Thermal diffusion method

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR CONTINOUSLY SEPARATING, BY THERMAL DIFFUSION IN A COLUMN DEFINED BY TWO WALLS SPACED APART SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.01 AND ABOUT 0.15 INCH, ONE OF SAID WALLS BEING MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE APPRECIABLY HIGHER THAN THE OTHER, A LIQUID MIXTURE INTO TWO FRACTIONS CONTAINING DISSIMILAR MATERIALS THAT ARE NORMALLY LIQUID UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF SEPARATION AND WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN A MATERIAL NORMALLY LIQUID UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF SEPARATION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING SAID LIQUID TO CONTINOUS THERMAL DIFFUSION BY CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING SAID LIQUID AT A RATE ABOVE THE RATE OF THERMAL CIRCULATION IN THE COLUMN INTO ONE END OF THE COLUMN, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING FROM THE OTHER END OF THE COLUMN, A FIRST LIQUID FRACTION CONTAINING A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ONE OF THE DISSIMILAR MATERIALS THAT WAS CONTAINED IN THE INITIAL LIQUID, AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING FROM THE FEED END OF THE COLUMN A SECOND LIQUID FRACTION CONTAINING A LESSER CONCENTRATION OF SAID DISSIMILAR MATERIAL THAN WAS CONTAINED IN THE INITIAL LIQUID, THE RATIO OF THE RATE OF REMOVAL OF THE FIRST FRACTION TO THE RATE OF FEED BEING LESS THAN ABOUT 1.5:10.