Apparatus for reducing particle concentration in volume of liquid containing same

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINOUSLY REDUCING THE CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL IN A CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING MAIN VOLUME OF LIQUID CONTAINING SAME, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLEEDING OFF A FRACTIONAL QUANTITY OF SAID MAIN VOLUME PLUS PARTICULATE MATERIAL CONTAINED THEREIN AND DELIVERING SAME TO FILTERING MEANS TO SUBSTANTIALLY REMOVE SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL FROM SAID BLED OFF QUANTITY OF LIQUID PLUS PARTICULATE MATERIAL, AND RETURN SAID BLED OFF LIQUIID, SUBSTANTIALLY FREEOF PARTICULATE MATERIAL TO SAID APPARATUS, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A UNITARY CONCENTRATION AND SEPARATION RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIVING AND DISCHARGING SAID CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING LIQUID, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING AT LEAST FOUR SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM BOUNDED BY SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID BOTTOM COMPRISING A CONTOURED MONOLITHIC SURFACE HAVING FOUR GENERALLY PLANULAR SURFACES, THREE OF WHIICH RESIDE RESPECTIVELY HAVINIG AT 3 TO 22*, 35 TO 55*, AND 13 TO 23* WITH THE HORIZONTAL, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID THREE SURFACES RESIDING AT DIFFERENT ANGLES FROM EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID THREE SURFACES INTERSECTING THE PLANE OF AT LEAST ONE OTHER OF SAID THREE SURFACES, THE FOURTH SURFACE REPOSING AT AN ANGLE FROM 0* TO 2* WITH THE HORIZONTAL, FIRST OUTLET MEANS FOR BLEEDING CONTINUOUSLY VIA ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS BOUNDING SAID FOURTH SURFACE, A FRACTIONAL QUANTITY OF SAID MAIN VOLUME PLUS CONCENTRATED PARTICULATE MATERIAL FROM A POINT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID FOURTH SURFACE AND DELIVERING SAME TO AFORESAID FILTERING MEANS, SECOND OUTLET MEANS, SITUATED IN A SIDE WALL BOUNDING SAID FOURTH SURFACE AT A POINT ABOVE SAID PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED FIRST OUTLET MEANS, FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRAWING OFF A VOLUME OF LIQUID SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL FROM SAID RECEPTACLE, INLET MEANS SITUATED IN A WALL OPPOSITE THE SIDE WALL IN WHICH SAID SECOND OUTLET MEANS IS SITUATED TO RETURN TO SAID RECEPTACLE THE LIQUID PORTION OF THE MATERIAL DRAWN FROM SAID RECEPTACLE VIA SAID FIRST OUTLET MEANS FOLLOWING REMOVAL THEREFROM OF SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL BY SAID FILTERING MEANS, TO PROVIDE AN IMPROVED, UNITARY, SIMPLIFIED APPARATUS HAVING A CONCENTRATION AND SEPARATION RECEPTACLE FOR CONTINUOUSLY REDUCING THE CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL IN A MAIN VOLUME OF CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING LIQUID CONTAINING SAME.