Solids-fluid contactor

Claim 1

CONTACTING APPARATUS MEDIUM COMPRISING: A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL VERTICALLY ELONGATED OUTER SHELL; A MOTOR; A SHAFT OPERATIVELY SECURED TO SAID MOTOR AND BEING DRIVEN THEREBY, SAID SHAFT DEPENDING AXIALLY WITHIN SAID SHELL; A PLURALITY OF ELEMENTS SPACED ALONG AND SECURED TO SAID SHAFT; EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS CONSISTING OF AT LEAST ONE LATERALLY EXTENDING STIRRING BLADE; A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTAL ANNULAR BAFFLES SPACED ALOANG AND SECURED TO THE INNER WALL OF SAID SHELL HAVING CENTRAL OPENINGS PROVIDING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE RADICAL CLEARANCE TO PERMIT THE FREE PASSAGE OF SAID SHAFT AND OTHERWISE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERFORATE AND UNOBSTRUCTED; THE DIAMETER OF SAID OPENINGS BEING LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ELEMENT; THE RATIO OF THE DIAMETER OF SAID CIRCULAR OPENING TO SAID SHAFT RANGING BETWEEN 2 AND 6; EACH OF SAID HORIZONTAL BAFFLES HAVING CIRCULAR VERTICAL RISERS SECURED TO THE INNER EDGES THEREOF AND THUS DEFINING A SERIES OF COMPARTMENTS WHICH ARE IN CONSECUTIVE COMMUNICATION THROUGH SAID CENTRAL OPENINGS; THE RATIO OF THE DIAMETERS OF SAID HORIZONTAL BAFFLES TO THE HEIGHT OF SAID VERTICAL RISERS BEING IN THE RANGE OF 12 TO 3; EACH ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF ONE COMPARTMENT AS DEFINED BY SAID HORIZONTAL BAFFLES AND IN AXIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ENDS, WHEREBY THE AXIAL INTERVAL BETWEEN SAID ALTERNATING ELEMENTS AND SAID BAFFLES, AND THE FURTHER INTERLEAVING THEREOF, INTERPOSE A CONTACTING ZONE THAT CONTROLS THE SETTLING TIME OF LIQUIDS PASSING FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SHELL; FIRST CONDUIT MEANS FOR INTRODUCING FIRST AND SECOND LIQUIDS TO BE CONTACTED TO SAID ONE END OF SAID SHELL; AND SECOND CONDUIT MEANS FOR DRAWING THE RESULTING CONTACTED LIQUIDS FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID SHELL.