Apparatus and method of circulating a body of fluid containing a mixture of solid waste and water and separating them

An apparatus for circulating and separating a body of fluid containing a mixture of solid waste, the apparatus comprising:

• an elongated vessel with a housing having an internal volume defined by an inwardly facing surface of the vessel, the housing having an influent opening for introducing influent into the internal volume of the vessel and an effluent opening for discharging effluent out of the internal volume of the vessel;
• means for creating circulation of the body of fluid within the internal volume of said vessel, said creating circulation means including means for gassifying the body of fluid to produce a gasborne mixture and an upward flow of the gasborne mixture within the internal volume, means for degassing the gasborne mixture to produce a degassed mixture and permit a downward flow of the degassed mixture within the internal volume;
• and
• means for guiding circulation of the body of fluid within the internal volume of the vessel along a predetermined route before discharging through the effluent opening, said guiding means including means for channeling said gasborne mixture upwardly from said gassifying means to reach said degassing means, means for deflecting the downward flow of the degassed mixture with a deflection surface to promote settling of solids out of the degassed mixture and leaving a remainder of the degassed mixture substantially free of the settled solids, means for containing said remainder of the degassed mixture within a containment zone, said channeling means having a constriction element configured for constricting the upward flow of the gasborne mixture, said containment zone being interposed between said deflection surface and said vessel surface, and said effluent opening being in communication with said containment zone, said constriction element having an, inverted funnel configuration with a bell portion and a hollow neck portion, said neck portion extending upwardly from said bell portion to terminate at an open top end that is at an elevation spaced from and beneath that of said degassing means, said open end terminating said inverted funnel configuration, said bell portion having an open bottom end that is wider than said open top end of said neck portion, said bell portion having an exterior facing surface that extends from said hollow neck and in a direction such that a projection of said exterior facing surface is toward said deflection surface.