Thermal diffusion apparatus

Claim 1

A THERMAL DIFFUSION APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION AN ELONGATED SEPARATION CHAMBER, A PLURALITY OF SPACED SCREENS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, AND FORMING THEREIN A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT INTERCOMMUNICATING FLOW CHANNELS, INLET MEANS FOR CHARGING FLUID TO SAID CHAMBER AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE ITS LENGTH, AN OUTLET HEADER AT THE UPPER END OF SAID CHAMBER CONNECTING WITH A SET OF ALTERNATELY SPACED FLOW CHANNELS, AN OUTLET HEADER CONNECTING WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID CHAMBER AND THE REMAINING ALTERNATELY SPACED FLOW CHANNELS, IMPERFORATE PARTITIONING MEANS DIVIDING SAID CHAMBER INTO VERTICAL SUPERIMPOSED SECTIONS, COOLING MEANS AND HEATING MEANS OUTSIDE SAID CHAMBER, HEADER AND CONDUIT MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING FLUID FROM ABOVE SAID PARTITIONING MEANS AND FROM SAID REMAINING ALTERNATELY SPACED FLOW CHANNELS ACCOMMODATING DESCENDING FLUID FLOW AND FOR PASSING SAID FLUID TO SAID COOLING MEANS, CONDUIT AND DISTRIBUTION MEANS FOR RETURNING COOLED FLUID FROM SAID COOLING MEANS TO SAID CHAMBER AND TO SAID REMAINING FLOW CHANNELS BELOW SAID PARTITIONING MEANS, HEADER AND CONDUIT MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING FLUID FROM BELOW SAID PARTITIONING MEANS AND FROM SAID SET OF ALTERNATELY SPACED FLOW CHANNELS ACCOMODATING ASCENDING FLUID FLOW AND FOR PASSING SAID FLUID TO SAID HEATING MEANS, CONDUIT MEANS FOR RETURNING HEATED FLUID FROM SAID HEATING MEANS TO SAID CHAMBER AND THE LAST-MENTIONED FLOW CHANNELS ABOVE SAID PARTITIONING, AND FLUID CIRCULATING MEANS IN SAID CONDUITS TO FORCE CIRCULATION OF EACH STREAM BETWEEN SAID SUPERIMPOSED SECTIONS.