Apparatus for the separation and treatment of solid particles from a liquid suspension

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluid passages in said piston include valve means adapted to pass said suspension of solid particles to said column during the suction stroke of said piston and to remove the suspending liquid phase during the compression stroke of said piston.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the piston is provided with a screen surface facing the bed of solid particles in the column, which is selectively permeable for the liquid, and is provided with an opening for the feeding of the suspension into said column.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said treating means includes heating means disposed at said other end of said column for melting said bed, said heating means comprising tubes internally heated with a fluid, said tubes having a heatinsulating layer on their outer surfaces at the side of the tubes opposite the piston.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the tubes have a triangular cross-section with one point of the triangle directed toward the piston.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said treating means includes heating means disposed at said other end of said column for melting said bed, said heating means comprising electrically heated wires.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for supplying a washing liquid to said bed includes a discharge line having a valve for controlling the rate of discharge from the bed.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said treating means includes mechanical means for the progressive removal of the solid particles from the bed.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the means for the mechanical removal of the solid particles comprises a rotating perforated disc provided with scraping means.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 8 including a cover with means to close and open the end of the column opposite to the piston and provided with a filter through which a wash fluid can be pressed into the column in the closed position of the column, and a cutting device to remove the solid particles in the open position of the column.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 10 including a slide slidable relative to the cutting device and a pin fixed to the cutting device and provided with a slot in the slide, the arrangement being such that only when the cutting edge has completely cut off a piece of the bed of compressed solids the slide will move along with it when the cutting device continues its movement in the same direction and that when the cutting device is retracted the slide will first be stationary to strip off a piece of the bed of compressed solids from the cutting device so that it will be removed.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 10 including a piston in the cover adapted to serve as a feeding pump for the wash fluid to the column.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 12 including a feed line between the pump and the column having a valve to control the location of the wash front.

Claim 15

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said treating means includes heating means disposed at said other end of said column for melting said bed, said heating means consisting of at least two melting grates, each grate being positioned parallel to the surface of the piston.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said treating means includes a heating means disposed at said other end of said column for melting said bed, said heating means comprising spaced heating elements, the spacing between said elements being at least 1.0 mm.

Claim 17

Apparatus for the separation and purification of solids from a suspension and for leaching solid particles comprising an impervious column including: a. piston means closing one end of said column and mounted for reciprocating movement within said column to compact the solid particles to a bed and advance said compacted bed of solid particles to the opposite end of said column during the compression stroke of said reciprocating movement, said piston means including: i. a surface facing the bed of solid particles; ii. filtering means on said surface which is selectively permeable for the liquid phase of said suspension; iii. feeding means in communication with said surface for feeding said suspension into said column, said feeding means including: a. at least one opening in said surface and b. at least one conduit in flow communication with said opening; iv. first discharge means for the removal of said liquid phase of said suspension from said column including at least one conduit in flow communication with said filtering means; v. valve means in said at least one conduit of said feeding means to pass said suspension to said column only during said suction stroke of said reciprocating movement; vi. valve means in said at least one conduit of said discharge means to remove said liquid phase only during said compression stroke of said reciprocating movement; and b. treating means at the opposite end of said column for treating successive portions of said bed to facilitate removal of the treated portion from said column and discharge means at said opposite end of said column for the progressive removal of said successive portions of said bed.

Claim 18

Apparatus for the separation and purification of solids from a suspension and for leaching solid particles comprising an impervious column including: a. piston means closing one end of said column and mounted for reciprocating movement within said column to compact the solid particles to a bed and advance said compacted bed of solid particles to the opposite end of said column during the compression stroke of said reciprocating movement, said piston means including: i. a surface facing the bed of solid particles; ii. filtering means on said surface which is selectively permeable for the liquid phase of said suspension; iii. feeding means in communication with said surface for feeding said suspension into said column, said feeding means including: a. at least one opening in said surface and b. at least one conduit in flow communication with said opening; iv. first discharge means for the removal of said liquid phase of said suspension from said column including at least one conduit in flow communication with said filtering means; v. valve means in said at least one conduit of said feeding means to pass said suspension to said column only during said suction stroke of said reciprocating movement; vi. valve means in said at least one conduit of said discharge means to remove said liquid phase only during said compression stroke of said reciprocating movement; and b. treating means at the opposite end of said column for treating successive portions of said bed to facilitate removal of the treated portion from said column and discharge means at said opposite end of said column for the progressive removal of said successive portions of said bed.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said treating means includes a rotating disc having scraping means and openings for passing the scraped-off portions through said disc, and means end of said column for supplying washing liquid to said bed.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 17 in which said discharge means includes a discharge line having a valve for controlling the rate of discharge from said bed.