Apparatus for refining diamonds

Vessel apparatus for refining diamonds, comprising the combination of

• an open-top liner having a surrounding annular sealing area, a liner cover having an annular sealing area opposed to the liner sealing area, and an annular seal suited to be confined between the opposed annular sealing areas;
• an open-top pressure shell snugly fitted around the outside of the liner and having an annular securing area spaced outwardly adjacent the annular sealing areas, and a shell cover butted flush against the liner cover and having an annular securing area opposed to the shell securing area;
• the shell cover and liner cover being readily removable to expose the open-top liner for providing loading and unloading access of the vessel apparatus for diamonds and solvents contained therewithin during refining, and the shell and shell cover, liner and liner cover, and annular seal being sized to provide that when the vessel apparatus is closed and sealed during refining that the annular securing areas of the shell and shell cover remain spaced apart;
• securing means cooperating at the annular securing areas for biasing the securing areas toward one another for thereby compressing the annular seal between the annular sealing areas of the liner and liner cover when the vessel apparatus is closed and sealed during refining;
• said liner, liner cover, and annular seal each being formed of heat and chemically resistent durable material to withstand elevated operating temperatures and the solvents contained in the vessel apparatus during refining, but said liner and liner cover each being inadequate to contain solvent pressures in the vessel apparatus;
• and said shell and shell cover, and said securing means each being formed of durable heat resistent material to withstand the elevated operating temperatures and solvent pressures in the vessel apparatus during refining;
• and
• said securing means comprising spring means operable for resiliently drawing the securing areas toward one another and the sealing areas against the annular seal therebetween, for maintaining a substantially uniform continuous resilient force between the annular sealing areas and the annular seal therebetween substantially independently of the refining temperatures and pressures.