Electric treater

Claim 1

A FIELD-ESTABLISHING ELECTRODE SYSTEM FOR AN ELECTRIC EMULSION TREATER INCLUDING IN COMBINATION: SPACED MAINELECTRODES DEFINING AN INTERELECTRODE SPACE HAVING AN ENTRANCE ZONE OPENING ON AN ENTRANCE SIDE OF THE INTERLECTTRODE SPACE; MEANS FOR ELECTRICALLY INSULATING SAID MAIN ELECTRODES FROM EACH OTHER; MEANS FOR DEVELOPING A HIGHVOLTAGE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID MAIN ELECTRODES TO ESTABLISH A HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELD IN SAID INTERRELECTTRODE SPACE; MEANS FOR JETTING A THIN SHEET OF THE EMULSION IN A DISCHARGE PLANE AT HIGH VELOCITY INTO SAID ENTRANCE ZONE OF SAID INTERELECTRODE SPACE FROM SAID ENTRANCE SIDE THEREOF COMPRISING AN EMULSION DISTRIBUTOR HAVING AN EMULSION DISCHARGE ORIFICE ELONGATED IN SAID DISCHARGE PLANE AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID DISTRIBUTOR IN SPACED RELATION WITH EACH OF SAID MAIN ELECTRODES WITH SAID DISCHARGE PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE MIDPLANE OF SAID INTERELECTRODE SPACE AND WITH SAID EMULSION DISCHARGE ORIFICE FACING SAID ENTRANCE SIDE OF SAID INTERELECTRODE SPACE; AND MEANS FOR SETTING UP A MORE INTENSE HIGHVOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELD EXCLUSIVELY IN SAID ENTRANCE ZONE OF SAID INTERELECTRODE SPACE IN THE PATH OF EMULSION FLOW FROM SAID ORIFICE IMMEDIATELY UPON DISCHARGE THEREFROM, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST SET OF AUXILLARY ELECTRODES COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RODS AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID RODS ON AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID MAIN ELECTRODES IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER IN SAID ENTRANCE ZONE OF SAID INTERELECTRODE SPACE WITH SAID RODS EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF DISCHARGE OF SAID EMULSION FROM SAID DISTRIBUTOR, SAID MOUNTING MEANS MOUNTING SAID RODS IN AN AUXILLARY ELECTRODE PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO BUT SPACED FROM SAID DISCHARGE PLANE OF SAID ORIFICE, SAID AUXILIARY ELECTRODE PLANE AND SAID OTHER MAIN ELECTRODE BEING ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID DISCHARGE PLANE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN EACH OF SAID RODS AND THE OTHER MAIN ELECTRODE BEING LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID MAIN ELECTRODES TO ESTABLISH SAID MORE INTENSE ELECTRIC FIELD BETWEEN SAID OTHER MAIN ELECTRODE AND SAID RODS.