Process for the production of high concentration alkaline lyes

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PRODUCING ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE SOLUTIONS OF HIGH CONCENTRATION BY DECOMPOSING THE CORRESPONDING AMALGAMS WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SUPERIMPOSED CONFINED REACTION ZONES CONTAINING ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE SOLUTION, THE SOLUTION IN EACH OF SAID ZONES INCREASING INALKALI METAL CONCENTRATION FROM A LOWERMOST ZONE OF LEAST CONCENTRATION TO AN UPPERMOST ZONE OF HIGHEST CONCENTRATION, CAUSING THE AMALGAM TO FLOW UNIDIRECTIONALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ZONE OF LEAST ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE CONCENTRATION, THERERBY BECOMING GRADUALLY EXHAUSTED OF ALALI METAL, INTRODUCING WATER INTO THE ZONE OF LEAST ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE CONCENTRATION, WITHDRAWING THE EXHAUSTED AMALGAM IN CONTACT WITH SAID WATER TO EFFECT VAPORIZATION OF AT LEAST SOME OF SAID WATER BY THE SENSIBLE HEAT IN SAID EXHAUSTED AMALGAM, INTRODUCING THE WATER VAPOR THUS PRODUCED AND THE ALKALI METAL SOLUTION OF LEAST CONCENTRATION INTO AN ALKALI METAL HYDOXIDE SOLUTION OF HIGHER CONCENTRATION TO CONDENSE SAID VAPOR, THEREBY RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE SOLUTION, INTRODUCING THE VAPORS AND LIQUID CONTAINED IN EACH OF SAID ZONES OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE SOLUTION INTO THE BODY OF THE SOLUTION OF NEXT HIGHER ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE CONCENTRATION, AND WITHDRAWING SOLUTION FROM THE ZONE OF HIGHEST ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE CONCENTRATION.