Liquid-liquid contact method and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONTACTING A COMPARATIVELY HEAVY FLUID WITH A COMPARATIVELY LIGHT FLUID INCOMPLETELY MISCIBLE THEREWITH WHICH COMPRISES FLOWING THE COMPARATIVELY LIGHT FLUID UPWARDLY AND THE COMPARATIVELY HEAVY FLUID DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SUPERPOSED STAGES, EACH OF SAID STAGES HAVING A MIXING ZONE AND A SETTLING ZONE DISPOSED ON SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME STATIONARY HORIZONTAL PLANE, CONFINING SAID FLUIDS IN EACH MIXING ZONE IN A SMALL UNIT VOLUME AGAINST SUBSTANTIAL MOVEMENT IN ALL DIRECTIONS ECEPT LATERAL AND SUBJECTING SAID CONFINED FLUIDS IN EACH MIXING ZONE TO A VERTICALLY DIRECTED POUNDING ACTION APPLIED AT HORIZONTALLY SPACED PORTIONS OF THE FLUIDS TO IMPART RAPIDLY RECURRING DISRUPTIVE SHOCKS THERETO AND TO FORM AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF SAID FLUIDS, PASSING THE RESULTING MIXTURE FROM EACH MIXING ZONE LATERALLY TO THE AD JACENT SETTLING ZONE, EFFECTING SEPARATION OF SAID MIXTURE INTO TWO SUPERNATANT PHASES, FLOWING THE SEPARATED UPPER PHASE TO THE MIXING ZONE IN THE NEXT HIGHER STAGE, FLOWING THE SEPARATED LOWER PHASE TO THE MIXING ZONE IN THE NEXT LOWER STAGE, WITHDRAWING TREATED LIGHT FLUID FROM THE UPPERMOST SETTLING ZONE AND WITHDRAWING TREATED HEAVY FLUID FROM THE LOWERMOST SETTLING ZONE.