Countercurrent contacting apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS COUNTERCURRENT CONTACTING AND TREATING OF PARTICULATE SOLIDS WITH LIQUIDS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED VESSEL HAVING CHARGE MEANS AT ONE END THEREOF FOR INTRODUCING FRESH LIQUID INTO SAID VESSEL AND DISCHARGE MEANS AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF FOR WITHDRAWING SPENT LIQUID, SAID VESSEL BEING ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT LEVEL OF LIQUID FROM END TO END THEREOF BY LIQUID TRANSFER WITHIN SAID VESSEL FROM LIQUID CHARGE TO LIQUID DISCHARGE BY GRAVITY FLOW, A FIRST SERIES OF STATIONARY BAFFLES AND A SECOND SERIES OF STATIONARY BAFFLES IN ALTERNATE PARALLELSPACED RELATIONSHIP SEPARATING THE WHOLE INTERIOR OF THE VESSEL BELOW THE LEVEL OF LIQUID MAINTAINED IN SAID VESSEL INTO ALTERNATE QUITE ZONES AND TURBULENT ZONES FROM END TO END THEREOF, EACH OF SAID FIRST BAFFLES BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM AND BOTH SIDES OF THE VESSEL AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY UPWARD AND TERMINATING BELOW THE LEVEL OF LIQUID MAINTAINED IN THE VESSEL, EACH OF SAID SECOND BAFFLES BEING IN CONTACT WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE VESSEL AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY DOWNWARD FROM ABOVE THE LEVEL OF LIQUID MAINTAINED IN THE VESSEL AND TERMINATING SHORT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VESSEL TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SAID QUITE ZONES AND THE SAID TURBULENT ZONES, CONTINUOUSLY DRIVEN AGITATORS DISPOSED WITHIN EACH TURBULENT ZONE FOR CREATING TURBULENCE IN THE LIQUID IN SAID ZONE AND FOR MAINTAINING ENTRAINED SOLIDS THEREIN IN A STATE OF TURBULENT SUSPENSION IN SAID LIQUID, AN INLET ADJACENT SAID DISCHARGE MEANS FOR INTRODUCING PARTICULATE SOLIDS TO THE VESSEL, AND AN OUTLET ADJACENT SAID CHARGE MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING CONTACTED AND TREATED PARTICULATE SOLIDS THE INITIAL BAFFLE WITH REFERENCE TO EACH END OF THE VESSEL BEING A SECOND SERIES BAFFLE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS COUNTERCURRENT CONTACTING AND TREATING OF PARTICULATE SOLIDS WITH LIQUIDS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED VESSEL HAVING CHARGE MEANS AT ONE END THEREOF FOR INTRODUCING FRESH LIQUID INTO SAID VESSEL AND DISCHARGE MEANS AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF FOR WITHDRAWING SPENT LIQUID, SAID VESSEL BEING ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT LEVEL OF LIQUID FROM END TO END THEREOF BY LIQUID TRANSFER WITHIN SAID VESSEL FROM LIQUID CHARGE TO LIQUID DISCHARGE BY GRAVITY FLOW, A FIRST SERIES OF STATIONARY BAFFLES AND A SECOND SERIES OF STATIONARY BAFFLES IN ALTERNATE PARALLELSPACED RELATIONSHIP SEPARATING THE WHOLE INTERIOR OF THE VESSEL BELOW THE LEVEL OF LIQUID MAINTAINED IN SAID VESSEL INTO ALTERNATE QUITE ZONES AND TURBULENT ZONES FROM END TO END THEREOF, EACH OF SAID FIRST BAFFLES BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM AND BOTH SIDES OF THE VESSEL AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY UPWARD AND TERMINATING BELOW THE LEVEL OF LIQUID MAINTAINED IN THE VESSEL, EACH OF SAID SECOND BAFFLES BEING IN CONTACT WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE VESSEL AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY DOWNWARD FROM ABOVE THE LEVEL OF LIQUID MAINTAINED IN THE VESSEL AND TERMINATING SHORT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VESSEL TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SAID QUITE ZONES AND THE SAID TURBULENT ZONES, CONTINUOUSLY DRIVEN AGITATORS DISPOSED WITHIN EACH TURBULENT ZONE FOR CREATING TURBULENCE IN THE LIQUID IN SAID ZONE AND FOR MAINTAINING ENTRAINED SOLIDS THEREIN IN A STATE OF TURBULENT SUSPENSION IN SAID LIQUID, AN INLET ADJACENT SAID DISCHARGE MEANS FOR INTRODUCING PARTICULATE SOLIDS TO THE VESSEL, AND AN OUTLET ADJACENT SAID CHARGE MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING CONTACTED AND TREATED PARTICULATE SOLIDS THE INITIAL BAFFLE WITH REFERENCE TO EACH END OF THE VESSEL BEING A SECOND SERIES BAFFLE.