Process of separating volatile components from less volatile components by distillation or sublimation at a low pressure

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RAPID DRYING OF A THERMO-UNSTABLE BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS, PLACING A THIN LAYER OF THE MATERIAL ON A FIRST INTERNAL SURFACE OF A HIGHLY-EVACUATED VESSEL, COOLING SAID SURFACE TO A TEMPERATURE OF NOT MORE THAN -50*C. AND COOLING A SECOND INTERNAL SURFACE SPACED FROM SAID FIRST SURFACE TO A TEMPERATURE OF NOT MORE THAN -60*C. WHILE MAINTAINING SAID TEMPERATURES OF PROVIDE A MEAN FREE PATH FOR THE MOLECULES OF A VOLATILE CONSTITUENT OF SAID MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID SURFACES IN THE ORDER OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SURFACES UNTIL SAID VOLATILE CONSTITUENT IS EVAPORATED AND CONDENSES ON SAID SECOND COOLER SURFACE AND THEN INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID FIRST SURFACE TO A TEMPERATURE OF NOT MORE THAN 40*C. AND INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID SECOND SURFACE TO NOT MORE THAN -1* C. TO EFFECT VOLATILIZATION OF THE CONDENSATE ON THE SECOND SURFACE AND EVAPORATION INTO A SECOND CONNECTING EVACUATED VESSEL MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY LOW TO PROVIDE A LOWER VAPOR PRESSURE THAN THAT SURROUNDING SAID SECOND SURFACE.