Method of steam distillation

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF STEAM DISTILLATION, WHICH COMPRISES GENERATING STEAM IN A STEAM GENERATION ZONE, INTRODUCING HEATED MATERIAL INTO A DISTILLATION ZONE, SAID MATERIAL BEING HEATED SUFFICIENTLY TO SUPPLY HEAT OF VAPORIZATION OF SAID MATERIAL IN SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, INTRODUCING SAID STEAM INTO THE DISTILLATION ZONE, REMOVING MIXED VAPORS CONTAINING STEAM FROM SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, COMPRESSING SAID VAPORS ABOVE THE PRESSURE OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE AND SAID STEAM GENERATION ZONE, THUS HEATING THE MIXED VAPORS BY SAID COMPRESSION, TRANSFERRING A PORTION ONLY OF THE HEAT OF THE COMPRESSED VAPORS TO THE STEAM PASSING TO SAID VAPORIZATION ZONE, SEPARATELY REMOVING THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE HEAT ADDED BY COMPRESSION TO THE COMPRESSED VAPORS, FURTHER COOLING SAID COMPRESSED VAPORS, CONDENSING THE WATER IN SAID COMPRESSED MIXED VAPORS AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE HIGHER THAN SAID DISTILLATION PRESSURE, REMOVING WATER OF CONDENSATION, REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON SAID WATER, AND INTRODUCING SAID WATER INTO SAID STEAM GENERATION ZONE, WHEREBY THE LATENT HEAT OF VAPORIZATION OF WATER VAPORIZED IN SAID STEAM GENERATION ZONE IS SUPPLIED SOLELY BY THE HEAT ADDED TO THE WATER BY SAID COMPRESSED VAPORS.