Method of heat exchange between liquids

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR EFFECTING HEAT EXCHANGE BETWEEN TWO LIQUIDS CONTAINING A COMMON VOLATILE COMPONENT WHICH COMPRISES, INTRODUCING COLD LIQUID B AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW-35* C. INTO A POOL OF LIQUID B MAINTAINED IN AN UPPERMOST STAGE OF A STAGED ELONGATED CONTACTING ZONE, INTRODUCING WARM LIQUID A INTO A POOL OF LIQUID A MAINTAINED IN A LOWERMOST STAGE OF SAID ZONE, MAINTAINING ALTERNATE POOLS OF LIQUIDS A AND B IN SAID ZONE IN INDIRECT CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER, AND SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY A VAPOR PHASE OF AN INERT GAS AND SAID VOLATILE COMPONENT, PASSING AN INERT GAS THROUGH SAID LOWERMOST POOL OF LIQUID A THEREBY REMOVING VAPORS OF SAID VOLATILE COM PONENT FROM LIQUID A AND WITH IT FORMING A VAPOR PHASE ABOVE LIQUID A, PASSING SAID VAPOR PHASE UPWARDLY THROUGH LIQUID B IN THE STAGE IMMEDIATELY ABOVE IT AND RECONDENSING A PORTION OF SAID VOLATILE COMPONENT IN COLDER LIQUID B REPEATING THE PASSAGE OF SAID VAPOR PHASE SUCCESSIVELY UPWARDLY THROUGH LIQUIDS A AND B, PASSING LIQUID B PROGRESSIVELY DOWNWARD AND LIQUID A PROGRESSIVELY UPWARD IN SAID ZONE WHEREBY LIQUID B BECOMES PROGRESSIVELY WARMER AND LIQUID A BECOMES PROGRESSIVELY COLDER, REMOVING WARM LIQUID B FROM A LOWER END OF SAID ZONE, AND COLD LIQUID A FROM AN UPPER END OF SAID ZONE, AND REMOVING A STREAM OF COLD INERT GAS FROM AN UPPER END OF SAID ZONE.