Extraction apparatus

Claim 1

MULTISTAGE CONTINUOUS LIQUID-LIQUID CONTACT APPARATUS FOR TREATING A SOLUTION CONTAINING A SOLUTE WITH A SOLVENT AT LEAST PARTIALLY IMMISCIBLE WITH THE SOLUTION, SAID SOLUTION AND SOLVENT HAVING DIFFERENT DENSITIES, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY ARRANGED ANNULAR CONTAINER HAVING SPACED BAFFLES THEREIN POSITIONED TO DIVIDE SAID CONTAINER INTO A NUMBER OF INTERCONNECTED COMPARTMENTS CORRESPONDING TO THE NUMBER OF STAGES, EACH OF SAID CONPARTMENTS HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER OUTLET CONNECTIONS AND AN INTERMEDIATE INLET CONNECTION, A SERIES OF TRANSFER PUMPS, EACH OF A PLURALITY OF THE COMPARTMENTS OF SAID CONTAINER BEING CONNECTED TO A FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD PUMP OF SAID SERIES, A SERIES OF MIXING DECICES EACH OF WHICH IS CONNECTED TO THE DISCHARGE SIDES OF ONE OF SAID FIRST PUMPS AND ONE OF SAID SECOND PUMPS AND TO THE INLET CONNECTION OF ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, OF CONDUIT CONNECTING THE LOWER OUTLET CONNECTION OF SAID ONE COMPARTMENT AND THE SECTION SIDE OF ONE OF SAID THIRD PUMPS, CONDUITS CONNECTING THE SUCTION SIDES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PUMPS WITH THE LOWER OUTLET CONNECTION AND UPPER OUTLET CONNECTION RESPECTIVELY OF THE TWO COMPARTMENTS ADJACENT TO SAID ONE COMPARTMENT, THE FIRST PUMP ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ONE COMPARTMENT, THE FIRST PUMP THIRD PUMP OF THE NEXT PRECEDING COMPARTMENT AND THE THIRD PUMP ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ONE COMPARTMENT BEING THE FIRST PUMP BEING SECCEEDING CONPARTMENT, SAID PUMPS BEING LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID ANNULAR CONTAINER WHEREBY THE CONDUITS INTERCONNECTING SAID PUMPS AND SAID COMPARTMENTS ARE OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH.