Feeders for dissolving chemicals into intermittent flow fluid systems

Claim 1

A FEEDER FOR DISSOLVING SLOWLY SOLUBLE CHEMICALS IN PELLETIZED OR LUMP FORM AT A SUBSTANTIALLY EVEN RATE INTO AN INTERMITTENT FLOW FLUID SYSTEM COMPRISING A CLOSED RESERVOIR TANK FOR RECEIVING CHEMICALLY TREATED FLUID INCLUDING A FLUID INLET MEANS AT THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF CONNECTABLE TO A SOURCE OF UNTREATED FLUID UNDER PRESSURE AND AN OUTLET MEANS AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF CONNECTABLE TO A POINT OF INTERMITTENT CHEMICALLY TREATED FLUID DEMAND THEREFROM, A BASKET FOR SOLUBLE PELLETIZED CHEMICALS IN THE TOP OF SAID RESERVOIR TANK SPACED THEREFROM AND INCLUDING PARTITION MEANS THEREIN PROVIDING IN SAID BASKET A CLOSED PLENUM CHAMBER AND AN OPEN TOP CHEMICAL CHAMBER, SAID TANK INCLUDING A REMOVABLY SEALED MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE OPEN TOP CHEMICAL CHAMBER MAY BE CHARGED, SAID FLUID INLET MEANS TO SAID RESERVOIR TANK BEING CONNECTED TO SAID PLENUM CHAMBER, THE LOWER PORTION OF THE PARTITION BETWEEN SAID PLENUM CHAMBER AND SAID CHEMICAL CHAMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF FLUID PASSAGES THERETHROUGH COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHEMICAL CHAMBER, THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CHEMICAL CHAMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF FLUID OUTLET PASSAGES THERETHROUGH WITH A TOTAL AREA GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID FLUID PASSAGES COMMUNICATING FROM SAID PLENUM CHAMBER TO SAID CHEMICAL CHAMBER, THE HEIGHT OF THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHEMICAL BASKET WITHIN SAID RESERVOIR TANK BEING SUCH THAT THE LEVEL OF THE CHEMICALLY TREATED FLUID IN SAID TANK IS ALWAYS MAINTAINED BELOW THE SAID CHEMICAL BASKET BY AIR PRESSURE ESTABLISHED WITHIN SAID RESERVOIR TANK RESPONSIVE TO FLUID UNDER PRESSURE ENTERING SAID TANK WHEN CHEMICALLY TREATED FLUID IS NOT BEING WITHDRAWN BY DEMAND THEREFROM, AND VALVE MEANS IN SAID FLUID INLET MEANS OPERBLE RESPONSIVE TO THE WEIGHT OF A CHARGE OF SOLUBLE CHEMICALS IN SAID CHEMICAL BASKET CLOSING RESPONSIVE TO DEPLETION OF SAID CHARGE OF SAID SOLUBLE CHEMICALS SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE LEVEL OF THE UPPERMOST OF THE FLUID PASSAGES IN SAID PLENUM CHAMBER.