Lime slaking apparatus

A lime slaking system for the hydration of lime, said system comprising:

• vessel means for containing a mass of material including unhydrated lime particles and water;
• said vessel means including at least one reaction chamber to contain such a mass of material during hydration of the lime content of such mass and an inlet for feeding such material into said reaction chamber and an outlet to permit withdrawal of product from said reaction chamber;
• agitator means associated with said vessel means and operable for agitating such mass of material contained in said reaction chamber;
• flow inducing means associated with said agitator means and cooperable therewith to promote movement of such contained mass of material from said inlet toward said outlet;
• first comminution means integral with said agitator means and concomitantly movable therewith for comminution of the lime particle content of such mass of material simultaneously with such agitating and such movement thereof in a manner to promote high intensity inter particle contacts between such lime particles in such mass for driving such hydration reaction at a reaction rate greater than the spontaneous hydration rate of such lime particles through a receding surface reaction mechanism to produce within said reaction chamber a product mass including a hydrated lime component and a residual component;
• processing means communicating with said outlet of said reaction chamber to receive such product from said reaction chamber for processing thereof;
• said processing means including classifying means for separating such product into such hydrated lime component and such residual component and second comminution means associated with said classifying means for comminution of such residual component and recycling of at least a portion of such residual component to said classifying means for additional processing thereof through said processing means.