Apparatus for the separation of mixtures of substances

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING FROM EACH OTHER THE COMPONENTS OF A MIXTURE OF SUBSTANCES BY MEANS OF TWO IMMISCIBLE LIQUID PHASE OF DIFFERENT SPECIFC GRAVITIES AND OF DIFFERENT RESPECTIVE PARTITION COEFFICIENTS WITH RESPECT TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SUBSTANCES, COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL CYLINDER JOURNALED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS, AND HAVING ENDS WALL AT ITS OPPOSIT ENDS, A PLURALITY OF ANNULAR PARTITIONS ARRANGES WITHIN AND SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER AXIALLY OF SAID CYLINDER INTERMEDIATE SAID END WALLS TO DEFINE BETWEEN THE LATTER AND WITHIN SAID CYLINDER A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL CHAMBERS, EACH OF SAID PARTITIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF APERTURES LOCATED AT EQUAL RADIAL DISTANCES FROM SAID AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER AND SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE RESPECTIVE PORTION, MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS OF SAID CYLINDER FOR INTRODUCING THEREINTO SAID MIXTURE OF SUBSTANCE TO BE SEPARATED, MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID CYLINDER AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE RESPECTIVE END CHAMBER THEREOF FOR INTRODUCING ONE OF SAID LIQUID PHASE INTO SAID RESPECTIVE END CHAMBER, MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT THE OTHER END OF SAID CYLINDER AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER END CHAMBER THEREOF FOR INTRODUCING INTO THE LATTER THE OTHER OF SAID LIQUID PHASES, WHEREBY THE HEAVIER ONE OF SAID PHASES SETTLES TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID CYLINDER WHILE THE LIGHTER PHASE FLOATS ON TOP OF SAID ONE PHASE AND IS SEPARATED THEREFROM BY AN INTERFACE SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS WITHIN EACH CHAMBER, AND RESPECTIVE MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID END CHAMBERS FOR REMOVING FROM EACH OF SAID END CHAMBER THAT ONE OF SAID PHASE INTRODUCED INTO THE OTHER END CHAMBER TOGETHER WITH THE SUBSTANCES OF SAID MIXTURE DISSOLVED THEREIN RESPECTIVELY.