Mixer-settler contact apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CONTACT CHAMBERS ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A FIRST FLUID AND A SECOND FLUID, EACH CHAMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH WALLS ARRANGED TO ESTABLISH AN ELONGATED SPACE AXIALLY OF SAID CHAMBER, A PARTITION PLATE DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY WITHIN SAID CHAMBER THEREBY TO ESTABLISH A MIXING SECTION AND A SETTLING SECTION WITHIN SAID SPACE, SAID PLATE HAVING AN ELONGRATED APERTURE THEREIN WITH THE MAJOR AXIS OF SAID APERTURE BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY, A BAFFLE SPACED FROM SAID PLATE AND INTERPOSED IN THE PATH OF FLOW OF MIXED FLUIDS FROM THE MIXING SECTION INTO THE SETTLING SECTION, AGITATOR MEANS DISPOSED IN THE MIXING SECTION, MEANS ESTABLISHING SERIES COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CHAMBERS AND CONNECTING THE FLUID EXIT END OF AN INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER ADJACENT ITS BOTTOM TO THE FLUIDS ENTRANCE END OF ONE ADJACENT CHAMBER NEAR ITS BOTTOM AND THE FLUIDS ENTRANCE END OF SAID FIRST MENTIONED CHAMBER ADJACENT ITS BOTTOM TO THE FLUIDS EXIT END OF THE OTHER ADJACENT CHAMBER NEAR ITS BOTTOM FOR FLOW OF ONE FLUID AND FURTHER CONNECTING THE FLUIDS ENTRANCE END OF THE FIRST MENTIONED CHAMBER ADJACENT ITS TOP TO THE FLUIDS EXIT END OF THE ONE ADJACENT CHAMBER NEAR ITS TOP AND THE FLUIDS EXIT END OF THE FIRST MENTIONED CHAMBER ADJACENT ITS TOP TO THE FLUIDS ENTRANCE END OF THE OTHER ADJACENT CHAMBER NEAR ITS TOP FOR COUNTERCURRENT FLOW OF THE SECOND FLUID THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE CHAMBERS BUT CONCURRENTLY WITH THE FIRST FLUID THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE FIRST MENTIONED CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING AND REMOVING SAID FIRST AND SECOND FLUIDS INTO AND FROM SAID APPARATUS.