Agitator

Claim 1

AN AGITATOR FOR LIQUIDS COMPRISING A VESSEL AND AN AXIAL IMPELLER SUSPENDED CONCENTRICALLY THEREIN, THE IMPELLER COMPRISING A VERTICAL ROTATABLE SHAFT WITH TWO INLINE OPPOSED ARMS CARRIED RADIALLY BY THIS SHAFT AND AN IMPELLER BLADE AFFIXED RADIALLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY TO THE OUTER END OF EACH OF THESE SUPPORTING ARMS, (A) THE VESSEL BEING A RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINDER WHOSE AXIS IS VERTICAL AND WHOSE BOTTOM IS THAT AND HORIZONTAL, AND (B) THE LENGTH OF EACH ARM BEING ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THE STRIP OF THE VESSEL EACH ARM BEING MADE OF A THIN STRIP OF FLAT MATERIAL WHOSE GREATER WIDTH LIES IN THE HORIZONTAL PLANE ROTATION AND WHOSE THICKNESS IN THE VERTICAL DIRECTION IS SO SMALL THAT THE HYDRAULIC RESISTANCE IN TH DIRECTION OF ROTATION IS TOO SLIGHT TO GENERATE SUBSTANTIAL ROTARY MOTION OF THE FLUID UNDER TREATMENT, AND THE PLANE OF ROTATION OF THE ARMS BEING ADJACENT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE VESSEL SO THAT SEDIMENT CANNOT ACCUMULATE TO ANY SIGNIFICANT DEPTH BENEATHA THE ROTATING ARMS, AND (C) THE LENGHT OF EACH BLADE BEING ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE RADIUS OF THE VESSEL SO THAT THE OUTER TIPS OF THE BLADES ROTATE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE WALL OF THE VESSEL, THE BLADES BEING MADE OF THAT MATERIAL SIMILAR IN SHAPE TO THAT OF WHICH THE ARMS ARE MADE, WITH THEIR THIN LEADING EDGES ROATATING IN THE PLANE OF THE ARMS ADJACENT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE VESSEL, AND WITH THEIR TRAILING PORTIONS TWISTED UPWARD BEHIND A LINE CONNECTING THE LEADING OUTER CORNER OF THE BLADE WITH THE TRAILING INNER CORNER OF THE BLADE SO THAT THE REARWARD SURFACE OF THE BLADE COMPRISES AN APPROXIMATELY TRIANGULAR PLANE INCLINED UPWARD AT AN ANGLE OF ABOUT 10* TO 15* FROM THE HORIZONTAL PLANE OF ROATATION OF THE ARMS WHILE THE FORWARD SURFACE OF EACH BLADE COMPRISES AN APPROXIMATELY TRIANGULAR PLANE IN THE PLANE OF ROTATION OF THE ARMS.