Extraction of constituents of liquids by means of solvents

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS MULTI-STAGE COUNTER-CURRENT EXTRACTION OF LIQUIDS WITH SOLVENTS OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITIES THAN THE LIQUIDS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES, ESTABLISHING AT LEAST A FIRST AND A LAST SEPARATION ZONE SAID SEPARATION ZONES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, ESTABLISHING AT LEAST ONE MIXING ZONE FOR EACH SAID SEPARATION ZONES POSITIONED IN SAID SEPARATION ZONES SAID MIXING ZONES HAVING A LIQUID LEVEL INDEPENDENT OF THE LIQUID LEVEL IN SAID SEPARATION ZONES, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE SPECIFICALLY HEAVIER OF SAID LIQUID AND SOLVENT TO SAID MIXING ZONE FOR SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY OVERFLOWING THE SPECIFICALLY LIGHTER TO THE SAME MIXING ZONE FROM THE IMMEDIATE ADJACENT SEPARATION ZONE, CENTRIFUGALLY PUMPING SAID LIQUID AND SAID SOLVENT TO EFFECT MIXING THEREOF FOR DISTRIBUTION IN SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE AND TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER LIQUID LEVEL IN SAID MIXING ZONE IN SAID SEPARATION ZONE, ALLOWING LAYER SEPARATION THEREIN, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING THE SPECIFICALLY LIGHTER OF SAID LIQUID AND SOLVENTS FROM SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE SPECIFICALLY HEAVIER TO THE MIXING ZONE FOR THE NEXT ADJACENT SEPARATION ZONE, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE SPECIFICALLY LIGHTER OF SAID LIQUID AND SOLVENT TO SAID MIXING ZONE FOR SAID LAST SEPARATION ZONE, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE SPECIFICALLY HEAVIER FROM THE IMMEDIATE PRECEDING SEPARATION ZONE TO SAID MIXING ZONE FOR SAID LAST SEPARATION ZONE, CENTRIFUGALLY PUMPING SAID LIQUID AND SOLVENT TO EFFET MIXING THEREOF FROM SAID MIXING ZONE FOR SAID LAST SEPARATION ZONE FOR DISTRIBUTION IN SAID LAST SEPARATION ZONE AND TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER LIQUID LEVEL IN SAID MIXING ZONE THAN IN SAID SEPARATION ZONE, ALLOWING LAYER SEPARATION IN SAID LAST ZONE, REMOVING THE SPECIFICALLY HEAVIER OF SAID LIQUID AND SOLVENT FROM SAID LAST SEPARATION ZONE, AND OVERFLOWING THE SPECIFICALLY LIGHTER TO THE MIXING ZONE FOR THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING SEPARATION ZONE.