Liquid-liquid extraction process and tower

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED LIQUID-LIQUID SOLVENT EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING TWO LIQUIDS HAVING PARTIAL IMMISCIBILITY WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER AND OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING A PLURALITY OF TREATINNG ZONES ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, FLOWING THE RESPECTIVE LIQUID STREAMS IN AN INITIAL STAGE OF EACH ZONE IN A PLURALITY OF HIGH VELOCITY JETS DIRECTLY OPPOSED TO EACH OTHER, THEREAFTER PASSING THE STREAMS IN CONCURRENT RELATION AT LOW VELOCITY THROUGH AN UNOBSTRUCTED SECONDARY STAGE IN A FLOW DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE FLOW IN SAID INITIAL STAGE WHEREBY SEPERATION OF THE TWO STREAMS OCCURS, AND PASSING SAID SEPARATED STREAMS FROM SAID SECOND STAGE INTO A TERTIARY STAGE AND FLOWING THE RESPECTIVE STREAMS IN SAID TERTIARY STAGE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE FLOW OF STREAMS IN SAID SECONDARY STAGE. MAINTAINING THE VOLUME OF LIQUIDS IN SAID TERTIARY STAGE SUFFICIENT TO CREATE A SUFFICIENT HEAD TO FORCE THE RESPECTIVE STREAMS INTO INITIAL STAGES OF ADJACENT ZONES.