Apparatus and method for purification of liquids

Claim 1

IN A HORIZONTAL LIQUID TREATMENT TANK THROUGH WHICH A LIQUID FLOWS FROM AN INFLUENT END TO AN EFFLUENT END, AGITATING APPARATUS COMPRISING, A BANK OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AGITATOR ELEMENTS OF RIBBON-SHAPED CONFIGURATION CONSISTING OF A FLEXIBLE AND RELATIVELY THIN MATERIAL EXTENDING IN SAID TANK BETWEEN THE INFLUENT END AND THE EFFLUENT THEREOF; A FIRST SUPPORTING FRAME LOCATED AT SAID INFLUENT END OF THE TANK AND MOUNTED FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE FLOW THROUGH THE TANK, SAID FRAME EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID TANK AND HAVING A TRANSVERSE MEMBER SPACED FROM SAID HORIZONAL AXIS FOR ATTACHMENT THERETO OF ONE END OF SAID AGITATOR ELEMENTS; A SECOND SUPPORTING FRAME LOCATED AT SAID EFFLUENT END OF THE TANK AND MOUNTED FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONAL AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE FLOW THROUGH THE TANK, SAID FRAME EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID TANK AND HAVING A TRANSVERSE MEMBER SPACED FROM SAID HORIZONTAL AXIS FOR ATTACHMENT THERETO OF THE OTHER END OF SAID AGITATOR ELEMENTS; AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID SWINGABLE FRAMES SUBSTANTIALLY IN UNISON WHILE MAINTAINING SAID AGITATOR ELEMENTS HORIZONTALLY ORIENTED WHEREBY SAID BANK OF AGITATOR ELEMENTS IS MOVED RECIPROCATIVELY UP AND DOWN IN SAID TANK TO EFFECT FLOCCULATION INDUCING AGITATION IN THE LIQUID BY SAID ELEMENTS.