Vaporization with condensation of vapors and recovery of resulting condensate in an external guard zone

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE VACUUM DISTILLATION OF A DISTILLABLE MATERIAL COMPRISING INTRODUCING A STREAM OF SUCH A MATERIAL INTO A FIRST END SECTION OF AN ELONGATED DISTILLATION ZONE UNDER FLASHING CONDITIONS SO AS TO VAPORIZE A PORTION OF SAME, UNVAPORIZED MATERIAL SETTLING IN SAID FIRST END SECTION; PASSING A SEPARATE STREAM OF SUCH MATERIAL INTO A SECOND END SECTION OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE UNDER FLASHING CONDITIONS SO AS TO VAPORIZE A PORTION OF SAME, UNVAPORIZED MATERIAL SETTLING IN SAID SECOND END SECTION; PASSING VAPOR CONTAINING ENTRAINED LIQUID DROPLETS, FROM SAID FIRST END SECTION INTO AND THROUGH A THIRD AND ADJACENT SECTION TOWARD A CENTRAL SECTION OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, WHEREBY AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID ENTRIANED LIQUID SETTLES FROM VAPOR IN SAID THIRD SECTION; PASSING VAPOR CONTAINING ENTRAINED DROPLETS FROM SAID SECOND END SECTION INTO AND THROUGH A FOURTH AND ADJACENT SECTION TOWARD SAID CENTRAL SECTION, WHEREBY AT LEAST A PORTION OF ENTRAINED LIQUID SETTLES FROM VAPORS IN SAID FOURTH SECTION; PASSING VAPORS FROM SAID THIRD SECTION INTO SAID CENTRAL SECTION IN CONTACT THEREIN WITH A SPRAY OF ATOMIZED DROPLETS EMITTED IN A DIRECTION CONCURRENTLY WITH FLOW OF THE LAST SAID VAPORS AND MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE LOWER THAN THAT OF THE LAST SAID VAPORS SO AS TO CONDENSE AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAME; PASSING VAPORS FROM SAID FOURTH SECTION INTO SAID CENTRAL SECTION IN CONTACT THEREIN WITH A SPRAY OF ATOMIZED DROPLETS EMITTED IN A DIRECTION CONCURRENT WITH FLOW OF THE LAST SAID VAPORS AND MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE LOWER THAN THAT OF THE LAST SAID VAPORS SO AS TO CONDENSE AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAME; RECOVERING LIQUID FORM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SECTIONS; PASSING ANY UNCONDENSED VAPORS FROM SAID CENTRAL SECTION TO A GUARD ZONE EXTERNAL TO SAID DISTILLATION ZONE IN CONTACT WITH A SPRAY OF ATOMIZED DROPLETS EMITTED IN A DIRECTION CONCURRENT WITH FLOW OF VAPORS CONTACTED THEREWITH AND MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT OF SAID VAPORS SO AS TO SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY CONDENSE SAME; APPLYING VACUUM TO SAID DISTILLATION ZONE AT A POINT IN SAID GUARD ZONE DOWNSTREAM FROM VAPOR-SPRAY CONTACTING THEREIN; AT LEAST A PORTION OF SPRAY AND CONDENSATE DROPLETS SETTLING IN SAID GUARD ZONE; PASSING ANY UNSETTLED LIQUID DROPLETS IN SAID GUARD ZONE AGAINST A LIQUID DROPLET DEFLECTING SURFACE THEREIN, AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE SAID VAPOR-SPRAY CONTACTING AND THE POINT OF APPLICATION OF SAID VACUUM SO AS TO PREVENT FLOW OF ANY RESIDUAL LIQUID TO SAID VACUUM PRODUCING ZONE; AND RECOVERING LIQUID FROM SAID GUARD ZONE.