Method and apparatus for the separation of solids

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE PARTICLES OF TWO SOLIDS SAID PARTICLES HAVING DIFFERENT SETTLING RATES IN LIQUID MEDIA AND HAVING CONTAINED AS A MIXTURE IN A LIQUID SLURRY COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A LOWER COLUMN SECTION, AND AN UPPER COLUMN SECTION OF LARGER DIAMETER THAN SAID LOWER COLUMN SECTION, A FRUSTO-CONICAL SECTION IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID UPPER AND LOWER COLUMN SECTIONS, INTERNAL CONE AND RING MEANS IN SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL SECTION TO PROVIDE A CROSS SECTIONAL AREA SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGH SAID SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID LOWER COLUMN SECTION, A DISTRIBUTING PLATE HAVING A TARGET SECTION AND PROVIDED WITH HOLES HAVING A TOTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID LOWER COLUMN SECTION, SAID DISTRIBUTING PLATE SEPARATING SAID UPPER COLUMN SECTION FROM SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL SECTION, MEANS FOR INTERNALLY INTRODUCING SAID SLURRY MATERIAL INTO SAID UPPER COLUMN SECTION, SAID MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF SAID UPPER COLUMN SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID UPPER COLUMN SECTION AND TERMINATING AT A LOCUS ADJACENT SAID TARGET SECTION, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A LIQUID MEDIUM INTO THE BOTTOM OF SAID LOWER COLUMN SECTION, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING A LIQUID SLURRY OF THE PARTICLES HAVING THE FASTER SETTLING RATE FROM SAID LOWER COLUMN SECTION AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING A LIQUID SLURRY OF THE PARTICLES HAVING THE SLOWER SETTLING RATE FROM SAID UPPER COLUMN SECTION.