Thermal diffusion method and apparatus

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING A FLUID MIXTURE INTO FRACTIONS ENRICHED WITH DISSIMILAR COMPONENTS WHICH COMPRISES IMPOSING A TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS A PLURALITY OF SEPARATION ZONES DEFINED BY OPPOSED, SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL SURFACES SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANTLY SPACED APART AND COMMUNICATING AT THEIR UPPER AND LOWER ENDS WITH RESERVOIRS HAVING DIMENSIONS GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID VERTICAL SURFACES AND CONTAINING A SERIES OF MIXING ZONES, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING FLUID MIXTURE CONTAINING SAID DISSIMILAR COMPONENTS INTO FIRST MEMBER OF SAID SERIES OF MIXING ZONES IN SAID UPPER AND LOWER RESERVOIRS, WHEREBY THE SEPARATION ZONES ARE FILLED WITH FLUID MIXTURE FOR SEPARATION INTO ASCENDING FRACTIONS CONTAINING HIGHER THAN INITIAL CONCENTRATIONS OF ONE OF THE DISSIMILAR COMPONENTS AND DESCENDING FRACTIONS CONTAINING HIGHER THAN INITIAL CONCENTRATIONS OF ANOTHER OF SAID DISSIMILAR COMPONENTS, ADMIXING INTRODUCED FLUID IN SAID UPPER AND LOWER RESERVOIRS WITH THE ASCENDING AND DESCENDING FRACTIONS ENTERING SAID RESERVORS FROM THE SEPARATION ZONES, AND CONTINUOUSLY AND SEPARATLEY WITHDRAWING FRACTIONS ENRICHED WITH SIMMILIAR COMPONENTS BY ADMIXTURE WITH SAID ASCENDILNG AND DESCENDING FRACTIONS FROM A MEMBER OF SAID SERIES OF MIXING ZONES REMOVED FROM THE SAID PLACE OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID FLUID MIXTURE IN SAID UPPER AND LOWER RESERVOIRS, RESPECTIVELY.