Patent ID: 7506764

Claim:
An apparatus for separating a particle stream into a first particle group and a second particle group, said apparatus being connectable to a positive pressure source, said apparatus comprising: a dilution treatment chamber defining a passageway, said passageway being substantially upstanding and defining a passageway top end and a substantially opposed passageway bottom end, said passageway top end defining a particle inlet and said passageway bottom end defining a first-particle-group outlet for releasing the first particle group, said passageway being configured and sized to receive the particle stream at said particle inlet such that the particle stream falls toward said first-particle-group outlet; a transfer casing located substantially adjacent to said dilution treatment chamber, said transfer casing defining a transfer chamber provided for receiving the second particle group; at least one transfer aperture substantially laterally positioned with respect to said passageway, said transfer aperture extending between said transfer chamber and said passageway and allowing fluid communication therebetween, said at least one transfer aperture including an uppermost transfer aperture, said passageway and said transfer chamber being separated from each other by a wall above said uppermost transfer aperture for preventing said particles from said particle stream falling in said passageway from entering said transfer chamber above said uppermost transfer aperture; a distributor located in said passageway between said particle inlet and said transfer aperture, said distributor being provided for substantially breaking down the particle stream and distributing the particle stream substantially horizontally within said passageway, said distributor including a fluid-injection nozzle defining a distributor aperture laterally positioned in said passageway, said distributor aperture being located above said uppermost transfer aperture, said fluid-injection nozzle being connectable to the positive pressure source for injecting a jet of the fluid in said passageway through the distributor aperture for distributing the particle stream over a surface area of said passageway; and at least one fluid flow aperture provided in said dilution treatment chamber for creating a substantially horizontal fluid flow in said passageway, said at least one fluid flow aperture and said transfer aperture being located below said distributor substantially horizontally aligned relatively to each other and located substantially opposed to each other relatively to said passageway, said fluid flow aperture being connectable to the positive pressure source to create the fluid flow; whereby the fluid flow pushes the second particle group out of said passageway through said transfer aperture and into said transfer chamber with the first particle group remaining in said passageway for exiting through said first-particle-group outlet.