Method and apparatus for countercurrently

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING CONTINUOUS COUNTERCURRENT CONTACT BETWEEN SOLID PARTICLES AND A LIQUID, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A LONDITUDINAL HOUSING HAVING A SCREEN THEREIN DIVIDING THE HOUSING INTO AN UPPER AND A LOWER COMPARTMENT, MEANS INTRODUCING A LIQUID INTO SAID HOUSING AT A FIRST LOCATION ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF, MEANS WITHDRAWING THE LIQUID FROM SAID HOUSING AT A SECOND LOCATION SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION AND AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF THE LIQUID FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOCATION WHILE MAINTAINING A LEVEL OF LIQUID IN THE HOUSING WHICH INUNDATES SAID SCREEN TO A SUBSTANTIAL DEPTH, MEANS CONTINUOUSLY FEDDING SOLID PARTICLES TO SAID UPPER COMPARTMENT AT A THIRD LOCATION SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD SAID SECOND LOCATION, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING SOLID PARTICLES FROM SAID UPPER COMPARTMENT AT A FOURTH LOCATION SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAID THIRD LOCATION IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD SAID FIRST LOCATION, MEANS REPEATEDLY PARTMENT ALONG A PATH HAVING VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL COMPONENTS OF WHICH THE HORIZONTAL COMPARTMENT OF THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SCREEN RELATIVE TO THE LOWER COMPARTMENT DURING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE SCREEN RELATIVE TO THE LOWER COMPARTMENT IS IN THE DIRECTION FROM SAID THIRD LOCATION TOWARDS SAID FOURTH LOCATION, AND MEANS SEALING SAID SCREEN AT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF WITH RESPECT TO SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT SO THAT DURING SAID DOWNWARD RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE SCREEN THE LIQUID SURGES STRONGLY UPWARD THROUGH THE SCREEN TO NON-TURBULENTLY FLUIDIZED THE SOLID PARTICLES, WHILE, DURING UPWARD RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE SCREEN THE PARTICLES SETTLE ON THE LATTER, AND THE PARTICLE TRAVERSE THE SCREEN LONGITUDINALLY IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD SAID FOURTH LOCATION DURING THE REPEATED RELATIVE MOVEMENTS OF SAID SCREEN AND LOWER COMPARTMENT.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF OBTAINING CONTINUOUS COUNTERCURRENT CONTACT BETWEEN SOLID ABOSRBENT PARTICLES AND A LUQIUD SOLUTION, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF INTRODUING LIQUID SOLUTION AT ONE END OF A PULSATING SWINGING SIEVE JIG, CAUSING LIQUID SOLUTION TO FLOW THROUGH THE JIG WITHDRAWING IT AT THE OPPOSITE ENE OF THE JIG, FEEDING IN SOLID ABSORBENT PARTICLES TO A COMPARTMENT ABOVE THE SIEVE AT A POSITION LONGITUDINALLY APART FROM THAT AT WHICH THE LIQUID SOLUTION ENTERS THE JIG, FORMING A NON-TURBULENT FLUIDIZED BED OF THE SOLID ABSORBENT PARTICLES BY ADJUSTING THE PULSATION OF THE JIG, AND CAUSING THE SOLID ABSORBENT PARTICLES TO TRAVERSE THE SCREEN IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF THE FLOW OF LIQUID SOLUTION BY REMOVING THE SOLID ABSORBENT PARTICLES FROM SAID COMPARTMENT AT A POINT LONGITUDINALLY APART FROM THAT AT WHICH THEY ARE FED IN THE APPARATUS.