Viscosity control method and apparatus for hydrating lime

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SLAKING LIME BY MIXING LIME AND WATER FROM CONTINUING SUPPLIES THEREOF IN AMOUNTS APPROXIMATELY PROPORTIONED TO YIELD A PASTE PRODUCT INCLUDING THE STEPS OF FEEDING LIME AND WATER SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY AS INGREDIENTS TO ONE LOCALITY IN A SLAKING REGION, CONTINUOUSLY MIXING SAID LIME AND WATER IN SAID REGION TO SLAKE THE LIME AND TO YIELD A PASTE OF SLAKE LIME WHILE CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING THE MIXTURE TO A DELIVERY LOCALITY, AND CONTINUOUSLY DELIVERING SLAKED LIME PASTE AT SAID DELIVERY LOCALITY, THE IMPROVEMEMT COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING THE CONSISTENCY OF SAID LIME PASTE AT A PREDETERMINED CONSTANT VALUE CONDUCTIVE TO OPTINUM SLAKING EFFICIENCY DESPITE VARIATIONS IN THE LIME FEED BY DETECTING CHANGES IN THE CONSISTENCY OF THE LIME AND WATER MASS IN THE SLAKING REGION THROUGHOUT THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE MIXTURE BETWEEN THE FIRST LOCALITY AND THE DELIVERY LOCALITY, AND ADJUSTING THE FEED OF WATER IN RESPONSE TO THE DECTECTED CHANGES, SAID ADJUSTMEMT OF THE WATER FEED COMPRISING REDUCING THE WATER FEED UPON DECREASE OF THE DETECTED CONSISTENCY OF THE MASS BELOW THE PREDETERMINED CONSISTENCY AND INCREASING SAID WATER FEED UPON INCREASE OF THE DETECTED CONSISTENCY OF THE MASS ABOVE THE PREDETERMINED CONSISTENCY, FOR RETORING THE MASS IN THE SLAKING REGION TO, AND THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY KEEPING SAID MASS AT, SAID PREDETERMINED CONSISTENCY.