Method for continuously softening water and apparatus therefor

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY SOFTENING WATER, PARTICULARLY BOILER FEED WATER, BY PRECIPITATION OF THE HARDNESS FORMING SALTS IN A REACTOR TO WHICH IS FED THE RAW WATER, THE PRECIPATING REAGENT AND HEATING FLUIDS, CHARCTERIZED BY THE FEATURE THAT THE WATER TO BE SOFTENED, THE REAGENT AND THE HEATING FLUIDS ARE FED TANGENTIALY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR, SO AS TO IMPART TO THE CONTENTS OF THE REACTOR A WHIRLING MOTION IN THE HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AND THAT AT THE SAME TIME SOFTENED WATER CONTAINING IN SUSPENSION RECENTLY PRECIPITATED MUD PARTICLES AND RESIDUES OF REAGENTS IS DRAWN FROM A POINT BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IN THE REACTOR AND FORCEDLY FED INTO THE BOTTOM END SO AS TO PROMOTE A FORCED CIRCULATION IN HORITICAL DIRECTION, TO INCREASE THE CIRCULATION IN HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AND TO SEED THE MUD PARTICLES THROUGHOUT THE LIQUID UNDER REACTION, SUCH MUD PARTICLES ACTING AS CRYSTALLISATION NUCLEI AND PROMOTING PRECIPITION, WHILE A PART OF THE LIQUID WHICH HAS UNDERGONE SOFTENING TOGETHER WITH THE MUD PARTICLES ACCRUED BY PRECIPITATON OF HARDNESS SALTS ON THE CRYSTALLISATION NUCLEI ARE DISCHARGED FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IN THE REACTOR.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY SOFTENING WATER, PARTICULARLY BOILER FEED WATER, BY PRECIPITATION OF THE HARDNESS FORMING SALTS IN A REACTOR TO WHICH IS FED THE RAW WATER, THE PRECIPATING REAGENT AND HEATING FLUIDS, CHARCTERIZED BY THE FEATURE THAT THE WATER TO BE SOFTENED, THE REAGENT AND THE HEATING FLUIDS ARE FED TANGENTIALY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR, SO AS TO IMPART TO THE CONTENTS OF THE REACTOR A WHIRLING MOTION IN THE HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AND THAT AT THE SAME TIME SOFTENED WATER CONTAINING IN SUSPENSION RECENTLY PRECIPITATED MUD PARTICLES AND RESIDUES OF REAGENTS IS DRAWN FROM A POINT BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IN THE REACTOR AND FORCEDLY FED INTO THE BOTTOM END SO AS TO PROMOTE A FORCED CIRCULATION IN HORITICAL DIRECTION, TO INCREASE THE CIRCULATION IN HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AND TO SEED THE MUD PARTICLES THROUGHOUT THE LIQUID UNDER REACTION, SUCH MUD PARTICLES ACTING AS CRYSTALLISATION NUCLEI AND PROMOTING PRECIPITION, WHILE A PART OF THE LIQUID WHICH HAS UNDERGONE SOFTENING TOGETHER WITH THE MUD PARTICLES ACCRUED BY PRECIPITATON OF HARDNESS SALTS ON THE CRYSTALLISATION NUCLEI ARE DISCHARGED FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IN THE REACTOR.