Apparatus in the production of aluminum and other powder with leaf structure or needle form

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR SIFTING POWDER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A CENTRIFUGAL WIND SEPARATOR HAVING A NARROW SIFTING SPACE FORMED BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL DISKS, AN ANNULAR CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID DISKS AND FORMING A CIRCULAR INLET TO SAID SIFTING SPACE, A TANGENTIAL INLET TO SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER, A RADIAL INLET TO SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER, SAID RADIAL INLET BEING FORMED BETWEEN ONE OF SAID DISKS ENCLOSING SAID SIFTING SPACE AND A THIRD DISK PARALLEL THERETO, SAID THIRD DISK BEING PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL APERTURE TO WHICH A CONDUIT IS CONNECTED FOR SUPPLYING A GAS STREAM TO SAID RADIAL INLET, AN ADJUSTABLE VALVE IN SAID CONDUIT, PUMPING MEANS FOR PUMPING A GAS STREAM THROUGH SAID INLETS INTO SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING POWDER INTO SAID TANGENTIAL INLET AND MINGLING SAID POWDER INTO THE GAS FLOWING THERETHROUGH, AN OUTLET FOR POWDER PARTICLES HAVING A SPECIFIC SURFACE (SURFACE AREA PER UNIT OF WEIGHT) LESS THAN A PREDETERMINED VALUE AND A WEIGHT GREATER THAN A PREDETERMINED VALUE, SAID OUTLET BEING CONNECTED TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER AND DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, A FURTHER OUTLET FOR THE GAS STREAM WITH THE REST OF THE POWDER SUSPENDED THEREIN CONNECTED TO A CENTRAL APERTURE IN THE UPPER ONE OF SAID DISKS, AND A FILTER CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MENTIONED OUTLET FOR SEPARATING THE REST OF THE POWDER FROM SAID GAS STREAM.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR SIFTING POWDER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A CENTRIFUGAL WIND SEPARATOR HAVING A NARROW SIFTING SPACE FORMED BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL DISKS, AN ANNULAR CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID DISKS AND FORMING A CIRCULAR INLET TO SAID SIFTING SPACE, A TANGENTIAL INLET TO SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER, A RADIAL INLET TO SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER, SAID RADIAL INLET BEING FORMED BETWEEN ONE OF SAID DISKS ENCLOSING SAID SIFTING SPACE AND A THIRD DISK PARALLEL THERETO, SAID THIRD DISK BEING PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL APERTURE TO WHICH A CONDUIT IS CONNECTED FOR SUPPLYING A GAS STREAM TO SAID RADIAL INLET, AN ADJUSTABLE VALVE IN SAID CONDUIT, PUMPING MEANS FOR PUMPING A GAS STREAM THROUGH SAID INLETS INTO SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING POWDER INTO SAID TANGENTIAL INLET AND MINGLING SAID POWDER INTO THE GAS FLOWING THERETHROUGH, AN OUTLET FOR POWDER PARTICLES HAVING A SPECIFIC SURFACE (SURFACE AREA PER UNIT OF WEIGHT) LESS THAN A PREDETERMINED VALUE AND A WEIGHT GREATER THAN A PREDETERMINED VALUE, SAID OUTLET BEING CONNECTED TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ANNULAR CHAMBER AND DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, A FURTHER OUTLET FOR THE GAS STREAM WITH THE REST OF THE POWDER SUSPENDED THEREIN CONNECTED TO A CENTRAL APERTURE IN THE UPPER ONE OF SAID DISKS, AND A FILTER CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MENTIONED OUTLET FOR SEPARATING THE REST OF THE POWDER FROM SAID GAS STREAM.