Gas and liquid contact apparatus

Claim 1

A GAS AND LIQUID CONTACT APPARATUS, COMPRISING A CASING DEFINING A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY-EXTENDING CONTINUOUS FLUID FLOW PATH HAVING AN INLET COMMUNICATION WITH ITS INTERIOR ADJACENT ONE HORIZONTAL END OF SAID FLOW PATH, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A MIXTURE OF GASES INTO THE CASING THROUGH SAID INLET, A SOURCE OF LIQUID OF A TYPE WHICH IS CAPABLE OF ABSORBING AT LEAST ONE OF THE GASES FROM SAID MIXTURE BUT WHICH IS ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY INCAPABLE OF ABSORBING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID GASES FROM THE MIXTURE, MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SOURCE FOR DELIVERING SAID LIQUID INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CASING FOR INJECTING SAID LIQUID INTO THE CASING, A POROUS MATERIAL OF A CHEMICALLY INERT NATURE IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID GAS MIXTURE AND SAID LIQUID, SAID POROUS MATERIAL OCCUPYING THE INTERIOR OF SAID CASING ALONG SAID FLOW PATH FOR RECEPTION OF SAID INJECTED LIQUID FOR CREATING AN INCREASED SURFACE AREA OF CONTACT BETWEEN SAID MIXTURE OF GASES AND THE LIQUID, AND FOR IMPEDING THE DOWNWARD FLOW OF THE LIQUID IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE LIQUID IN PROLONGED CONTACT WITH THE MIXTURE OF GASES AS THE MIXTURE MOVES ALONG SAID FLOW PATH, SAID CASING BEING FORMED WITH AN OUTLET OPENING THROUGH ITS BOTTOM FOR DISCHARGE OF SAID LIQUID, SAID CASING FURTHER BEING FORMED WITH A GAS OUTLET ABOVE ITS BOTTOM ADJACENT THE OTHER HORIZONTAL END OF SAID FLOW PATH FOR DISCHARGE OF GAS, AND A PLURALITY OF UPPER AND LOWER BAFFLE PLATES DISPOSED IN SAID CASING IN ALTERNATING RELATION ALONG SAID FLOW PATH FOR DEFINING A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL UNDULATIONS IN THE FLOW PATH TO DISCOURAGE THE LAMINAR FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH SAID POROUS MATERIAL AND TO IMPEDE THE DOWNWARD FLOW OF LIQUID THROUGH SAID MATERIAL AT LOCATIONS ALONG SAID FLOW PATH IN WHICH THE SAID VERTICAL UNDULATIONS PRODUCE PREDOMINATELY UPWARD FLOW OF THE SAID GASES.