Patent ID: 7198767

Claim:
A method of treating fluids by use of at least one bulk material comprising: a. flowing a fluid substantially through a plurality of bulk material beds, said fluid flowing from a bottom to a top of at least one bulk material bed; b. moving said at least one bulk material in at least one of said bulk material beds countercurrent to the flow of said fluid through at least one of said bulk material beds; c. delivering said at least one bulk material via a movable bulk material delivery mechanism for at least partially adding said at least one bulk material to said top of said at least one bulk material bed, moving said bulk material delivery mechanism, and then adding said at least one bulk material to a top of another bulk material bed wherein said movable bulk material delivery mechanism is movable to a plurality of said bulk material beds so as to provide substantially even distribution of said at least one bulk material over a given bulk material bed until said at least one bulk material in said at least one bulk material bed has been properly exchanged; d. operating said plurality of said bulk material beds in parallel such that said removing and said adding of said at least one bulk material in said plurality of said bulk material beds occurs successively; and, e. said at least one bulk material bed includes a loading opening adapted to receive said at least one bulk material into said top of said bulk material bed, and at least one closeable unloading opening to controllably remove said at least one bulk material from said bottom of said at least one bulk material bed.