Method and apparatus for effecting continuous sulfuric acid digestion of titaniferous material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING CONTINUOUS DIGESTION OF TITANIFEROUS MATERIAL WITH SULFURIC ACID WHICH COMPRISES A ROTATABLE AND SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, A RIGID ELONGATED MEMBER POSITIONED WITHIN THE VESSEL IN SUBSTANTIALLY AXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH AND SUPPORTED FREELY ON THE LOWER INTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF, SAID ELONGATED MEMBER BEING PROVIDED LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF WITH AT LEAST THREE PROJECTING FINS ADAPTED TO MAKE SELF-SUPPORTING CONTACT WITH THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE VESSEL, AT LEAST ONE PROJECTING MEMBER POSITIONED ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE VESSEL ADJACENT EACH END OF THE FINNED MEMBER WITH THE PROJECTING MEMBERS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISPLACED FROM ONE ANOTHER WITHIN THE VESSEL, AT LEAST TWO ADJACENT FINS BUT LESS THAN ALL OF THE FINS AT EACH END OF THE FINNED MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH CUT-OUT PORTIONS ADAPTED TO CLEAR THE PROJECTIONS ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE VESSEL AS THE VESSEL IS ROTATED, THE CUT-OUT PORTIONS AT THE TWO ENDS OF THE FINNED MEMBER