Sieve tray for use in gas treatment towers

1. For use in a gas treatment tower, a sieve tray consisting essentially of a flat plate having a plurality of hexagonally shaped openings, wherein the said openings are arranged in rows and columns on said plate, each hexagonal opening being oriented with respect to each of its neighboring hexagonal openings so that opposed flat sides of said neighboring openings are parallel, whereby the closed area of said plate defined between the flat sides of said neighboring openings is a continuous strip of constant width corresponding to the distance between the adjacent flat sides of neighboring openings enabling a higher open area on said plate while maintaining the tray structural integrity, thereby enabling use of the tray in higher velocity towers; and wherein the said open area in said tray is from 50 to 60% of the total plate area.

2. A gas-liquid/slurry contact tray for mounting in the flow path of FGD towers, consisting essentially of a flat plate including openings for passage of and contact between a gas and counterflowing liquids or slurries; said openings being hexagonally shaped, and arranged in rows and columns on said plate, each hexagonal opening being oriented with respect to each of its neighboring hexagonal openings so that opposed flat sides of neighboring openings are parallel, whereby the closed area of said plate defined between the flat sides of said neighboring openings is a continuous strip of constant width corresponding to the distance between the adjacent flat sides of neighboring openings, said openings providing a high open area in the tray while maintaining the tray structural integrity, thereby enabling higher velocities to be utilized for the gas and liquid or slurry flows in the tower; and wherein the said open area in said tray is from 50 to 60% of the total plate area.

3. In a gas treatment tower wherein a gas is flowed through the tower in countercurrent relationship to a liquid or slurry which reacts with the gas or a component of the gas; and wherein one or more perforated sieve trays are mounted in the tower flow path to serve as liquid-gas or slurry-gas contact surfaces facilitating the liquid-gas or slurry-gas reaction; the improvement wherein said one or more sieve trays consist essentially of: a flat plate having perforated openings which are hexagonal in shape and arranged in rows and columns on said plate, each hexagonal opening being oriented with respect to each of its neighboring hexagonal openings so that opposed flat sides of neighboring openings are parallel, whereby the closed area of said tray defined between the flat sides of said neighboring openings is a continuous strip of constant width corresponding to the distance between the adjacent flat sides of neighboring openings, enabling in comparison to the perforations being round holes, a higher open area in the tray while better maintaining the tray structural integrity, thereby enabling higher velocities to be utilized for the gas and liquid or slurry flows in the tower and wherein the open area provided on said tray by said perforations is from 50 to 60% of the total plate area.

4. In the method for effecting a liquid-gas or slurry-gas reaction by flowing said gas through a FGD tower in countercurrent relationship to said liquid or slurry which reacts with the gas or a component of the gas; and wherein one or more perforated sieve trays are mounted in the tower flow path to serve as liquid-gas or slurry-gas contact surfaces facilitating the liquid-gas or slurry-gas reaction; the improvement comprising:

utilizing as each of said one or more sieve trays a tray consisting essentially of a plate having perforated openings which are hexagonal in shape and arranged in rows and columns on said plate, each hexagonal opening being oriented with respect to each of its neighboring hexagonal openings so that opposed flat sides of neighboring openings are parallel, whereby the closed area of said plate defined between the flat sides of said neighboring openings is a continuous strip of constant width corresponding to the distance between the adjacent flat sides of neighboring openings, enabling in comparison to the perforations being round holes, a higher open area in the tray while better maintaining the tray structural integrity, thereby enabling higher velocities to be utilized for the gas and liquid or slurry flows in the tower; and wherein the open area provided on said tray by said perforations is from 50 to 60% of the total plate area.