Methods and apparatus for continuous interaction of solids and fluids

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINOUS INTERACTION OF SOLIDS AND FLUIDS, COMPRISING A VERTICALLY ELONGATED, COLUMNAR, HOLLOW SHELL; A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTAL PARTITIONS DISPOSED IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP FOR RESPECTIVELY DIFINING A CORRESPONDING PLURLITY OF SOLIDS-CONTACTING CHAMBERS THEREABOVE IN SAID SHELL; A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED SOLIDS SUPPORTING TRAYS IN SAID CHAMBERS, SAID TRAYS BEING REPECTIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PARTITIONS AND EACH TRAY BEING DISPOSED ABOVE ITS ASSOCIATED PARTITION IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH; AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF RADICALLY OFFSET VERTICAL OPENINGS RESPECTIVELY PASSING EACH TRAY AND ASSOCIATED PARTITION AND CONNECTED FOR DEFINING AN OUTLET PASSAGEWAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF EACH CHAMBER, WHICH PASSAGEWAY FIRST PASSES THE TRAY, THEN LEADS RADIALLY AND HORIZONTALLY OVER THE ASSOCIATED PARTITION, AND THEN PASSES THE PARTITION; MEANS FOR PROGRESSIVELY FEEDING ESSENTIALLY SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL, AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM AVERAGE RATE IN TERMS OF QUANTITY PER UNIT OF TIME, INTO THE UPPERMOST OF SAID CHAMBERS ADJACENT THE TOP THEREOF FOR MOVEMENT DOWNWARDLY BY GRAVITY TO FORM A BED OF SOLID PARTICLES THEREIN, MEANS FOR PROGRESSIVELY AND POSITIVELY MOVING SOLID PARTICLES FROM THE BOTTOMS OF BEDS OF SUCH PARTICLES