Liquid-liquid contact

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR COUNTERFLOW DIRECT-CONTACT TREATMENT BETWEEN TWO IMMISCIBLE LIQUIDS OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MAINTAINING IN A TANK A TOP DECANTING ZONE OF A LAYER OF THE LIGHTER LIQUID, A BOTTOM SETTLING ZONE OF A LAYER OF THE HEAVIER LIQUID AND AN INTERMEDIATE CONTACTING ZONE OF A LAYER OF AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF THE TWO LIQUIDS, INTRODUCING THE LIGHTER LIQUID AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTACTING ZONE AND THE HEAVIER LIQUID BELOW BUT PROXIMATE THE TOP OF THE CONTACTING ZONE, MIXING SAID LIQUIDS IN THE CONTACTING ZONE, WITHDRAWING LIGHTER LIQUID FROM THE DECANTING ZONE AND THE HEAVIER LIQUID FROM THE SETTLING ZONE, PASSING MIXED LIQUIDS FROM THE CONTACTING ZONE RADIALLY OUTWARD AT THE TOP OF THE CONTACTING ZONE INTO A COLLECTING ZONE OPEN TO THE DECANTING ZONE WHEREBY THAT PORTION OF THE MIXED LIQUID RECEIVED IN THE COLLECTING ZONE SEPARATES WITH AN INTERPLANE BETWEEN SEPARATED LIGHTER LIQUID AND SETTLED HEAVIER LIQUID IN THE COLLECTING ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING SETTLED HEAVIER LIQUID FROM THE COLLECTING ZONE TO MAINTAIN SAID INTERPLANE BELOW THE TOP OF THE CONTACTING ZONE.