Aerating device

Claim 1

IN AN AERATING DEVICE HAVING A TUBULAR CASING WITH UPPER AND LOWER ENDS DEFINING A FLUID INLET AND OUTLET, RESPECTIVELY, AN APERTURED DISK EXTENDING ACROSS SAID CASING ADJACENT SAID INLET, AND A BREAKUP AND MIXING BODY DEPENDING FROM SAID DISK; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY EXTENDING RIBS PROJECTING RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID CASING AND SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AROUND THE INTERIOR OF SAID CASING WHEREBY TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY EXTENDING GROOVES BETWEEN SAID RIBS, SAID RIBS HAVING LOWER ENDS TERMINATING SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID OUTLET, AND AN IMPERFORATE TUBULAR PARTITION SUPPORTED CONCENTRICALLY WITHIN SAID CASING FOR DISCHARGING A CENTRAL AERATED STREAM FROM SAID OUTLET, SAID TUBULAR PARTITION HAVING AN UPPER END PORTION OF UNIFORM DIAMETER ENGAGING THE INNER EDGES OF SAID RIBS, SAID PARTITION ALSO HAVING A LOWER END PORTION EXTENDING BELOW SAID LOWER ENDS OF SAID RIBS AND TERMINATING ADJACENT SAID OUTLET IN CONCENTRIC INWARDLY SPACED RELATION FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID CASING WHEREBY TO DEFINE AN ENLARGED ANNULAR AIR INLET ZONE THEREBETWEEN FOR THE ENTRY OF AIR UPWARDLY IN COUNTERCURRENT RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE EFFLUENT AERATED STREAM FROM SAID TUBULAR PARTITION, AND SAID GROOVES COMMUNICATING AT THEIR LOWER ENDS WITH SAID AIR INLET ZONE FOR THE PASSAGE OF AIR UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID GROOVES BETWEEN SAID CASING AND SAID UPPER END PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR PARTITION INTO THE SPACE AROUND SAID BODY AND BELOW SAID DISK.