Method of precipitating solid particles from a suspension of the particles in a liquor

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PRECIPITATING SOLID PARTICLES FROM A SUSPENSION OF THE PARTICLES IN A LIQUOR, WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A COLUMN OF SUCH A SUSPENSION-CONTAINING LIQUOR IN AN OPEN-TOP VESSEL, FROM WHICH THE PARTICLES ARE TO BE PRECIPITATED, AND IN WHICH IS CONTAINED A QUANTITY OF PRECIPITATED PARTICLES, PROVIDING A CENTRALLY LOCATED AIR LIFT EXTENDING FROM ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN TO THE TOP THEREOF, INJECTING AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE AIR LIFT AND WITHDRAWING LIQUOR CONTAINING PRECIPITATED PARTICLES FROM ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN AND MOVING THE SAID LIQUOR UPWARDLY THROUGH THE AIR LIFT TO THE TOP OF THE COLUMN, OVERFLOWING THE LIQUOR MOVED UPWARDLY THROUGH THE AIR LIFT AND DIRECTING THE OVERFLOW OUTWARDLY IN THE VESSEL TOWARD A DECANTING ZONE SURROUNDING THE UPPER PORTION OF THE SAID COLUMN OF LIQUOR, SAID DECANTING ZONE HAVING A DOWNWARDLY INCLINED LOWER SURFACE SLOPING INWARDLY TO THE SAID COLUMN, SAID DECANTING ZONE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ISOLATED FROM THE SAID COLUMN OF LIQUOR BY MEANS OF A VERTICALLY DISPOSED CONTINUOUS ANNULAR BAFFLE WHICH CIRCUMSCRIBES THE AIR LIFT AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE PERIMETER OF THE SAID COLUMN AND IS PERFORATED ONLY AT THREE DIFFERENT HORIZONTAL LEVELS-ONE LEVEL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE OVERFLOWED LIQUOR ADJAECNT THE AIR LIFT, A SECOND LEVEL AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID DECANTING ZONE, AND A THIRD LEVEL INTERMEDIATE THE SAID FIRST AND SECOND LEVELS, INTRODUCING THE SAID OVERFLOWED LIQUOR INTO THE DECANTING ZONE THROUGH THE INTERMEDIATE LEVELS OF PERFORATIONS IN THE BAFFLE, AND WITHDRAWING A RELATIVELY CLEAR LIQUOR AS OVERFLOW FROM THE PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE LIQUOR IN THE DECANTING ZONE, BY CONCURRENTLY PRECIPITATING PARTICLES FROM THE LIQUOR IN THE DECANTING ZONE AND RETURNING THE PRECIPITATED PARTICLES TO THE SAID COLUMN THROUGH THE LOWERMOST LEVEL OF PERFORATION IN THE BAFFLE AND RETURNING LIQUOR CONTAINING RELATIVELY FINE PRECIPITATED PARTICLES SURROUNDED BY AIR BUBBLES TO THE SAID COLUMN OF LIQUOR THROUGH THE UPPERMOST LEVEL OF PERFORATIONS IN THE BAFFLE, THE LEVEL OF THE SAID UPPERMOST LEVEL OF PERFORATIONS IN THE BAFFLE AND THE LEVEL OF THE OVERFLOW PERIPHERY OF THE DECANTING ZONE BEING THE SAME AND CHOSEN RELATIVE TO THE LEVEL OF THE OVERFLOWED LIQUOR ADJACENT THE AIR LIFT SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR A RELATIVELY CLEAR OVERFLOW FROM THE PERIPHERY OF THE DECANTING ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PRECIPITATING SOLID PARTICLES FROM A SUSPENSION OF THE PARTICLES IN A LIQUOR, WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A COLUMN OF SUCH A SUSPENSION-CONTAINING LIQUOR IN AN OPEN-TOP VESSEL, FROM WHICH THE PARTICLES ARE TO BE PRECIPITATED, AND IN WHICH IS CONTAINED A QUANTITY OF PRECIPITATED PARTICLES, PROVIDING A CENTRALLY LOCATED AIR LIFT EXTENDING FROM ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN TO THE TOP THEREOF, INJECTING AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE AIR LIFT AND WITHDRAWING LIQUOR CONTAINING PRECIPITATED PARTICLES FROM ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN AND MOVING THE SAID LIQUOR UPWARDLY THROUGH THE AIR LIFT TO THE TOP OF THE COLUMN, OVERFLOWING THE LIQUOR MOVED UPWARDLY THROUGH THE AIR LIFT AND DIRECTING THE OVERFLOW OUTWARDLY IN THE VESSEL TOWARD A DECANTING ZONE SURROUNDING THE UPPER PORTION OF THE SAID COLUMN OF LIQUOR, SAID DECANTING ZONE HAVING A DOWNWARDLY INCLINED LOWER SURFACE SLOPING INWARDLY TO THE SAID COLUMN, SAID DECANTING ZONE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ISOLATED FROM THE SAID COLUMN OF LIQUOR BY MEANS OF A VERTICALLY DISPOSED CONTINUOUS ANNULAR BAFFLE WHICH CIRCUMSCRIBES THE AIR LIFT AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE PERIMETER OF THE SAID COLUMN AND IS PERFORATED ONLY AT THREE DIFFERENT HORIZONTAL LEVELS-ONE LEVEL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE OVERFLOWED LIQUOR ADJAECNT THE AIR LIFT, A SECOND LEVEL AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID DECANTING ZONE, AND A THIRD LEVEL INTERMEDIATE THE SAID FIRST AND SECOND LEVELS, INTRODUCING THE SAID OVERFLOWED LIQUOR INTO THE DECANTING ZONE THROUGH THE INTERMEDIATE LEVELS OF PERFORATIONS IN THE BAFFLE, AND WITHDRAWING A RELATIVELY CLEAR LIQUOR AS OVERFLOW FROM THE PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE LIQUOR IN THE DECANTING ZONE, BY CONCURRENTLY PRECIPITATING PARTICLES FROM THE LIQUOR IN THE DECANTING ZONE AND RETURNING THE PRECIPITATED PARTICLES TO THE SAID COLUMN THROUGH THE LOWERMOST LEVEL OF PERFORATION IN THE BAFFLE AND RETURNING LIQUOR CONTAINING RELATIVELY FINE PRECIPITATED PARTICLES SURROUNDED BY AIR BUBBLES TO THE SAID COLUMN OF LIQUOR THROUGH THE UPPERMOST LEVEL OF PERFORATIONS IN THE BAFFLE, THE LEVEL OF THE SAID UPPERMOST LEVEL OF PERFORATIONS IN THE BAFFLE AND THE LEVEL OF THE OVERFLOW PERIPHERY OF THE DECANTING ZONE BEING THE SAME AND CHOSEN RELATIVE TO THE LEVEL OF THE OVERFLOWED LIQUOR ADJACENT THE AIR LIFT SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR A RELATIVELY CLEAR OVERFLOW FROM THE PERIPHERY OF THE DECANTING ZONE.