Process and apparatus for the continuous extraction of oils and soluble substances from solid materials

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF OILS AND SOLUBLE SUBSTANCES FROM SOLID MATERIALS, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SEPARATELY CONFIRMING A SERIES OF BEDS OF SOLID MATERIAL IN A PLURALITY OF SUPERIMPOSED STAGES AND MOVING THE BEDS OF MATERIAL IN EACH OF SAID STAGES IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION AND IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR HORIZONTAL PATH THROUGH LESS THAN 360 DEGREES; CONSECUTIVELY TRANSFERRING UPON TERMINATION OF SUCH MOVEMENT THE BEDS OF MATERIAL FROM A HIGHER SSTAGE INTO THE NEXT LOWER STAGE; SUCCESSIVELY DISTRIBUTING SOLVENT ONTO THE BEDS OF MATERIAL IN THE LOWERMOST STAGE FOR PERCOLATION THERETHROUGH COLLECTING MISCELLA ALONG THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE BEDS OF MATERIAL IN THE LOWERMOST STAGE; RECIRCULATING AT LEAST A PORTION OF MISCELLA INTO SELECTED BEDS OF MATERIAL IN THE LOWERMOST STAGE FOR PERCOLATION THROUGH SAID SELECTED BEDS TO OBTAIN ENRICHED MISCELLA; COLLECTING ENRICHED MISCELLA ALONG THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SELECTED BEDS, RECIRCULAING AT LEAST A PORTION OF ENRICHED MISCELLA IN THE BEDS OF MATERIAL IN AAT LEAST ONE STAGE ABOVE SAID LOWERMOST STAGE FOR PERCOLATION THROUGH THE BEDS OF MATERIAL IN SAID ONE STAGE; COLLECTING FINISHED MISCELLA ALONG THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF BEDS OF MATERIAL IN SAID ONE STAGE; AND WITHDRAWING THE COLLECTED FINISHED MISCELLA, WHEREBY CONTACT OF SAID COLLECTED FINISHED MISCELLA WITH SAID FIRST-MENTIONED MISCELLA WILL BE AVOIDED.

Claim 3

IN A MULTI-STAGE SOLVENT EXTRACTOR, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL UPRIGHT HOUSING HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS; A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED TIER MEANS ARRANGED IN SAID HOUSING A ROTATE IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION ABOUT SAID CENTRAL AXIS AND INCLUDING UPPERMOST TIER MEANS AND LOWER TIER MEANS, EACH OF SAID TIER MEANS BEING COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY SECTOR-SHAPED CELLS HAVING OPEN LOWER ENDS AND THE CELLS OF SAID LOWER TIER MEANS HAVING OPEN UPPER ENDS; A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL STATIONARY GRATES DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING AT A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED LEVELS, EACH OF SAID GRATES BEING LOCATED BENEATH ONE OF SAID TIER MEANS CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE LOWER ENDS OF THE RESPECTIVE CELLS AND EACH HAVING AN OPENING ARRANGED WITHIN A LIMITED SECTOR-SHAPED PORTION OF THE RESPECTIVE GRATE, THE OPENING IN A GRATE WHICH IS LOCATED AT A LOWER LEVEL BEING ANGULARLY DISPLACED IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE OPENING IN A GRATE WHICH IS LOCATED AT THE NEXT HIGHER LEVEL WHEREBY EXTRACT-CONTAINING SOLID MATERIAL WHICH IS FED INTO A CELL OF SAID UPPERMOST TIER MEANS AT A POINT AHEAD OF THE OPENING IN THE CORRESPONDING GRATE WILL MOVE DURING ROTATION WITH THE UPPERMOST TIER MEANS TOWARD AND THEREUPON THROUGH THE OPENING OF THE CORRESPONDING GRATE TO ENTER A CELL OF THE LOWER TIER MEANS AND TO MOVE WITH THE LOWER TIER MEANS TOWARD AND THROUGH THE OPENING IN THE CORRESPONDING GRATE; AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SOLVENT INTO THE MATERIAL WHICH IS CONTAINED IN THE CELLS OF SAID TIER MEANS SO THAT THE SOLVENT PERCOLATES THROUGH THE MATERIAL AND THROUGH THE CORRESPONDING GRATE.

Claim 4

IN A MULTI-STAGE SOLVENT EXTRACTOR, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL UPRIGHT HOUSING HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS; A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED TIER MEANS ARRANGED IN SAID HOUSING A ROTATE IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION ABOUT SAID CENTRAL AXIS AND INCLUDING UPPERMOST TIER MEANS AND LOWER TIER MEANS, EACH OF SAID TIER MEANS BEING COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY SECTOR-SHAPED CELLS HAVING OPEN LOWER ENDS AND THE CELLS OF SAID LOWER TIER MEANS HAVING OPEN UPPER ENDS; A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL STATIONARY GRATES DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING AT A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED LEVELS, EACH OF SAID GRATES BEING LOCATED BENEATH ONE OF SAID TIER MEANS CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE LOWER ENDS OF THE RESPECTIVE CELLS AND EACH HAVING AN OPENING ARRANGED WITHIN A LIMITED SECTOR-SHAPED PORTION OF THE RESPECTIVE GRATE, THE OPENING IN A GRATE WHICH IS LOCATED AT A LOWER LEVEL BEING ANGULARLY DISPLACED IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE OPENING IN A GRATE WHICH IS LOCATED AT THE NEXT HIGHER LEVEL WHEREBY EXTRACT-CONTAINING SOLID MATERIAL WHICH IS FED INTO A CELL OF SAID UPPERMOST TIER MEANS AT A POINT AHEAD OF THE OPENING IN THE CORRESPONDING GRATE WILL MOVE DURING ROTATION WITH THE UPPERMOST TIER MEANS TOWARD AND THEREUPON THROUGH THE OPENING OF THE CORRESPONDING GRATE TO ENTER A CELL OF THE LOWER TIER MEANS AND TO MOVE WITH THE LOWER TIER MEANS TOWARD AND THROUGH THE OPENING IN THE CORRESPONDING GRATE; AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SOLVENT INTO THE MATERIAL WHICH IS CONTAINED IN THE CELLS OF SAID TIER MEANS SO THAT THE SOLVENT PERCOLATES THROUGH THE MATERIAL AND THROUGH THE CORRESPONDING GRATE.