Patent ID: 7811416

Claim:
An apparatus for digesting a cellulosic material, comprising: a vessel containing a digestion chamber and having an opening that provides access to the digestion chamber; a closure adapted to interface with the vessel opening to form a fluid-tight seal against a predetermined digestion pressure and temperature within the chamber; a container within the digestion chamber for holding a cellulosic material; a fluid-transporting system adapted to direct digestion fluid from a supply in the digestion chamber through a port and the container toward any cellulosic material in the container; and a fluid-conveying member having a plurality of perforations for conveying digestion fluid from the port through the perforations for distribution towards cellulosic material in the container in a pressurized manner effective to increase digestion efficiency of any cellulosic material in the container as compared with digestion efficiency without the fluid-conveying member.