Gas extracting apparatus

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR EXTENDING GAS FROM WELL DRILLING MUD CIRCULATING DURING DRILLING OPERATIONS, IN COMBINATION, A CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER HAVING A SIDE WALL AND TOP AND BOTTOM CLOSURE PLATES DEFINING A SINGLE COMPARTMENT, MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID CONTAINER WITH ITS AXIS VERTICAL AND IMMERSED TO A MINOR FRACTION OF ITS DEPTH IN SAID MUD, SAID SIDE WALL HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN ABOVE THE LEVEL OF IMMERSION, SAID BOTTOM PLATE HAVING A CENTRAL APERTURE THEREIN, A GAS OUTLET TUBE EXTENDING THROUGH A WALL OF SAID COMPARTMENT AND TERMINATING THEREIN ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID OPENING, AN IMPELLER-AGITATOR HAVING AT LEAST ONE BEATER ELEMENT DISPOSED CLOSE TO AND ABOVE THE SAID BOTTOM PLATE, SYMMETRICAL IN RESPECT TO THE CENTER OF SAID APERTURE, LONGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE APERTURE AND HAVING ITS ENDS EQUALLY SPACED FROM THE PLANE OF THE PLATE, AND MEANS TO ROTATE SAID IMPELLER-AGITATOR ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID CONTAINER AT A SPEED SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A VORTEX IN THE BODY OF MUD IN THE COMPARTMENT CAPABLE OF LIFTING IT FOR DISCHARGE THROUGH SAID SIDE WALL OPENINGS.