Distillation method and apparatus

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONTINUALLY SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS CAPABLE OF BEING VAPORIZED WITHOUT DECOMPOSITION, COMPRISING, MAINTAINING A DOWNWARD MOVING STREAM OF NONADSORBING, THIN-WALLED, HOLLOW SPHERES IN A VAPORIZING ZONE BY ADDING COOL NONADSORBING, THINWALLED, MEAL SPHERES TO THE TOP PORTION AND BY REMOVING SAID SPHERES FROM THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID ZONE, ADDING HEAT TO SAID METAL SPHERES IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID ZONE, INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS AS FEED INTO SAID ZONE AT A LEVEL INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, SAID ENDS OF SAID ZONE BEING DEFINED AS THE LEVELS OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID COOL METAL SPHERES AND OF ADDITION SAID HEAT, SAID FEED BEING INTRODUCED AT SUCH A RATE THAT UNVAPORIZED LIQUID THEREFROM MOVES DOWNWARD AT A RATE ONLY AS FAST AS THE RATE OF DOWNWARDLY MOVEMENT OF SAID METAL SPHERE, REMOVING VAPORIZED ORGANIC MATERIAL FROM THE TOP PORTION OF SAID ZONE, CONDENSING THE REMOVED MATERIAL AND RECOVERING THE ENTIRE CONDENSATE AS ONE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS, REMOVING SAID METAL SPHERES WET WITH LIQUID ORGANIC MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ZONE, REMOVING SAID LIQUID MATERIAL FROM THE METAL SPHERE REMOVED FROM SAID ZONE, AS ANOTHER PRODUCT, ELEVATING AND COOLING THE METAL SPHERES OF REDUCED RESIDUAL MATERIAL CONTENT AS THE AFORESAID COOL NONADSORBING, THIN-WALLED METAL SPHERES.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR CONTINUALLY SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS CAPABLE OF BEING VAPORIZED WITHOUT DECOMPOSITION, COMPRISING, MAINTAINING A DOWNWARD MOVING STREAM OF NONADSORBING, THIN-WALLED, HOLLOW SPHERES IN A VAPORIZING ZONE BY ADDING COOL NONADSORBING, THINWALLED, MEAL SPHERES TO THE TOP PORTION AND BY REMOVING SAID SPHERES FROM THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID ZONE, ADDING HEAT TO SAID METAL SPHERES IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID ZONE, INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS AS FEED INTO SAID ZONE AT A LEVEL INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, SAID ENDS OF SAID ZONE BEING DEFINED AS THE LEVELS OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID COOL METAL SPHERES AND OF ADDITION SAID HEAT, SAID FEED BEING INTRODUCED AT SUCH A RATE THAT UNVAPORIZED LIQUID THEREFROM MOVES DOWNWARD AT A RATE ONLY AS FAST AS THE RATE OF DOWNWARDLY MOVEMENT OF SAID METAL SPHERE, REMOVING VAPORIZED ORGANIC MATERIAL FROM THE TOP PORTION OF SAID ZONE, CONDENSING THE REMOVED MATERIAL AND RECOVERING THE ENTIRE CONDENSATE AS ONE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS, REMOVING SAID METAL SPHERES WET WITH LIQUID ORGANIC MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ZONE, REMOVING SAID LIQUID MATERIAL FROM THE METAL SPHERE REMOVED FROM SAID ZONE, AS ANOTHER PRODUCT, ELEVATING AND COOLING THE METAL SPHERES OF REDUCED RESIDUAL MATERIAL CONTENT AS THE AFORESAID COOL NONADSORBING, THIN-WALLED METAL SPHERES.