Thermal diffusion apparatus and method

Claim 1

LIQUID THERMAL DIFFUSION METHOD WHICH COMPRISES CONFINING A LIQUID MIXTURE IN A SERIES OF VESSELS HAVING SEPARATION CHAMBERS AND ADJACENT UPPER AND LOWER ZONES, SSAID SEPARATION CHAMBERS BEING DEFINED BY CLOSELY SPACED WALL MEMBERS; MAINTAINING ONE OF THE WALL MEMBERS IN EACH CHAMBER AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE THAN THE OTHER WALL MEMBER IN EACH CHAMBER FOR SEPARATING THE MIXTURE INTO DISSIMILAR FRACTIONS, ONE FRACTION ACCUMULATING PREFERENTIALLY ADJACENT ONE OF THE WALL MEMBERS AND ASCENDING TO THE UPPER ZONES AND THE OTHER FRACTION ACCUMULATING PREFERENTIALLY ADJACENT THE OTHER WALLS AND DESCENDING TO THE LOWER ZONES; INTERMITTENTLY INTRODUCING FRESH LIQUID MIXTURE INTO THE UPPER ZONE OF THE FIRST OF THE SERIES OF VESSELS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSFERRING THE FRACTIONS PREFERENTIALLY ACCUMULATED IN EACH OF THE UPPER ZONES INTO THE NEXT IN THE SERIES OF UPPER ZONES AND SIMULTANEOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE FRACTION IN THE UPPER ZONE OF THE LAST IN THE SERIES OF CHAMBERS; AND INTERMITTENTLY INTRODUCING FRESH LIQUID MIXTURE INTO THE LOWER ZONE OF THE LAST OF THE SERIES OF VESSELS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSFERRING THE FRACTIONS PREFERENTIALLY ACCUMULATED IN EACH OF THE LOWER ZONES INTO THE NEXT PRECEDING LOWER ZONE IN THE SERIES AND SIMULTANEOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE FRACTION ACCUMULATED IN THE LOWER ZONE OF THE FIRST IN THE SERIES OF CHAMBERS.