Apparatus and method for contacting liquids with liquids

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTACTING HEAVY LIQUID WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY IMMISCIBLE LIGHTER LIQUID COMPRISING VESSEL MEANS FOR CONTAINING LIQUIDS, A PLURALITY OF PARTITIN MEANS DIVIDING THE VESSEL HORIZONTALLY INTO AT LEAST FIRST, INTERMEDIATE AND LAST MIXING CHAMBERS, PUMPING CHAMBERS AND SETTLING CHAMBERS, LIQUID AGITATION MEANS MOUNTED IN THE MIXING CHAMBERS, THE MIXING CHAMBERS, PUMPING CHAMBERS AND SETTLING CHAMBERS BEING ARRANGED IN SERIES WHEREBY ONE OF THE HEAVY AND LIGHTER LIUQIDS FLOWS ALTERNATELY THROUGH MIXING, PUMPING AND SETTLING CHAMBERS AND THE OTHER LIUQID FLOWS COUNTERCURRENT THERETO, AT LEAST THE INTERMIDIATE MIXING CHAMBER BEING ADJACENT AT LEAST THREE SETTLING CHAMBERS AND BEING SEPARATED THEREFROMBY THE PARTITION MEANS, AT LEAST THE INTERMIDATE PUMPING CHAMBER BEING ADJACENT THE INTERMEDIATE MIXING AND SETTLING CHAMBERS AND SEPARATED THEREFROM BY THE PARTITION MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING HEAVY LIQUID INTO THE FIRST MIXINC CHAMBER, MEANS FOR PASSING HEAVY LIQUID INTO THE FIRST MIXINC CHAMBER, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING LIGHTER LIQUID FROM THE FIRST SETTLING CHAMBER, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING HEAVY LIQUID FROM THE LAST SETTLING CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR PASSING THE HEAVY AND LIGHTER LIQUIDS BETWEEN THEIR RESPECTIVE MEANS FOR PASSAGE INTO THE FIRST AND LAST MIXING CHAMBERS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE MEANS FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM THE LAST AND FIRST SETTLING CHAMBERS INCLUDING THE FIRST, INTERMEDIATE AND LAST MIXING, PUMPING AND SETTLING CHAMBERS, THE MEANS FOR PASSING THE HEAVY AND LIGHTER LIQUIDS BEING OPERATIVE TO MAINTAIN THE LIQUID LEVELS IN THE IFRST, INTERMEDIATE AND LAST MIXING CHAMBERS BELOW THE LIQUID LEVELS IN THE FIRST, INTERMEDIATE AND LAST SETTLING CHAMBERS, THE MEANS FOR PASSING THE HEAVY AND LIGHTER LIQUIDS ALSO INCLUDING MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING HEAVY LIQUID FROM THE FIRST SETTLING CHABMER AND PASSING IT INTO THE INTERMEDIATE MIXING CHAMBER, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING LIGHTER LIQUID FROM THE LAST SETTLING CHAMBER AND PASSING IT INTO THE INTERMEDIATE MIXING CHAMBER, MEANS INCLUDING AN OPENING IN THE PARTITION MEANS SEPARATING THE INTERMEDIATE MIXING AND PUMPING CHAMBERS ARRANGED BELOW THE NORMAL LIQUID LEVEL IN THE INTERMEDIATE SETTLING CHAMBER WHEREBY THE HEAVY AND LIGHTER LIQUIDS OVERFLOW FROM THE INTERMEDIATE MIXING CHAMBER THROUGH THE OPENING INTO THE INTERMIDIATE PUMPING CHAMBER TO THEREBY MAINTAIN A LOWER LIQUID LEVEL IN THE INTERMEDIATE MIXING CHAMBER THAN IN THE INTERMEDIATE SETTLING CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR PUMPING LIQUID FROM THE INTERMEDIATE PUMPING CHAMBER INTO THE INTERMEDIATE SETTLING CHAMBER WHEREBY THE HEAVY AND LIGHTER LIQUIDS OVERFLOWING INTO THE PUMPING CHAMBER ARE PASSED UPWARD TO THE HIGHER LIQUID LEVEL IN THE INTERMEDIATE SETTLING CHAMBER.