Apparatus for liquid phase extraction

Claim 1

A PULSED EXTRACTION DEVICE ADPATED FOR INVERTED DENSITY OPERATION COMPRISING A CLOSED TUBULAR COLUMN HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENLARGED TERMINAL PORTIONS AND AN ELONGATED CONSTRICTED CENTRAL SECTION, PULSING MEANS COUPLED TO AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID COLUMN TO EFFECT SURGING OF A FLUID IN ALTERNATING DIRECTIONS IN AT LEAST SAID CONSTRICTED SECTION OF THE COLUMN AND INCLUDING AN ELASTIC MEMBER COUPLED WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF THE COLUMN INTO WHICH THE SURGE VOLUME OF FLUID MAY ENTER, UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A FIRST DENSE PHASE INTO SAID COLUMN AT A LOCATION ABOVE SAID ELASTIC MEMBER, UNDIRECTION FLOW MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A FIRST DENSE PHASE DENSE PHASE INTO SAID COLUMN ABOVE THE INPUT OF SAID FIRST PHASE AND INTO CONTACT THEREWITH, FLUID DISPERSAL PACKING MEANS DISPOSED IN THE CONSTRICTED SECTION OF SAID COLUMN SUPPORTED IN SPACED RELATION TO THE COLUMN END FACES PROVIDING FREE VOLUME SPACE THEREBETWEEN IN WHICH VOLUME PHASE SEPARATION AND INTERFACE ESTABLISHMENT MAY OCCUR, SAID PACKING MEANS BEING AT LEAST PARTIALLY DISPOSED IN THE ZONE OF INITIAL CONTACT BETWEEN SAID PHASES AND EXTENDING ABOVE AND BELOW THE INPUT LOCATIONS OF SAID PHASES FOR DISPERSING ONE OF SAID PHASES IN THE OTHER AND EFFECTING A RAPID TRANSFER OF MATERIL THEREBETWEEN IN A ZONE OF INTERMIXTURE PRODUCING AN INVERSION OF RELATIVE DENSITIES IN SAID ZONE, A DISCHARGE FOR SAID FIRST PHASE OFFERING IMPEDANCE TO THE SURGE AND LOCATED ABOVE THE INPUT OF SAID PHASE, A DISCHARGE FOR SAID SECOND PHASE OFFERING IMPEDANCE TO THE SURGE AND DISPOSED BELOW THE INPUT OF SAID PHASE, AND AN INTERFACE LEVEL CONTROL INCLUDING MEANS FOR SENSING THE LEVEL OF SAID INTERFACE AND MEANS ACTUATED THEREBY FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE OF FLOW OF INPUT OR DISCHARGED PHASES, WHEREBY THE SAID PHASES COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACT EACH OTHER WHILE ESTABLISHING DENSITY GRADIENTS ABOVE AND BELOW THE ZONE OF INTERMIXTURE WHICH CAUSE THE ORIGINALLY DENSER PHASE TO MOVE UPWARDLY AND THE ORIGINALLY LESS DENSE PHASE TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY.