Apparatus for separating mixtures of liquids of different specific gravities, etc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What I claim is: 1.
Shipboard apparatus for separating a mixture of immiscible liquids having different specific gravities while avoiding turbulences due to ship motion, comprising, in combination: a vessel defining a vertically extending settling chamber; means disposed between the upper and lower regions of said chamber for introducing the mixture of immiscible liquids quiescently into an intermediate region of said chamber whereby the lighter liquid tends to rise in said chamber while the heavier liquid tends to settle in said chamber; first outlet means having an inlet communicating with the upper region of said chamber for withdrawing said lighter liquid; second outlet means having an inlet communicating with the lower region of said chamber for withdrawing said heavier liquid; and flow restriction means substantially filling the cross section of said chamber at said intermediate region between said upper and lower regions of said chamber and presenting vertical passages directly communicating said upper and lower regions for restricting liquid surging between said regions whereby to maintain quiescent conditions in such regions; said means for introducing the mixture comprising an annular chamber surrounding said intermediate region and having two sets of circumferentially spaced openings for uniformly introducing the mixture of immiscible liquids around said settling chamber, one set of openings being disposed immediately above said flow restriction means and the other set of openings being disposed immediately below said flow restriction means.
2.
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said flow restricting means comprises porous means defining vertical passages communicating said upper and lower regions of said chamber and having horizontal communication between such passages.
3.
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said flow restricting means comprises a plurality of porous, corrugated layers disposed within said chamber and a plurality of distance element layers sandwiched between said corrugated layers, the distance element layers being of lesser height than said corrugated layers