Distillation apparatus for removing oil from citrus fruit juices

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING AN AQUEOUS LIQUID CONTAINING A VOLATILE OIL, THE COMBINATION OF A HEATER AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING FRESH LIQUID THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A HEATING MEDIUM INTO SAID HEATER FOR HEATING THE LIQUID DURING PASSAGE THERETHROUGH FOR VAPORIZING THE GREATER PORTION OF THE OIL AND A RELATIVELY SMALL PORTION OF THE WATER IN SAID LIQUID, AN EXPANSION CHAMBER CONNECTED WITH SAID HEATER FOR RECEIVING AND SEPARATING THE HEATED LIQUID AND SAID VAPORS, A CONDENSER CONNECTED TO AND RECEIVING THE VAPORS FROM SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING COOLING MEANS FOR CONDENSING SAID VAPOR, AN EJECTOR CONNECTED WITH THE VAPOR SPACE IN SAID CONDENSER FOR WITHDRAWING NON-CONDENSIBLE GASES AND IMPRESSING A PARTIAL VACUUM ON THE CONDENSER, CHAMBER AND LIQUID IN THE HEATER, A SEPARATOR CONNECTED WITH THE CONDENSER TO RECEIVE THE VAPOR CONDENSATE THEREFROM AND ADAPTED TO SEPARATE THE LIGHTER OIL VAPOR CONDENSATE FROM THE HEAVIER WATER VAPOR CONDENSATE, MEANS CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE SEPARATED OIL FROM THE SEPARATOR, MEANS CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE UNVAPORIZED LIQUID FROM SAID CHAMBER, AND MEANS CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE SEPARATED WATER VAPOR CONDENSATE FROM THE SEPARATOR AND MIXING IT WITH SAID UNVAPORIZED LIQUID.