Patent ID: 7981299

Claim:
A thickening apparatus ( 1 ) adapted to liquids carrying suspended particles, the thickening apparatus comprising: a tank ( 2 ) where settling of solids takes place, whereby pulp ( 3 ) of higher relative density settles towards the bottom of the tank, and dilute liquid ( 10 ) of lower relative density is thereby displaced towards the top of the tank, a feedwell ( 4 ), which includes a chamber having an inlet for receiving feed slurry ( 9 ) and an outlet in fluid communication with the tank, and means for distributing the material in the tank, at least one separate conduit ( 5 ) for feed slurry to deliver the feed slurry ( 9 ) into the feedwell, and means for diluting the feed slurry autogeneously, characterized in that at least one separate dilute liquid conduit ( 16 , 19 ), which is separate from the conduit ( 5 ) for feed slurry, and at least one inflow aperture ( 15 ) are arranged separate from each other and tangentially with respect to the feedwell in a way that the dilute liquid ( 10 ) and the feed slurry ( 9 ) are flowing separately into the feedwell for recirculating the dilute liquid ( 10 ) from the tank inside the feedwell in order to dilute the feed slurry.