Multiple slit liquid thermal diffusion apparatus

Claim 1

LIQUID THERMAL DIFFUSION APPARATUS COMPRISING A SERIES OF HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENTS HAVING PLANE, VERTICAL, SMOOTH AND LIQUID-IMPERVIOUS EXTERIOR WALLS, THE EXTERIOR WALLS OF ADJACENT HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENTS IN THE SERIES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND CLOSELY SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER TO TO FORM A SERIES OF SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AND UNIFORMLY NARROW THERMAL DIFFUSION SEPARATION CHAMBERS; MEANS FOR RELATIVELY HEATING THE SEPARATION CHAMBER-FORMING WALLS OF ALTERNATE HEAT EXCHAGE ELEMENTS IN THE SERIES OF HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENTS AND RELATIVELY COOLING THE SEPARATION CHAMBER-FORMING WALLS OF THE HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENTS BETWEEN SAID ALTERNATE HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENTS FOR PROVIDING A RELATIVELY HOT WALL AND A RELATIVELY COLD WALL FOR EACH SEPARATION CHAMBER, WHEREBY THE RELATIVELY HOT WALLS OF TWO ADJACENT SEPARATION CHAMBERS ARE FORMED BY THE WALLS OF A SINGLE HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENT AND THE RELATIVELY COLD WALLS OF TWO OTHER ADJACENT SEPARATION CHAMBER ARE FORMED BY THE WALLS OF ANOTHER SINGLE HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENT; LIQUIDPERMEABLE MEMBRANES IN THE SEPARATION CHAMBERS INTERMEDIATE AND SPACED FROM THE SEPARATION CHAMBER-FORMING WALLS FOR DIVIDING EACH SEPARATION CHAMBER INTO FLOW CHAMBERS HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, ONE FLOW CHAMBER IN EACH SEPARATION CHAMBER BEING ADJACENT A RELATIVELY HOT WALL AND ANOTHER FLOW CHAMBER IN EACH SEPARATION CHAMBER BEING ADJACENT A RELATIVELY COLD WALL; INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A LIQUID MIXTURE INTO ONE OF THE FLOW CHAMBERS IN SAID SERIES OF SEPARATION CHAMBERS; FIRST OUTLET MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING A FIRST FRACTION OF SAID LIQUID MIXTURE FROM A FLOW CHAMBER ADJACENT THE RELATIVELY HOT WALL OF ANOTHER OF THE SERIES OF SEPARATION CHAMBERS; SECOND OUTLET MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING A SECOND FRACTION OF SAID LIQUID MIXTURE FROM A FLOW CHAMBER ADJACENT A RELATIVELY COLD WALL OF STILL ANOTHER IN THE SERIES OF SEPARATION CHAMBERS; AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE FLOW CHAMBERS OF ADJACENT SEPARATION CHAMBERS FOR MOVING LIQUID, IN ALTERNATE SEPARATION CHAMBERS, UPWARDLY THROUGH THE FLOW CHAMBERS ADAJCENT THE RELATIVELY HOT WALL AND DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE FLOW CHAMBERS ADJACENT THE COLD WALLS, AND FOR MOVING THE LIQUID, IN SEPARATION CHAMBERS BETWEEN SAID ALTERNATE SEPARATION CHAMBERS, DOWNWARDLY THROUGH FLOW CHAMBERS ADJACENT THE HOT WALLS AND UPWARDLY THROUGH CHAMBERS ADJACENT THE THE COLD WALLS.