Patent ID: 6974246

Claim:
In apparatus for blending a liquid with solid particles wherein a housing has an upper solid particle inlet and a lower liquid inlet, a center drive shaft extending vertically through said housing, and an outlet in communication with an annular space in outer spaced surrounding relation to said drive shaft, the improvement comprising: a common divider plate mounted for rotation on said center drive shaft; upper impeller means including a first series of circumferentially spaced vanes for directing said solid particles from said particle inlet in a radially outward direction toward said annular space; and lower impeller means including a second series of circumferentially spaced vanes extending downwardly from a lower surface of said divider plate for directing liquid from said liquid inlet through said annular space to intermix by counterflow of said liquid with respect to said solid particles prior to discharge of said solid particles into said annular space; wherein said upper solid particle inlet includes a plurality of straight, radially extending expeller blades in inner concentric relation to said upper impeller means.