Abstract: Apparatus and a method for cleaning a bead suspension of fragile beads having a high water content suspended in a liquid. The spray nozzles in vat cause turbulence in a suspension of water and beads such that flawed or damaged beads and beads fragments rise to the top of the vat and are discharged over the lip of the vat. The preservative is extracted from the suspension and filter to remove fines and microbes. The cleaned preservative and cleansed beads are recombined in a bead drum.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for de-watering a bead suspension of fragile beads having a high water content suspended in a liquid includes a staging vat, a metering vat, and a de-watering vat. The application of pressurized gas to the staging vat causes the bead suspension to move up a central feed tube which extends from the staging vat to the metering vat. The bead suspension is gravity fed from the metering vat through a transfer pipe and into the de-watering vat. The bottom portion of the de-watering vat has both an inner wall and an outer wall wherein the upper portion of the inner wall has perforations and the bottom portion is solid. Upon entering the de-watering vat, the bead suspension pours a short distance onto an inverted spreader cone. The bead suspension flows down the spreader cone and pours over the edge of the cone toward the perforated upper portion of the inner wall.