Patent ID: 7300197

Claim:
An apparatus for dissolving a solid material in a liquid, said apparatus comprising: a container for receiving the solid material and the liquid; a turbidimeter for measuring the turbidity of the liquid in said container, said turbidimeter including: a fluid lance extending into said container, said fluid lance having a pair of tines with free ends placed in opposition to one another, said fluid lance also having a pair of lenses in said free ends permitting light to pass through said free ends; a light emitter being positioned within one of said tines for producing light for passage through the adjacent one of said lenses and into said container; and, a light receptor being positioned in the other one of said tines and being connected to said controller for receiving light from said light emitter and producing a voltage signal in proportion to the amount of light detected; a blender for stirring the liquid in said container; a controller being connected to said light turbidimeter for selectively energizing said blender when the voltage signal received from said light receptor drops below a predetermined level; and, a valve assembly for gauging the level of liquid in said container and admitting liquid into said container when the liquid level falls from a set level.