Horizontal counter-current liquid extractor

Claim 1

AN EXTRACTION DEVICE FOR OPERATION WITH TWO LIQUID PHASES, ONE OF WHICH IS A LIGHTER PHASE HAVING A LOWER SPECIFIC GRAVITY AND THE OTHER IS A HEAVIER PHASE HAVING A HIGHER SPECIFIC GRAVITY, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR SAID PHASES, HAVING A TUBULAR WALL AND A LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND BEING CAPABLE OF ROTATION, WHEREBY THE HEAVIER PHASE TENDS TO MOVE NEARER TO SAID TUBULAR WALL THAN THE LIGHTER PHASE, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CONTAINER, A SUPPLY DUCT FOR THE LIGHTER PHASE, LEADING TO AN INNER POINT OF SAID CONTAINER NEAR ONE END OF THE LATTER, A DISCHARGE DUCT FOR THE LIGHTER PHASE, LEADING TO AN INNER POINT NEAR THE OTHER END OF SAID CONTAINER, A SUPPLY DUCT FOR THE HEAVIER PHASE, LEADING TO AN INNER POINT OF SAID CONTAINER NEAR SAID OTHER END THEREOF, A DISCHARGE DUCT FOR THE HEAVIER PHASE LEADING FROM AN INNER POINT NEAR SAID ONE END OF SAID CONTAINER, WHEREBY SAID FIRST AND SECOND PHASE PASS THROUGH SAID CONTAINER IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, ANNULAR DISK-LIKE MEMBERS EXTENDING FROM SAID TUBULAR WALL, PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID AXIS OF THE CONTAINER, INWARDLY IN RADIAL DIRECTIONS, DIVING SAID CONTAINER INTO A SERIES OF STAGE CHAMBERS, HAVING CENTRAL CUTOUTS SUBSTANTIALLY FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID LIGHTER PHASE AND HAVING ALONG THE PERIPHERY ARC-SHAPED CUT-OUTS FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID HEAVIER PHASE, SAID ARC-SHAPED CUT-OUTS OF EACH ANNULAR WALL BEING STAGGERED RELATIVE TO THE CUT-OUTS OF THE ADJACENT ANNULAR DISK-SHAPED MEMBERS, CHANNEL WALLS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM SAID TUBULAR WALL PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID ANNULAR DISK-LIKE MEMBERS, EACH HAVING A MIDDLE CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID ANNULAR DISKSHAPED MEMBERS ALONG THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID ARCSHAPED CUT-OUTS, HAVING ENDS TERMINATING AT A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE ANNULAR DISK-SHAPED MEMBERS ADJACENT SAID CONNECTED DISK-SHAPED MEMBER, AND HAVING AT THEIR LONGITUDINAL EDGES BENT RIBS EXTENDING UP TO THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER WHEREBY THE HEAVIER PHASE MOVING THROUGH SAID CUTOUTS ALONG SAID TUBULAR WALL IS, AT THE END OF SAID CHANNEL WALL, FORCED BY MEETING AN ANNULAR DISK-LIKE MEMBER TO MOVE INWARDLY AND THEN PARALLEL TO SAID LIGHTER PHASE.