Fines separator for solvent extraction systems

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING FINE SOLID PARTICLES FROM A SOLID CARRYING FLUID, COMPRISING A SEPARATING CHAMBER PROVIDED WITH MEANS SUBDIVIDING IT INTO A RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF UPRIGHT PARALLEL CHANNELS EXTENDING FROM A SUPPLY RESERVOIR AT ONE END OF THE CHAMBER TO A DISCHARGE SPACE AT ITS OTHER END, CHANNELS ALL TERMINATING IN OPENINGS LYING IN A COMMON TRANSVERSE PLANE, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SOLID-CARRYING FLUID TO THE SUPPLY RESERVOIR, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING CLARIFIED FLUID FROM THE DISCHARGE SPACE, A FLEXIBLE TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING IMPERFORATE DIAPHRAGM OVERLYING SAID PLANE, DIAPHRAGM MANIPULATING MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID PLANE, AND HAVING A SUPPORTING PART ABOVE SAID PLANE, SAID DIAPHRAGM HAVING UPWARDLY ARCHED PORTION EXTENDING OVER AND IN SLIDABLE CONTACT WITH SAID SUPPORTING PART WHEREBY TO OPEN THE CHANNELS BENEATH SAID ARCHED PORTION, THE REMAINDER OF SAID DIAPHRAGM ON EACH SIDE OF THE BASE OF SAID ARCHED PORTION LYING IN SAID PLANE WHEREBY TO CLOSE THE CHANNELS WHICH TERMINATE THEREUNDER OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID MANIPULATING MEANS ALONG AND ADJACENT SAID PLANE RELATIVELY TO SAID DIAPHRAGM AND RELATIVELY TO SAID CHANNELS WHEREBY TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORTING PART ALONG AND UNDER SAID DIAPHRAGM TO PROGRESSIVELY RAISE SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF SAID DIAPHRAGM AND TO OPEN AND CLOSE SUCCESSIVELY ADJACENT CHANNELS ALONG THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, SO THAT IN EACH CHANNEL THERE ARE PERIODS WHICH FLUID FLOW OCCURS ALTERNATING WITH PERIODS DURING WHICH THE FLUID IS QUIESCENT AND FINE SOLID PARTICLES SEPARATE AND RETURN TO THE SUPPLY RESERVOIR.