Apparatus for contacting two fluids with each other countercurrently

Claim 1

IN A CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS FOR FLOWING TWO FLUIDS OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITY IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER COUNTERCURRENTLY, THE COMBINATION OF A HOLLOW ROTOR HAVING OPPOSITE END PORTIONS AND A SERIES OF MANTLES DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID END PORTIONS CONCENTRICALLY TO THE ROTOR AXIS AND SPACED RADIALLY FROM EACH OTHER TO FORM A SERIES OF ANNULAR INTERSPACES TERMINATING AT SAID END PORTIONS, SAID INTERSPACES INCLUDING INNERMOST AND OUTERMOST INTERSPACES AND INTERMEDIATE INTERSPACES, THE ROTOR DEFINING FOUR SEPARATE PASSAGES, NAMELY, A LIGHT FLUID INLET PASSAGE LEADING DIRECTLY ONLY TO AN OUTER ONE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE INTERSPACE, A HEAVY FLUID INLET PASSAGE LEADING DIRECTLY ONLY TO AN INNER ONE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE INTERSPACES, A LIGHT FLUID DISCHARGE PASSAGE LEADING DIRECTLY FROM SAID INNERMOST INTERSPACE AND A HEAVY FLUID DISCHARGE PASSAGE LEADING DIRECTLY FROM SAID OUTERMOST INTERSPACE, THE ROTOR HAVING ADDITIONAL PASSAGES AT ONE END PORTION CONNECTING EACH ALTERNATE INTERSPACE TO THE NEXT OUTER INTERSPACE AND ALSO HAVING ADDITONAL PASSAGE AT THE OTHER END PORTION CONNECTING EACH SAID ALTERNATE INTERSPACE TO THE NEXT INNER INTERSPACE, THE ROTOR MANTLES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERFORATE BETWEEN EACH SAID ADDITIONAL PASSAGE AND THE REMOTE END PORTION OF THE ROTOR WHEREBY THE INTERSPACES ARE INTERCONNECTED IN SERIES THROUGH SAID ADDITIONAL PASSAGES, AND SPIRAL MEMBERS DISPOSED IN SAID ANNULAR INTERMEDIATE INTERSPACES WITH THE TURNS OF SAID MEMBERS EXTENDING GENERALLY RADIALLY OF THE ROTOR AXIS TO FORM CHANNELS SPIRALLING SCREW-FASHION AROUND THE ROTOR AXIS FROM ONE OF SAID END PORTIONS TO THE OTHER, WHEREBY EACH FLUID FLOWS IN COUNTERCURRENT INTERCONTACTING RELATION TO THE OTHER FLUID THROUGH THE INTERMEDIATE INTERSPACES BY WAY OF SAID SPIRAL CHANNELS AND THENCE TO ITS CORRESPONDING DISCHARGE PASSAGE BY WAY OF AN INTERSPACE WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF THE OTHER FLUID.