Distilling process and apparatus

Claim 1

A DISTILLATION PROCESS APPLICABLE ONLY TO LIQUID DISTILLATIONS HAVING AS THEIR MAIN OBJECT TO EXTRACT A MORE VOLATILE GIVEN COMPONENT FROM A LIQUID FEED CONSTITUTING A NON-AZEOTROPIC BINARY MIXTURE IN WHICH IT IS INCLUDED, BY MEANS OF SUCCESSIVE OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT IN AN EXHAUSTING COLUMN, WHEREIN THE LIQUID TO BE SEPARTED IS FED TO THE TOP OF THE COLUMN TO FLOW THROUGH DOWNWARD AND A VAPOR COMPRISING ONLY THE SAME COMPONENTS BUT POORER IN THE MORE VOLATILE COMPONENT IS INJECTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN TO MOVE UPWARD IN COUNTERCURRENT TO THE LIQUID, WHEREBY THE VAPOR IS CAUSED TO EVAPORATE AND EXTRACT THE INTENDED COMPONENT PROGRESSIVELY FROM THE LIQUID AS LONG AS THE VAPOR ASCENDS IN THAT COLUMN, YIELDING IN COMPENSATION COMPONENTS OF LESS VOLATILITY WHICH ARE LIQUEFIED, AND BEING IN THAT FORM CONTINUOUSLY ENRICHED IN ITS ASCENSION, WHILE THE LIQUID IS PROGRESSIVELY EXHAUSTED; THAT COMPRISES WITHDRAWING MIXED VAPOR AT A POINT OF THE COLUMN BELOW THE TOP PLATE WHERE THAT VAPOR IS NOTABLY RICHER IN THE VOLATILE COMPONENT THAN THE LIQUID UNDERGOING THE BEGINNING OPERATIONS, DIRECTLY LIQUEFYING THE WITHDRAWN VAPOR AND INJECTING THE RESULTING CONDENSATE INTO THE LIQUID BEING FED INTO THE TOP OF THE COLUMN.