Aerating apparatus

Claim 1

AN AERATING DEVICE COMPRISING, AN INLET PUMP AND AN OUTLET PUMP AND HAVING HOUSING MEANS ENCLOSING TWO ADJACENT PUMP CHAMBERS FOR THE TWO PUMPS RESPECTIVELY, SAID HOUSING MEANS INCLUDING A THIN WALL PORTION POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID TWO ADJACENT PUMP CHAMBERS AND SEPARATING SAID PUMP CHAMBERS, A TRANSFER DUCT FORMED IN SAID THIN WALL PORTION OF SAID HOUSING MEANS BETWEEN SAID PUMP CHAMBERS AND INTERCONNECTING SAID PUMP CHAMBERS, SAID HOUSING MEANS BEING ALSO FORMED WITH AN INLET PORT OPENING INTO THE CHAMBER FOR THE INLET PUMP FOR THE ADMISSION OF THE LIQUID OR SEMI-LIQUID TO THE PUMPED, A GAS INLET PORT OPENING INTO SAID TRANSFER DUCT AND PROVIDED WITH VALVE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF GAS INTO SAID TRANSFER DUCT, AND AN OUTLET PORT OPENING INTO THE CHAMBER FOR THE OUTLET PUMP FOR THE DISCHARGE OF AERATED LIQUID OR SEMI-LIQUID, THE CHAMBER FOR THE INLET PUMP CONTRAINING A COARSE-TOOTHED GEAR PUMP ROTOR ADAPTED TO DRAW THE LIQUID OR SEMI-LIQUID INTO THE CHAMBER AND DISCHARGE IT IN A CONTINUOUS SERIES OF INTERMITTENT PULSES THROUGH THE TRANSFER DUCT TO THE CHAMBER FOR THE OUTLET PUMP, THE CHAMBER FOR THE OUTLET PUMP CONTAINING A COARSE-TOOTHED GEAR PUMP ROTOR ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE LIQUID OR SEMILIQUID FROM THE CHAMBER FOR THE INLET PUMP AND THE GAS FROM THE GAS INLET PORT THROUGH THE TRANSFER DUCT INTO THE CHAMBER FOR THE OUTLET PUMP AND DISCHARGE THE BLENDED MIXTURE THROUGH THE OUTLET PORT, BOTH OF THE PUMP ROTORS BEING OF THE SAME CONSTRUCTION AND SIZE AND BEING DRIVEN BY SEPARATE SHAFT MEANS, GEAR MEANS GEARING TOGETHER SAID SHAFT MEANS, SAID GEAR MEANS BEING OF SUCH RELATIVE SIZES WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER AND BEING SO ARRANGED UPON SAID SHAFT MEANS THAT THE PUMP ROTOR IN THE CHAMBER FOR THE INLET PUMP IS DRIVEN AT A LOWER SPEED THAN THE PUMP ROTOR IN THE CHAMBER FOR THE OUTLET PUMP, EACH SUCH SHAFT MEANS BEING JOURNALED SEPARATELY IN AT LEAST ONE THRUST BEARING WHOSE AXIAL LOCATION CAN BE SEPARATELY ADJUSTED, WHEREBY EACH OF THE SHAFT MEANS CAN BE SEPARATELY ADJUSTED AXIALLY AND WHEREBY THE CLEARANCE OF EACH OF THE RESPECTIVE PUMP ROTORS WITHIN SAID HOUSING MAY BE ADJUSTED RESPONSIVE TO THE AXIAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE ASSOCIATED SHAFT MEANS.