Method and apparatus for clarifying electrolyte

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF ELECTROLYTICALLY REMOVING MATERIAL FROM AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE AND ELECTROCHEMICALLY ERODABLE WORKPIECE WHEREIN AN ELECTROLYTE IS PUMPED UNDER PRESSURE TO AND THROUGH A WORK GAP BETWEEN THE WORKPIECE AND AN ELECTRODE WHILE AN ELECTROLYZING DIRECT CURRENT IS PASSED BETWEEN THE WORKPIECE AND THE ELECTRODE IN A SENSE TO MAKE THE WORKPIECE ANODIC, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING RECOVERING FROM THE WORK GAP ELECTROLYTE UNDER PRESSURE IN WHICH PARTICLES OF ERODED WORKPIECE MATERIAL AND GAS BUBBLES FORMED DURING THE ELECTROLYSIS ARE ENTRAINED, CONDUCTING THE PRESSURIZED ELECTROLYTE AND ENTRAINED MATERIAL AND BUBBLES TO A TANK, ENTERING THE PRESSURIZED ELECTROLYTE AND ENTRAINED MATERIAL AND BUBBLES INTO THE TANK SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTROLYTE THEREIN WHICH IS MAINTAINED AT AN APPRECIABLY LOWER PRESSURE THAN THAT OF THE ENTERING ELECTROLYTE AND SINULTANEOUSLY RELEASING THE PRESSURE ON THE ENTERING ELECTROLYTE, PERMITTING THE GAS BUBBLES TO FLOAT FLOCS OF ERODED MATERIAL TO THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTROLYTE IN THE TANK, PERIODICALLY SKIMMING THE FLOCS OF ERODED MATERIAL FROM THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTROLYTE IN THE TANK, AND TRANSFERRING CLARIFIED ELECTROLYTE FOR REUSE TO A CLEAR ELECTROLYTE TANK WITHOUT APPRECIABLY AGITATING THE ELECTROLYTE AND EORDED MATERIAL IN THE FIRST TANK.