B
SECTION B — PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  
SEPARATING; MIXING
 B01 - 
B09

Note(s)

The following notes are meant to assist in the use of this part of the classification scheme; they must not be read as modifying in any way the elaborations.

  1. In this sub-section, the separation of different materials, e.g. of different matter, size, or state, is predominantly found in the following subclasses:

    B01D

    B03B, B03C, B03D

    B04B, B04C

    B07B, B07C.

  2. The classifying characteristics of these subclasses are:
    1. the physical state of the matter to be separated;
    2. the principle of the process used;
    3. particular kinds of apparatus.
    The first of these characteristics involves six different aspects, assembled in three groups:
    1. liquid/liquid or liquid/gas and gas/gas;
    2. solid/liquid or solid/gas;
    3. solid/solid.
  3. These subclasses are to be used according to the following general rules:
    It should also be noted that the separation of isotopes of the same chemical element is covered by B01D 59/00, whatever process or apparatus is employed.
  4. The following scheme illustrates the classification according to these rules.

        TABLE A

        LIQUID/LIQUID

        LIQUID/GAS

        GAS/GAS

                                            Subclasses dealing with

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus

     General                                    B01D      B01D

       by centrifugal force, using centrifuges or

       free-vortex apparatus                    B01D      B04B,

                                                            B04C

       using magnetic or electrostatic effect   B03C      B03C 

        TABLE B

        SOLID/LIQUID

        SOLID/GAS

                                            Subclasses dealing with

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus

     General                                    B01D      B01D 

       by centrifugal force                     B01D      B01D 

       using centrifuges or free-vortex

         apparatus                              B01D      B04B,

                                                            B04C

       using magnetic or electrostatic effect   B03C      B03C

        TABLE C

        SOLID/SOLID

     Dry methods

                                             Subclasses dealing with

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus

     General

     material in bulk                           B07B      B07B 

     Individual sorting                         B07C      B07C 

       Screening, sifting, pneumatic sorting    B07B      B07B 

         using pneumatic tables or jigs         B03B      B03B 

       by magnetic or electrostatic effect      B03C      B03C 

       by centrifugal force                     B07B      B07B 

         using centrifuges or free-vortex

         apparatus                              B07B      B04B,

                                                            B04C

     Wet methods

                                             Subclasses dealing with

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus

     General                                    B03B      B03B 

       flotation, differential sedimentation    B03D      B03D 

       screening                                B07B      B07B

     Combinations Dry methods - wet methods     B03B 

 B01
PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL (furnaces, kilns, ovens, retorts, in general F27)
 B01B
BOILING; BOILING APPARATUS

 B01D
SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D, by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B, by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B 9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F 1/42; arrangement or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F 13/28)  [5]
 B01D

Note(s)

  1. This subclass covers:
    • evaporation, distillation, crystallisation, filtration, dust precipitation, gas cleaning, absorption, adsorption;
    • similar processes which are not concerned with, or limited to, separation (except in the case of absorption or adsorption).
  2. In this subclass, the terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
    • "filtration" and analogous terms include straining solids from fluids;
    • "filter medium" is a porous material or porous arrangement of material used to filter solids from fluids;
    • "filtering element" is a section of filter medium in addition to parts to which the medium is demountably or permanently fixed, including other sections of medium, end caps, peripheral frames or edge strips, but excluding housings;
    • "filter housing" is the fluid-constraining impervious vessel, whether open or closed, which contains, or is adapted to contain, one or more filtering elements or filter media;
    • "filter chamber" is the space within a housing, where filtering elements or filter media are located. Partitions may divide a single housing into a plurality of chambers;
    • "filtering apparatus" consists of filtering elements combined with housings, cleaning arrangements, motor or the like parts, which are characteristic of the particular type of apparatus. Ancillary devices such as pumps or valves are considered part of a filtering apparatus when inside the apparatus. Ancillary devices performing similar or different unit operation such as comminutors, mixers or non-filtering separators, whether or not inside the apparatus, are not considered part of a filtering apparatus. The term does not extend to apparatus, e.g. washing machines, of which the filter forms only a part.
  3. For apparatus used in drying or evaporation, class F26 takes precedence over this subclass.
  4. Group B01D 59/00 takes precedence over the other groups of this subclass and over other subclasses.
 B01D
Subclass index
EVAPORATION; DISTILLATION; SUBLIMATION 1/00; 3/00; 5/00; 7/00
COLD TRAPS, COLD BAFFLES 8/00
CRYSTALLISATION 9/00
SOLVENT EXTRACTION 11/00
TREATING LIQUIDS: DISPLACEMENT, ADSORPTION, SEPARATION, DEGASIFICATION 12/00, 15/00, 17/00, 19/00
TREATING GASES OR VAPOURS: SEPARATION, RECOVERING, CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL PURIFICATION OF WASTE GASES 53/00
SEPARATION OF SUSPENDED PARTICLES FROM LIQUIDS
By sedimentation 21/00
By filtration
processes 37/00
gravity filters; filters formed from filtering elements, pressure or suction filters 24/00; 25/00, 29/00
cartridge filters 27/00
filters with mobile filtering elements 33/00
filtering devices 35/00
filter circuits or combinations 36/00
By other processes 43/00
SEPARATION OF DISPERSED PARTICLES FROM GASES OR VAPOURS
Pretreatment of the gas or vapour 51/00
By gravity, inertia, centrifugal force; by filtration; by a combination of devices 45/00; 46/00; 50/00
By other methods 47/00, 49/00
FILTERING MATERIALS 39/00, 41/00
SEPARATION OF ISOTOPES 59/00
ABSORPTION, ADSORPTION; OTHER SEPARATING METHODS 15/00, 53/02, 53/14; 57/00
SEPARATION USING SEMI-PERMEABLE MEMBRANES; DIALYSIS, OSMOSIS, ULTRAFILTRATION 61/00 - 71/00

 B01F
MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D 3/06)
 B01F

Note(s)

In this subclass, the following term or expression is used with the meaning indicated:

  • "mixing" covers stirring of a single material.  [2]

 B01F
Subclass index
DISSOLVING 1/00
MIXING, DISPERSING, EMULSIFYING
Processes 3/00
Apparatus
flow mixers 5/00
with rotary action 7/00, 9/00
other mixers 11/00, 13/00
accessories 15/00
EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING AGENTS 17/00

 B01J
CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS, COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS (processes or apparatus for specific applications, see the relevant places for these processes or apparatus, e.g. F26B 3/08)  [2]
 B01J

Note(s)

  1. In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings indicated:
    • "solid particles" includes such particles whether catalysts, reactants or inert in solid, semi-solid or pasty state;  [2]
    • "fluidised particles" means finely divided solid particles lifted and agitated by a stream of fluid;  [2]
    • "fluidised-bed technique" means fluid-solid contacting technique in which finely divided particles are lifted and agitated by a rising stream of fluid, said stream having such a speed as to form a lower dense phase (the "bed") and an upper dilute fluidised phase of "fluidised particles";  [2]
    • "processes conducted in the presence of solid particles" does not include processes wherein the only solid particles present are formed during the reaction.  [3]
  2. In this subclass, tradenames that are often found in scientific and patent literature have been used in order to define precisely the scope of the groups.  [6]
 B01J
Subclass index
CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL, OR PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS 3/00, 4/00, 6/00, 7/00, 8/00, 19/00
CHEMICAL PROCESSES INVOLVING A GAS 8/00, 10/00, 12/00, 15/00
CHEMICAL PROCESSES INVOLVING A LIQUID 8/00, 10/00, 14/00, 16/00
CATALYSTS
containing elements or inorganic compounds 21/00, 23/00, 27/00
Raney type 25/00
Molecular sieves 29/00
containing hydrides, coordination complexes or organic compounds 31/00
Catalyst carriers in general 32/00
Preparation 33/00 - 37/00
Regeneration or reactivation of catalysts, in general 38/00
SORBENT, FILTER AID COMPOSITIONS 20/00
ION EXCHANGE PROCESSES 39/00 - 49/00
COLLOID CHEMISTRY 13/00
GRANULATION 2/00

 B01L
CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE (apparatus for medical or pharmaceutical purposes A61; apparatus for industrial purposes or laboratory apparatus whose construction and performance are comparable to that of similar industrial apparatus, see the relevant classes for industrial apparatus, particularly subclasses of B01 and C12; separating or distilling apparatus B01D; mixing or stirring devices B01F; atomisers B05B; sieves B07B; corks, bungs B65D; handling liquids in general B67; vacuum pumps F04; siphons F04F 10/00; taps, stop-cocks F16K; tubes, tube joints F16L; apparatus specially adapted for investigating or analysing materials G01, particularly G01N; electrical or optical apparatus, see the relevant classes in sections G and H)
 B01L

Note(s)

This subclass covers only laboratory apparatus which is either applicable solely to laboratory purposes or which, by reason of its simple construction and adaptability, is such as would not be suitable for industrial use.