Method and apparatus for contacting and separating liquid phases by settling

Claim 1

PROCESS OF SEPARATING THE PHASE OF A DISPERSION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF FIRST LIQUID PHASE DISPERSED IN A CONTINUOUS SECOND LIQUID PHASE, SAID PHASE HAVING DIFFERENT DENSITIES AND SAID DISPERSION CONTAINING A MINOR AMOUNT OF A SUBSTANCE THAT SEPARATES AS A THIRD PHASE THAT ACCUMULATES AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN CONTINUOUS LAYERS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PHASES UPON SETTLING COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: FLOWING SAID DISPERSION THROUGH A QUIET FLOW ZONE IN A DIRECTION TOWARD WHICH THE FIRST LIQUID PHASE TENDS TO SETTLE AND AT A VELOCITY SO LOW THAT DROPLETS OF FIRST PHASE MOVE SUBSTANTIALLY FASTER THAN THE SECOND LIQUID PHASE BUT SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO MAINTAIN THE PREDOMINANT PART OF SAID DROPLETS IN A DISPERSED STATE, THEREBY PRODUCING A MODIFIED DISPERSION WHEREIN THE FIRST PHASE IS CONCENTRATED IN RELATION TO THE SECOND PHASE; DISCHARGING SECOND LIQUID PHASE FROM SAID QUIET FLOW ZONE; MAINTAINING CONTINUOUS LAYERS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND LIQUID PHASES SEPARATED BY AN INTERFACE IN A SETTLING ZONE; WITHDRAWING SAID MODIFIED DISPERSION FROM SAID QUIET FLOW ZONE AND ADMITTING IT WITH ONLY A MINOR AMOUNT OF THE SECOND LIQUID PHASE AND WITH A SUBSTANTIAL HORIZONTAL VELOCITY COMPONENT TO SAID INTERFACE IN THE SETTLING ZONE, WHEREBY THE DROPLETS OF THE FIRST LIQUID PHASE FLOW TO THE CONTINUOUS LAYER OF LIKE LIQUID PHASE IN THE SETTLING ZONE WITHOUT VERTICAL FLOW THROUGH SAID INTERFACE AND WITHOUT PASSAGE THROUGH AND LAYER OF SAID THIRD PHASE THAT MAY COLLECT AT SAID INTERFACE; AND DISCHARGING LIQUID PHASE FROM SAID LAYER THEREOF IN THE SETTLING ZONE.