Liquid purification apparatus

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUID TO REMOVE THEREFROM OXIDIZABLE MATERIALS CARRIED IN SOLUTION AND/OR IN SUSPENSION, A GENERALLY VERTICALLY DISPOSED GAS-LIQUID INTERMINGLING CHAMBER, A PLURALITY OF ELEMENTS LOOSELY DISPOSED IN RANDOM MANNER AS A PACKING IN SAID CHAMBER, EACH ELEMENT BEING SHAPED TO PROVIDE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE OTHER ELEMENTS A MULTIPLICITY OF SMALL TORTUOUS INTERCONNECTED PASSAGES EXTENDING IN NUMEROUS DIRECTIONS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID CHAMBER AND A LARGE TOTAL AREA OF LIQUID AND GAS SCRUBBING SURFACES DEFINING SAID PASSAGES, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING LIQUID TO BE TREATED INTO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER AND FORCING IT UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PACKING, MEANS TO INTRODUCE AN OXIDIZING GAS INTO SAILD LIQUID FOR CONCURRENT FLOW UPWARDLY IN INTIMATE AND THOROUGH DIFFUSION WITH THE LIQUID AS THE LIQUID AND GAS PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE TORTUOUS PASSAGES FORMED BY SAID RANDOMLY DISPOSED ELEMENTS TO OXIDIZE THE OXIDIZABLE MATERIAL CARRIED BY SAID LIQUID AND MEANS SEPARATING GAS FROM THE TREATED LIQUID INCLUDING A CONTINUATION OF THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID GAS-LIQUID INTERMINGLING CHAMBER TO FUNCTION AS A GAS DISENGAGING CHAMBER, MEANS TO MAINTAILN AN UPPER LIQUID SURFACE LEVEL IN SAID GAS DISENGAGING CHAMBER, AND MEANS UNDR CONTROL OF SAID SURFACE LEVEL MAINTAINING MEANS TO VENT GASES FROM SAID DISENGAGING CHAMBER.