Mixing apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND FLUIDIZING A SOLID POWDERED MATERIAL WITH A GASEOUS FLUID AND TRANSPORTING THE FLUIDIZED MIXTURE INTO A LIQUID BATH; COMPRISING HOPPER MEANS FOR CONTAINING A QUANTITY OF SAID POWDERED MATERIALS, SAID HOPPER MEANS INCLUDING A FRUSTO-CONICAL LOWER PORTION HAVING AN OUTLET AT THE LOWER END THEREOF, CONDUIT MEANS IN SAID HOPPER MEANS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL PORTION INCLUDING A CENTRAL DUCT IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS SPACED ALONG A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH THEREOF FOR DIRECTING A FLOW OF SAID FLUID RADIALLY OUTWARD TO FLUIDIZE AND MIX SAID POWDERED MATERIAL, A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART DISTRIBUTING CONE ELEMENTS FORMED AROUND SAID CENTRAL DUCT EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY FROM SAID FRUSTOCONICAL LOWER PORTION, INJECTION CHAMBER MEANS BELOW SAID HOPPER MEANS HAVING AN INLET IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTLET OF SAID HOPPER MEANS AND AN OUTLET, VALVE MEANS COOPERATING WITH THE INLET OF SAID CHAMBER MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF FLUIDIZED MATERIALS FROM SAID HOPPER MEANS, INJECTOR MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID INJECTION CHAMBER MEANS IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE OUTLET THEREOF DIRECTING A FLOW OF GASEOUS FLUID INTO SAID INJECTION CHAMBER MEANS FOR CARRYING A FLOW OF FLUIDIZED POWDERED MATEERIAL THROUGH THE OUTLET THEREOF SUSPENSION CHAMBER MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTLET OF SAID INJECTION CHAMBER MEANS AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID INJECTOR MEANS FOR ENTRAINING AND MIXING SAID FLUIDIZED MATERIALS IN SAID GASEOUS FLOW FROM SAID INJECTOR MEANS, AND ATOMIZATION CHAMBER MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SUSPENSION CHAMBER MEANS INCLUDING A GAS NOZZLE INJECTOR FOR TRANSPORTING THE FLUIDIZED MIXTURE FROM SAID SUSPENSION CHAMBER MEANS INTO SAID LIQUID BATH.