Method of and means for distilling or reclaiming

Claim 1

A STILL FOR RECLAIMING DRY CLEANING LIQUID SOLVENTS WITH A MINIMUM OF FOAMING COMPRISING A LIQUID SUPPLY RESERVOIR, A RELATIVELY WIDE, SLIGHTLY INCLINED VAPORIZER PAN, A FIRST LIQUID TRANSFER MEANS COMPRISING A PUMP AND A PIPE CONNECTED THEREWITH HAVING AN INLET END IN THE RESERVOIR FIR ADMITING LIQUID THEREFROM AND AN OUTLET JUXTAPOSED TO SAID INCLINED PAN, SAID OUTLET COMPRISING AN ELONGATED LIQUID SPREADER AT THE UPPER END OF SAID INCLINED PAN HAVING ORIFICE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGHOUT A LENGTH OF THE SPREADER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE PAN, LIQUID FLOW CONTROL MEANS IN SAID FIRST LIQUID TRANSFER MEANS ADAPTED TO CAUSE LIQUID PUMPED FROM SAID RESERVIOR TO ISSUE FROM SAID SPREADER ORIFICE MEANS AND FLOW ACROSS SAID INCLINED PAN IN A RELATIVELY THIN LAYER HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE WIDTH OF THE PAN, A SECOND LIQUID TRANSFER MEANS CONNECTING THE LOWER END OF SAID PAN AND THE RESERVOIR FOR RETURNING LIQUID FROM THE PAN TO THE RESERVOIR AND PROVIDED WITH AN INLET IN THE PAN HAVING A HEIGHT ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY SHALLOW DEPTH OF LIQUID AT THE LOWER END OF THE PAN, HEATING MEANS ADJACENT SAID PAN TO HEAT THE LIQUID FLOWING ACROSS SAID PAN BETWEEN ITS UPPER AND LOWER END PORTIONS TO VAPORIZE AT LEAST APORTION OF THE FLOWING LIQUID, CONDENSER MEANS TO CONDENSATE THE VAPOR THUS PRODUCED, AND A TANK FOR RECEIVING THE CONDENSATE.