Sonic apparatus for removing gas from photographic emulsion

Abstract

Bubbles are eliminated from a liquid such as a photographic emulsion by passing the emulsion through a horizontal tubular container while pulling a vacuum on the container and subjecting the emulsion to ultrasonic vibrations from an ultrasonic transducer having a horn located in a well in the bottom of the container. Emulsion is pumped out of the container and delivered through a conduit to the point of use. The delivery circuit can include a secondary gas separation chamber which also has a transducer horn therein. Provision is made for selectively recycling part or all of the emulsion back into the well. The container can be operated either partly full or completely full of liquid. Provision is also made for cleaning the internal walls of the apparatus by injecting a swirling stream of liquid into the tubular container to flow through the container and downstream portions of the system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.