Liquid-liquid contacting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PROCESS CONTACTING AND SEPARATING LIQUIDS OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES, COMPRISING A SHELL AND PANEL ASSEMBLY FORMING VERTICALLY STACKED AND ALTERNATING FIRST AND SECOND TYPE COMPARTMENTS, SAID FIRST TYPE COMPARTMENTS INCLUDING MIXING AND SETTLING SUB-COMPARTMENTS AND SAID SECOND TYPE COMPARTMENTS BEING OPEN TO FREELY CIRCULATE LIGHTER DENSITY LIQUID FLOW, THE MIXING AND SETTLING SUB-COMPARTMENTS OF EACH FIRST TYPE COMPARTMENT BEING SPACED HORIZONTALLY AND SAID SETTLING SUB-COMPARTMENT EXTENDING ANNULARLY ABOUT SAID MIXING SUB-COMPARTMENT, SAID SHELL HAVING UPPER AND LOWER PORTS FOR PASSING DIFFERENT DENSITY LIQUIDS UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE SHELL AND SAID COMPARTMENTS, A CENTRAL SHAFT AND IMPELLERS AXIALLY VERTICALLY ROTATABLE IN SAID MIXING SUB-COMPARTMENTS BY SAID SHAFT, SAID MIXING SUBCOMPARTMENTS HAVING UPPER AND LOWER INLETS AT AXIALLY OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID IMPELLERS THROUGH WHICH DIFFERENT DENSITY LIQUIDS ARE ADAPTED TO BE DRAWN COUNTER-CURRENTLY FROM SAID CIRCULATION COMPARTMENTS INTO SAID MIXING SUBCOMPARTMENTS FOR IMPELLER INDUCED INTIMATE MIXING THEREIN AND CONCURRENT DISCHARGE FLOW TO SAID SETTLING SUBCOMPARTMENTS, SAID SETTLING SUB-COMPARTMENTS HAVING UPPER AND LOWER OUTLETS IN COMMUNICATION THROUGH SAID CIRCULATION COMPARTMENTS WITH THE INLETS OF DIFFERENT MIXING SUB-COMPARTMENTS AND THROUGH WHICH SEPARATED LIGHTER AND HEAVIER LIQUIDS ARE FLOWABLE FROM SAID SETTLING SUB-COMPARTMENTS TO SAID MIXING SUB-COMPARTMENTS, CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING GENERALLY VERTICALLY ACROSS THE PATH OF LIGHTER DENSITY LIQUID FLOW IN SAID CIRCULATION COMPARTMENTS FOR CONDUCTING HEAVIER DENSITY LIQUID FROM SAID LOWER OUTLETS OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID LIGHTER DENSITY LIQUID FLOW AND FOR DISCHARGING SAID HEAVIER DENSITY LIQUID, SAID PANELS INCLUDING TRAY STRUCTURE PROXIMATE THE LOWER TERMINALS OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID HEAVIER DENSITY LIQUID DISCHARGE IN POOLS SEPARATE FROM SAID LIGHTER DENSITY LIQUID FLOW AND DIRECTLY ACCESSIBLE TO THE INLETS OF LOWER LEVEL MIXING SUB-COMPARTMENTS, SAID TRAY STRUCTURE INCLUDING WEIR MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID POOLS IN SEALING CONTACT WITH SAID TERMINALS OF THE CONDUITS, AND FORAMINATE MEANS BETWEEN SAID MIXING AND SETTLING SUBCOMPARTMENTS IN THE PATH OF SAID CONCURRENT FLOW AND OPERABLE TO RESTRICT SUBSTANTIALLY THE FLOW FROM SAID MIXING TO SAID SETTLING SUB-COMPARTMENTS THEREBY PROMOTING LIQUID SEPARATION IN SAID SETTLING SUB-COMPARTMENTS.