Distilling apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SHELL, PARTITION MEANS DIVIDING SAID SHELL INTO LATERALLY ADJACENT PRESTRIPPING AND BULK OVERHEAD DISTILLING COMPARTMENTS, HEATING MEANS IN THE LOWER PART OF SAID PRESTRIPPING COMPATMENT, OTHER HEATING MEANS IN THE LOWER PART OF SAID BULK OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT, SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH ONE ANOTHER IN THE LOWER PART THEREOF SO THAT HEATED LIQUID WILL PASS FROM SAID HEATING MEANS IN THE PRESTRIPPING COMPARTMENT TO SAID HEATING MEANS IN THE BULK OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT, FEED STOCK CONDUCTING MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PRESTRIPPING COMPARTMENT IN THE UPPER PART THEREOF AND CONDUCTING UNHEATED FEED STOCK INTO SAID PRESTRIPPING COMPARTMENT FOR HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HEATING MEANS IN SAID LAST MENTIONED COMPARTMENT, THE PRESTRIPPING COMPARTMENT HAVING A VAPOR OUTLET IN THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF, BAFFLE MEANS IN SAID PRESTRIPPING COMPARTMENT ABOVE THE HEATING MEANS FOR RECEIVING AND INTERCEPTING THE UNHEATED FEED STOCK PASSING TO THE MEANS FOR HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH, THE BAFFLE MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF OPEN TRAYS POSITIONED AT AN ELEVATION BELOW THE VAPOR OUTLET FOR THE PRESTRIPPING COMPARTMENT, SAID TRAYS COMMUNICATING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN SERIES TO FORM A LIQUID PATH OF FLOW FOR SAID FEED LIQUID, EACH TRAY BEING DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE AT A DIFFERENT VERTICAL LEVEL ABOVE THE HEATING MEANS IN SAID COMPARTMENT, THE UPPERMOST TRAY EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SHELL, ONE END OF THE UPPERMOST TRAY BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE FEED STOCK CONDUIT WHILE THE OPPOSITE END COMMUNICATES WITH A LOWER TRAY ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID LOWER TRAY, SAID LOWER TRAY EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SHELL, THE LOWERMOST TRAY AND TRAYS INTERMEDIATE SAID LOWER AND LOWERMOST TRAYS COMMUNICATING WITH ONE ANOTHER ADJACENT THE ADJOINING ENDS THEREOF AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SHELL, SAID LOWERMOST TRAY COMMUNICATIONG AT ONE END THEREOF WITH SAID HEATING MEANS AND AT THE OPPOSITE END WITH THE TRAY NEXT ABOVE THE LOWERMOS T TRAY, VAPOR OUTLET MEANS IN COMMUNCATION WITH THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID BULK OVERHEAD DISTILLING COMPARTMENT, VAPOR AND LIQUID SEPARATING MEANS IN THE BULK OVERHEAD DISTILLING COMPARTMENT IN THE PATH OF FLOW OF VAPOR FROM SAID OTHER HEATING MEANS TO SAID VAPOR OUTLET MEANS, AND A SEPARATED LIQUID OUTLET IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BULK OVERHEAD DISTILLING COMPARTMENT.