Liquid-liquid two-phase contactor

Claim 1

A LIQUID-LIQUID CONTACTING PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FLOWING THROUGH AN ELONGATED VESSEL A FIRST LIQUID HAVING A COMPONENT TO BE EXTRACTED, FLOWING THROUGH SAID VESSEL IN CONTACT WITH AND COUNTERCURRENT TO SAID FIRST LIQUID, A SECOND LIQUID IMMISCIBLE WITH AND OF DIFFERENT DENSITY FROM SAID FIRST LIQUID AND IN WHICH SAID COMPONENT IS MORE SOLUBLE THAN IN SAID FIRST LIQUID, AND ROTATING WITHIN SAID VESSEL, ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SAID LIQUIDS, DISKS WHICH ARE WETTABLE BY SAID FIRST LIQUID AND ARE NOT WETTABLE BY SAID SECOND LIQUID AND HAVING ARCUATELY SPACED, RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO SAID AXIS AND RADIAL SLOTS THEREBETWEEN OF SUFFICIENT WIDTH TO PREVENT SAID LIQUIDS FROM FILMING OVER BETWEEN ADJACENT RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS, SAID DISKS BEING ROTATED AT A SUFFICIENTLY SLOW SPEED TO PREVENT FORMATION OF A STABLE EMULSION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND LIQUIDS.