Parallel plate extractor system and method for using same

An apparatus useful for conducting extraction between a relatively heavy solid or liquid first material and a relatively light solid or liquid second material;

• provided that at least one of said first and second materials is liquid, which comprises:
• (a) An elongated vessel means including first and second ends, first and second end walls, first and second side walls and a bottom wall;
• (b) Inlet means located at or near said first end of said vessel means for introducing said first and second materials into said vessel means;
• (c) At least one parallel plate assembly means located in said vessel means, in substantially horizontally spaced relation along the length of said vessel means and acting to provide a plurality of substantially parallel paths for material flow;
• (d) A plurality of agitation means, at least one of said agitation means being located in the spaces before and after each of said parallel plate assembly means along the length of said vessel means and acting to facilitate contact between the materials present in each said space, said agitation means and said parallel plate assembly means acting together so that said first and second materials continue to be in intimate contact even while transferring from space to space;
• (e) A parallel plate separation means located in said vessel means downstream from the last of said parallel plate assembly means and acting to separate a relatively heavy material and a relatively light material, said parallel plate separation means comprising two parallel plate assemblies substantially horizontally spaces apart so as to form a central space therebetween;
• (f) First outlet means located at or near said second end of said vessel means for removing said relatively light material from said vessel means;
• (g) Second outlet means located in association with said parallel plate separation means for removing said relatively heavy material said central space of said vessel means;
• and
• (h) Stationary bases along the bottom wall acting to substantially eliminate material flow beneath and around said parallel plate assembly means.

A method of conducting extraction between a relatively light first material and a relatively heavy second material, provided that at least one of said first and second materials is liquid, comprising:

• passing said first material into an elongated vessel through a first inlet located at or near the first end of said vessel;
• passing said second material into said vessel through a second inlet located at or near the second end of said vessel;
• causing at least a portion of said first and second materials to contact each other while flowing through a first, at least one intermediate, and a second parallel plate assembly located in said vessel, each said parallel plate assembly comprising a plurality of parallel paths available for material flow, provided that material flow beneath and around said intermediate assembly is substantially eliminated and said first and second materials are substantially continuously contacted;
• agitating said first and second materials in each space between said assemblies to facilitate contact between said first and second material in said space;
• and
• recovering a relatively light product at or near said first end of said vessel, and a relatively heavy product at or near said second end of said vessel.