Continuous fluid-solid contacting apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY CONTACTING A FLUID STREAM WITH A NON-TURBULEMT MOVING BODY OF PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL COMPRISING IN COMBINATION TWO SUBSTANTIALLY UPRIGHT ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT VESSELS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTHS ADAPTED FOR SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED MOVEMENT OF A MASS OF PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL THERETHROUGH DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE FIRST OF SAID VESSELS AND UPWARDLY THROUGH THE SECOND OF SAID VESSELS, AN OSCILLATABLE CYLINDER-PISTON VALVE ASSEMBLY SECURED IN SPACED RELATION TO THE LOWER END CLOSURES OF SAID VESSELS AND ADAPTED TO BE OSCILLATED BETWEEN ALTERNATING COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VESSELS AND ADAPTED FOR RECIPROCATION OF THE PISTON THEREOF ALTERNATINGLY TO WITHDRAW PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF THE FIRST OF THE TWO VESSELS AND TO FORCE THE THUS WITHDRAWN PARTICULATE MATERIAL INTO THE LOWER END OF THE SECOND OF THE TWO VESSELS, WHEREBY THE PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL IS CAUSED TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UPPER END OF THE FIRST VESSEL AND THENCE UPWARDLY BY FORCE OF SOLID-TO-SOLID CONTACT BETWEEN THE PARTICLES TO THE UPPER END OF THE FIRST VESSEL, FLUID COMMUNICATING MEANS PROVIDED IN SAID VESSELS ADAPTED TO PERMIT THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH EACH OF SAID VESSELS IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL THEREIN AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED COMMUNICATING MEANS BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF THE VESSELS FOR THE FREE TRANSPORT BY GRAVITY OF PARTICULATE SOLID FROM THE SECOND TO THE FIRST VESSEL.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY CONTACTING A FLUID STREAM WITH A NON-TURBULEMT MOVING BODY OF PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL COMPRISING IN COMBINATION TWO SUBSTANTIALLY UPRIGHT ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT VESSELS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTHS ADAPTED FOR SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED MOVEMENT OF A MASS OF PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL THERETHROUGH DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE FIRST OF SAID VESSELS AND UPWARDLY THROUGH THE SECOND OF SAID VESSELS, AN OSCILLATABLE CYLINDER-PISTON VALVE ASSEMBLY SECURED IN SPACED RELATION TO THE LOWER END CLOSURES OF SAID VESSELS AND ADAPTED TO BE OSCILLATED BETWEEN ALTERNATING COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VESSELS AND ADAPTED FOR RECIPROCATION OF THE PISTON THEREOF ALTERNATINGLY TO WITHDRAW PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF THE FIRST OF THE TWO VESSELS AND TO FORCE THE THUS WITHDRAWN PARTICULATE MATERIAL INTO THE LOWER END OF THE SECOND OF THE TWO VESSELS, WHEREBY THE PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL IS CAUSED TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UPPER END OF THE FIRST VESSEL AND THENCE UPWARDLY BY FORCE OF SOLID-TO-SOLID CONTACT BETWEEN THE PARTICLES TO THE UPPER END OF THE FIRST VESSEL, FLUID COMMUNICATING MEANS PROVIDED IN SAID VESSELS ADAPTED TO PERMIT THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH EACH OF SAID VESSELS IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL THEREIN AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED COMMUNICATING MEANS BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF THE VESSELS FOR THE FREE TRANSPORT BY GRAVITY OF PARTICULATE SOLID FROM THE SECOND TO THE FIRST VESSEL.