Ex parte HEIJNEN et al. - Page 2




          Appeal No. 96-0889                                                          
          Application 08/089,944                                                      


                    The subject matter on appeal is directed to a three-              
          phase separator device for the treatment of waste.                          
                    In their brief, appellants do not separately argue any            
          of their claims and thus claims 5 and 8 stand or fall together              
          with independent claim 5 which reads as follows:                            
                    5.  A three-phase separator for a fluidized bed                   
          apparatus for the anaerobic treatment of a waste water liquid               
          phase wherein a gas phase is generated, the three-phase separator           
          being adapted to be situated in the top of a reactor for                    
          separating the gas phase from a treated liquid phase, and from a            
          biomass, and for returning the biomass to the reactor, the three-           
          phase separator comprising:                                                 
                    a settling compartment having an inlet, and outlet for            
          treated liquid phase from which the gas phase and biomass have              
          been substantially removed,                                                 
                    a plurality of parallel partitions connected to the               
          settling compartment and inclined to both the vertical and the              
          horizontal for creating an internal gaslift circulation of                  
          biomass and treated liquid phase in the separator, the parallel             
          partitions having an inlet for the biomass and treated liquid               
          phase that is separated from the gas phase and flows between the            
          partitions to an outlet from said parallel partitions, the                  
          parallel partitions inlet being above the parallel partitions               
          outlet, and the outlet from the parallel partitions being in open           
          communication with the inlet to the settling compartment for the            
          flow of treated liquid phase into the settling compartment,                 
                    a deflector inclined to the vertical and the                      
          horizontal, said deflector being connected to the settling                  
          compartment and having a major surface extending below and across           
          the inlet to the settling compartment and below and across the              
          outlet from the parallel partitions to provide an outlet from the           
          separator for return of the biomass from the separator to the               
          reactor, the outlet for the biomass being spaced apart from the             
          inlet to the parallel partitions, the inclined deflector and the            
          parallel partitions being at opposite inclined angles with                  
          respect to each other,                                                      

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