Process for the separation of solid substances of different specific gravity and grain size

Claim 1

THE CONTINUOUS METHOD OF SEPARATING SOLID PARTICLES OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITY AND PARTICLE SIZE COMPRISING SIMULTANEOUSLY FEEDING UNDER PRESSURE TANGENTIALLY INTO ONE END PORTION OF EACH OF A PLURALITY OF CONFINED CIRCULAR SPACES A SUSPENSION IN A LIQUID OF A MASS OF SUCH PARTICLES TO MOVE IN A CYCLONIC VORTEX WITHIN THE CIRCULAR SPACE WHEREIN CENTRIFUGAL FORCES WILL BE SUSBTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF GRAVITATIONAL FORCES, A PORTION OF THE MASS OF PARTICLES BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY FINER SIZE THAN THE REMAINDER OF THE PARTICLES AND OF A SPECIFIC GRAVITY HIGHER THAN A PREDETERMINED SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SEPARATION, DISCHARGING LIQUID AND SEPARATED PARTICLES UNDER PRESSURE CREATED BY SAID FEED FROM TWO OUTLETS COAXIAL OF EACH CIRCULAR SPACE, ONE OF THE OUTLETS OF EACH SPACE OPENING DIRECTLY FROM THE END PORTION OF THE SPACE WHICH IS ADJACENT THE POINT OF INFEED WHILE THE SECOND OUTLET IS LOCATED AT THE NON-INFEED END OF THE CIRCULAR SPACE, SAID PORTION OF THE SPACE FINER PARTICLES BEING SUPPLIED IN SUCH QUANTITY AND THE DISCHARGE FROM THE SECOND OUTLET BEING SO RESTRICTED THAT AS CONCENTRATION OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY FINER AND HIGHER SPECIFIC GRAVITY PARTICLES WILL BE CREATED AND MAINTAINED IN A ZONE ADJACENT THE SECOND OUTLET OF EACH CIRCULAR SPACE TO OBSTRUCT DISCHARGE OF THE PARTICLES OF A SPECIFIC GRAVITY LOWER THAN SAID SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SEPARATION FROM THE SECOND DISCHARGE OUTLET SO THAT THE FRACTION DISCHARGED FROM EACH OF SAID FIRST DISCHARGE OUTLETS WILL CONTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY ALL PARTICLES OF A SPECIFIC GRAVITY LOWER THAN SAID SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SEPARATION AND THE FRACTION DISCHARGED AT EACH OF THE SECOND DISCHARGE OUTLETS WILL CONTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY PARTICLES OF A SPECIFIC GRAVITY HIGHER THAN SAID SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF SEPARATION, RECEIVING THE FRACTION DISCHARGED FROM EACH OF SAID SECOND DISCHARGE OUTLETS IN A LARGER CONFINED PRESSURE ZONE SURROUNDING ALL OF SAID SECOND DISCHARGE OUTLERS AND FILLED WITH A BATH OF SUCH SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAT LARGER PARTICLES RECEIVED THEREIN WILL SETTLE, AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING SUCH LARGER PARTICLES FROM THE CONFINED PRESSURE ZONE.