Abstract: A wet grinding machine which includes a grinder head, an annular stator having a mounting portion mounted on the grinder head and joined by a body portion to a skirt portion, and a rotor rotatably mounted on the grinder head. The rotor includes a hub portion joined by an annular body portion to an annular skirt portion inside of the annular stator. Outwardly extending slots in the body portion of the rotor define shearing blades in the body portion. Outwardly extending shearing slots in the body portion of the stator are opposed to the shearing blades. Each of the shearing slots slopes and overlaps at least one adjacent shearing blade. As the rotor turns, each of the blades is constantly opposed to and addresses at least one of the shearing slots. There are inlet openings in the stator skirt and in the rotor skirt.

Abstract: A condenser for separating solvent vapors from non-condensable gases. The condenser includes an outer shell, a middle shell inside the outer shell, and an inner shell inside the middle shell. The shells are coaxial and the middle shell is open at the bottom. Mixed solvent vapors and non-condensing gas pass downwardly through an annular space between the inner and middle shells. There is a condensate receiving chamber in the outer shell below the lower end of the middle shell. A cold trap is mounted in the upper portion of the condensate receiving chamber. Coolant is introduced into the cold trap to cool the cold trap. Helical tube means mounted on the cold trap receives the coolant from the cold trap. The helical tube means extends upwardly through the annular space between the inner and middle shells and discharges into an upper portion of the inner shell, and is removed from the inner shell. Condensate is withdrawn from the chamber in the lower portion of the outer shell.

Abstract: A wet grinding machine which includes a grinder head, an annular stator mounted on the grinder head, and a rotor rotatably mounted in the grinder head. Shearing blades on the rotor turn inside the stator and sweep across shearing slots in the stator. Each of the shearing slots slopes and overlaps adjacent shearing slots so that each of the blades is constantly addressing an inner edge of at least one of the shearing slots. A classifying screen chamber surrounds the stator but is independent of the grinding machine so that particles of reduced size can pass through the screen to be removed while larger particles are retained and sheared by the rotor blades against inner edges of the slots.