Fermenter

Claim 1

A FERMENTER FOR USE IN CULTIVATING MICRO-ORGANISMS OF THE AEROBE TYPE, COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT OUTER VESSELS, AN UPRIGHT INNER VESSEL WITHIN SAID OUTER VESSEL AND HAVING THE VERTICAL WALLS THEREOF SPACED FROM THE WALLS OF SAID OUTER VESSEL TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR VERTICAL PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN THE TWO VESSELS HAVING A RADIAL DIMENSION WHICH IS SMALL RELATIVE TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID INNER VESSEL, AN ANNULAR BODY WITHIN SAID OUTER VESSEL AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID INNER VESSEL AND ON WHICH SAID INNER VESSEL IS MOUNTED, SAID ANNULAR BODY HAVING THE UPPER FACE SLOPING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE CENTRAL OPENING THEREOF AND HAVING THE LOWER FACE SPACED FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID OUTER VESSEL AND SLOPING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM ADJACENT THE CENTER THEREOF, SAID ANNULAR BODY FURTHER HAVING A TUBULAR CENTRAL OPENING THERETHROUGH, THE INNER SURFACE OF THE BOTTOM OF SAID OUTER VESSEL SLOPING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY, THE SPACING BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF SAID INNER AND OUTER VESSELS BEING GREATER AT THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID FERMENTER THAN AT THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF, WHEREBY AN UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY NARROWING PASSAGEWAY IS FORMED, AN AIR DISTRIBUTOR IN SAID INNER VESSEL POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID ANNULAR BODY AND COMPRISING A TUBE HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES THEREIN, SAID TUBE BEING IN AN ANNULAR SHAPE AND HAVING AN AIR SUPPLY CONDUIT ATTACHED THERETO, A BLADE ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE TUBULAR OPENING IN SAID ANNULAR BODY FOR PUMPING LIQUID FROM SAID INNER VESSEL THROUGH SAID CENTRAL OPENING, MOTOR MEANS OUTSIDE OF SAID VESSELS CONNECTED TO SAID BLADE, AND CURVED DEFLECTING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE BOTTOM OF SAID OUTER VESSEL BENEATH THE CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID ANNULAR BODY FOR SMOOTHLY DEFLECTING LIQUID COMING THROUGH SAID CENTRAL OPENING LATERALLY ALONG THE BOTTOM OF SAID OUTER VESSEL AND UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID ANNULAR VERTICAL PASSAGEWAY, THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF THE CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID ANNULAR BODY THROUGH WHICH LIQUID IS PUMPED BY SAID BLADE BEING LESS THAN THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF THE WIDEST PORTION OF SAID UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY NARROWING PASSAGEWAY, WHEREBY THE VELOCITY OF LIQUID PASSING FROM SAID INNER VESSEL THROUGH SAID CENTRAL OPENING AND INTO SAID ANNULAR VERTICAL PASSAGEWAY IS FIRST SLOWED AND THEN SPEEDED.