquid feed [0047] 2 quantitative regulation [0048] 3, 3′ flat-jet nozzles [0049] 4 drain element [0050] 5, 5′ flat jet [0051] 6 impingement angle (α) [0052] 7 screening surface [0053] 8 spray angle (β) [0054] 9 channel [0055] 10 apertures [0056] 11 liquid delivery [0057] 12 overflow edge [0058] 13 drip surface [0059] 14 liquid