Apparatus for dispersing finely divided solid particles in a liquid vehicle with a mechanism for reducing screen clogging

Apparatus for deagglomerating and dispersing solid particles held in agglomerated form and carried in suspension in a liquid vehicle by the action of a dispersing media on the solids comprising:

• a mixing vessel having a fluid inlet at one end thereof and a fluid outlet at the other end thereof, said vessel being adapted to have a charge of dispersing media introduced thereinto, and said inlet being adapted to be operatively connected to a pump means whereby a fluid mixture may be moved by said pump means under pressure through said inlet and through the dispersing media in said vessel to said fluid outlet;
• a rotatable shaft extending into said vessel and adapted to be driven from a power source;
• a rotor separator mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith for separating dispersing media from the fluid mixture, said rotor separator being disposed on said shaft near said fluid outlet and in the path of flow between said vessel inlet and said outlet, said rotor separator including a filter screen surrounding and spaced from said shaft;
• agitator means disposed in close association with said separator to prevent dispersing media from clogging said filter screen, said agitator means including
• a pair of axially spaced radially extending slinger agitator members disposed at each end of said screen and surrounding and attached to said shaft to rotate therewith and extending radially outwardly substantially beyond the radial position of said screen, and
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced elongated agitator bars extending between and connecting said slinger agitator bars, said elongated members being disposed radially outwardly from and spaced from said screen.