Apparatus and process for sorting solid particle material in a fluidized liquid medium

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SORTING A SOLID PARTICLE MIXTURE IN A FLUIDIZED MEDIUM, WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING THE SORTING FLUID AGAINST AN EQUAL HEAD OF SUCH FLUID UP INTO TWO UPRIGHT COMPARTMENTS COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER AT THEIR LOWER ENDS AND AT A FLOW VELOCITY SUCH AS TO PRODUCE IN BOTH COMPARTMENTS A PERMANENT FLUIDIZED STATE ENABLING RELATIVE MOVEMENT TO OCCUR BETWEEN THE SOLID PARTICLES AS WILL CAUSE THEIR CLASSIFICATION FROM SAID MIXTURE, FEEDING THE SOLID PARTICLE MIXTURE INTO THE FLUID FLOW IN ONE OF SUCH COMPARTMENTS AT A PLACE INTERMEDIATE THE LOWER AND UPPER ENDS OF THE FLUIDIZED COLUMN IN SUCH COMPARTMENT, SO THAT THERE IS ESTABLISHED IN THE REGION OF SUCH PLACE A PARTICLE SORTING ZONE FROM WHICH SORTED PARTICLES OF LIGHT APPARENT DENSITY CAN RISE IN SUCH ONE COMPARTMENT AND SORTED PARTICLES OF HEAVY APPARENT DENSITY CAN FALL TO THE BOTTOM OF SUCH COMPARTMENT, MAINTAINING THE UPPER SURFACES OF THE FLUIDIZED COLUMNS IN THE COMPARTMENTS AT SUCH LEVELS THAT THE APPARENT WEIGHT PER UNIT CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE FLUIDIZED MATERIALS IS THE SAME IN BOTH COMPARTMENTS, MAINTAINING THOSE SORTED PARTICLES OF HEAVY APPARENT DENSITY WHICH TRAVEL FROM THE BOTTOM OF SUCH ONE COMPARTMENT INTO THE LOWER END OF THE OTHER COMPARTMENT, ISOLATED FROM THE FLUIDIZED MATERIAL IN SAID ONE COMPARTMENT DURING THE RISE OF SUCH HEAVY PARTICLES IN SUCH OTHER COMPARTMENT AND THE DISCHARGE THEREFROM, AND REMOVING FROM EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS THE SORTED SOLID PARTICLES.