Apparatus for continuously adding an inhibitor to a mixing tank

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH MEANS INCLUDING A SERISES OF PICKLING TANKS FOR ACID PICKLING FERROUS METAL, APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY ADDING SOLID PARTICLES OF INHIBITOR TO THE TANKS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, A SUPPLY TANK FOR HOLDING A BATH OF SLURRY OF INHIBITOR PARTICLES SUSPENDED IN A LIQUID, MEANS FOR AGITATING THE SLURRY IN THE SUPPLY TANK, A CONDUIT DEFINING A RELATIVELY LARGER PASSAGE HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET COMMUNICATING WITH THE SUPPLY TANK, PUMP MEANS FOR CIRCULATING SLURRY FROM THE SUPPLY TANK THROUGH THE CONDUIT PASSAGE BACK TO THE SUPPLY TANK UNDER PRESSURE, AND A SERIES OF PASSAGE MEANS, EACH DEFINING A RELATIVELY SMALLER PASSAGE SEPARATELY CONNECTED TO THE CONDUIT PASSAGE AND A CORRESPONDING ONE OF THE PICKLING TANKS, FOR WITHDRAWING SLURRY FROM THE CONDUIT AND ADDING THE SLURRY TO THE PICKLING TANKS, EACH PASSAGE MEANS TERMINATING IN AN ELONGATED TUBE OF UNIFORM SIZE LEADING TO THE CORRESPONDING PICKLING TANK AND CONTROLLING THE RATE OF FLOW TO THE PICKLING TANK, THE TOTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL PASSAGE AREA OF ALL OF THE RELATIVELY SMALLER PASSAGE BEING LESS THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE CONDUIT PASSAGE WHEREBY ONLY PART OF THE SLURRY CIRCULATING THROUGH THE CONDUIT IS WITHDRAWN.