Salt dissolver having coordinated concomitant salt and water feed

Claim 1

A SALT DISSOLVING APPARATUS COMPRISING A VERTICAL DISSOLVING CHAMBER FOR CONTAINING A BODY OF SALT IN CONTACT WITH SUPERNATANT BRINE, A PLURALITY OF MEANS FOR INTRODUCING WATER INTO SAID CHAMBER BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE BODY OF SALT, VERTICAL CONDUIT MEANS LOCATED AT THE TOP AND PARTIALLY WITHIN SAID VERTICAL CHAMBER DEFINING A PREDISSOLVING ZONE, MEANS FOR FEEDING SALT INTO SAID PREDISSOLVING ZONE, MEANS FOR FEEDING WATER INTO SAID PREDISSOLVING ZONE, MEANS FOR SENSING THE HEIGHT OF THE BODY OF SALT IN THE DISSOLVING CHAMBER, COORDINATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID LEVEL SENSING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING FEED OF SALT AND FRESH WATER CONCOMITANTLY INTO THE PREDISSOLVING ZONE TO CONTROL AND COORDINATE THE AMOUNT OF SALT AND THE RELATIVE AMOUNTS OF SALT AND WATER FED TO THE PREDISSOLVING ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE BODY OF SALT AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, MEANS FOR CONDUCTING THE ADMIXTURE OF SALT, WATER AND BRINE FROM THE PREDISSOLVING ZONE TO THE BODY OF SALT WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER TO REMOVE SOLID IMPURITIES, AND MEANS CONNECTED ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID CHAMBER AND REMOVED FROM THE DISCHARGE OF THE PREDISSOLVING ZONE FOR REMOVING BRINE FROM SAID CHAMBER.