Briner with adjustable brine draw-off

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS COMPRISING A VESSEL IN WHICH BRINE IS GENERATED AND FROM WHICH BRINE IS PERIODICALLY WITHDRAWN, VALVED MEANS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE VESSEL THROUGH WHICH BRINE IS WITHDRAWN AND THROUGH WHICH FRESH WATER IS FILLED INTO THE VESSEL FOR GENERATION OF BRINE TO REPLACE THAT WHICH WAS WITHDRAWN, AND A FLOAT ACTUATOR WHICH IS MOVABLE UP AND DOWN AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE VALVED MEANS TO TERMINATE FILLING OF FRESH WATER INTO THE VESSEL WHEN LIQUID THEREIN RISES TO A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, MEANS FOR ACCURATELY PREDETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF SALT WITHDRAWN FROM THE VESSEL IN SOLUTION AT EACH WITHDRAWAL OF BRINE THEREFROM, SAID MEANS COMPRISING: UPRIGHT PARTITION MEANS IN THE VESSEL DEFINING AT ONE SIDE THEREOF A CONTROL COMPARTMENT IN WHICH THE VALVED MEANS AND ITS FLOAT ACTUATOR ARE LOCATED, AND THE TOP OF WHICH COMPARTMENT IS ABOVE SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL, SAID PARTITION MEANS ALSO COOPERATING WITH THE VESSEL TO DEFINE A BRINE COMPARTMENT AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PARTITION MEANS; A FORAMINOUS HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING MEMBER EXTENDING ACROSS THE BRINE COMPARTMENT AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A STORE OF SALT, SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER BEING DISPOSED A SMALL DISTANCE BELOW SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL SO THAT THE BOTTOM PORTION OF A STORE OF SALT ON THE SUPPORTING MEMBER CAN BE CONTACTED BY WATER IN THE VESSEL, FOR GENERATION OF BRINE, WHEN THE VESSEL IS FILLED, AND SO THAT THE AMOUNT OF LIQUD IN THE VESSEL IS INDEPENDENT OF THE AMOUNT OF SALT COMPRISINGD SUCH STORE; SAID PARTITION MEANS BEING IMPERFORATE EXCEPT FOR A HOLE THEREIN DEFINING THE BOTTOM OF A ZONE THAT EXTENDS UPWARDLY TO SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL; AN ADJUSTABLE TRANSFER TUBE IN ONE OF THE COMPARTMENTS CONSTITUTING THE SOLE MEANS OF COMMUNICATING IT WITH THE OTHER COMPARTMENT; MEANS MOUNTING THE TRANSFER TUBE ON THE PARTITION MEANS WITH ONE END PORTION OF THE TUBE AT A FIXED LOCATION AND PROJECTING THROUGH SAID HOLE IN THE PARTITION MEANS FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID OTHER COMPARTMENT, WHILE PROVIDING FOR ADJUSTMENT OF THE TUBE TO DISPOSE THE MOUTH OF ITS OTHER END PORTION AT DIFFERENT LEVELS WITHIN SAID ZONE, WHEREBY FRESH WATER ENTERING THE CONTROL COMPARTMENT CAN BE TRANSFERRED VIA THE TUBE TO THE BRINE COMPARTMENT TO FILL THE SAME TO SAID PREDETERMINED FLOAT-DEFINED LEVEL ONLY AFTER THE LEVEL OF LIQUID IN THE CONTROL COMPARTMENT RISES TO THE LEVEL OF SAID MOUTH OF THE TRANSFER TUBE, WHILE ALL BRINE WITHDRAWN FROM THE BRINE COMPARTMENT IS CONSTRAINED TO FLOW THROUGH THE TRANSFER TUBE TO THE CONTROL COMPARTMENT, SO THAT SUCH BRINE WITHDRAWAL FROM THE BRINE COMPARTMENT IS TERMINATED WHEN THE BRINE LEVEL IN THE BRINE COMPARTMENT DROPS TO THAT OF SAID MOUTH OF THE TRANSFER TUBE, AND THE AMOUNT OF BRINE THUS WITHDRAWN IS DEPENDENT UPON THE LEVEL TO WHICH SAID MOUTH OF THE TUBE IS ADJUSTED IN SAID ZONE; AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING THE TRANSFER TUBE WITH SAID MOUTH THEREOF AT ANY ONE OF A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LEVELS THROUGHOUT SAID ZONE.