Flash-type distillation system

Claim 1

IN A SEA WATER DISTILLATION SYSTEM A PLURALITY OF CLOSED EVAPORATION UNITS EACH HAVING A LOWER EVAPORATING CHAMBER, AN UPPER CONDENSING CHAMBER IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE LOWER CHAMBER AND A BAFFLE THEREBETWEEN, THE LOWER EVAPORATING CHAMBER AND UPPER CONDENSING CHAMBER OF EACH OF SAID UNITS BEING OTHERWISE IN OPEN AND UNOBSTRUCTED COMMUNICATION ONE WITH THE OTHER FOR FLOW OF VAPOR FROM THE FORMER TO THE LATTER, EACH OF SAID EVAPORATING CHAMBERS HAVING INLET AND OUTLET CONNECTIONS FOR FLOW OF FEED WATER THERETHROUGH WITH THE OUTLET CONNECTION OF ONE EVAPORATING FORMING THE INLET CONNECTION TO THE NEXT EVAPORATING CHAMBER FORMING THE SERIES FLOW OF FEED WATER THROUGH THE PLURALITY OF EVAPORATING CHAMBERS FROM THE FIRST TO THE LAST OF SUCH CHAMBERS IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION OF FLOW, SAID INLET AND OUTLET CONNECTIONS EACH COMPRISING A PRESSURE-BALANCING U-TUBE HAVING A DOWN LEG AND AN UP LEG WITH THE UP LEG ARRANGED TO DISCHARGE FEED WATER AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN THE LEVEL OF FEED WATER IN THE DOWN LEG THEREBY FORMING PRESSURE-BALANCING LIQUID COLUMNS BETWEEN ADJACENT EVAPORATING CHAMBERS, SAID EVAPORATING CHAMBERS BEING OTHERWISE IN UNOBSTRUCTED AND OPEN COMMUNICATION ONE WITH THE OTHERS FOR SERIES FLOW OF FEED WATER THERETHROUGH, A HEAT EXCHANGER IN EACH OF THE CONDENSING CHAMBERS, EACH OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGERS HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET CONNECTION OF ONE HEAT EXCHANGER FORMING THE THE OUTLET CONNECTION OF ONE HEAT EXCHANGER FORMING THE INLET CONNECTION OF THE NEXT HEAT EXCHANGER FORMING THE FLOW OF FEED WATER THERETHROUGH, WHICH FEED WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGERS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE PREDETERMINED DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE FEED WATER THROUGH THE EVAPORATING CHAMBERS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FEED WATER TO BE DISTILLED TO THE FIRST OF THE HEAT EXCHANGERS, MEANS CONNECTING THE LAST OF THE HEAT EXCHANGERS TO THE FIRST OF THE EVAPORATING CHAMBERS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DIRECTIONS OF FLOW FOR FLOW OF FEED WATER FROM THE FORMER TO THE LATTER, INDIRECT HEATING MEANS IN SAID LAST-NAMED CONNECTION FOR HEATING THE FEED WATER TO A TEMPERATURE NEAR ITS BOILING POINT PRIOR TO FLOW THEREOF INTO THE FIRST OF THE EVAPORATING CHAMBERS, MEANS CONNECTED TO AN UPPER PORTION OF EACH OF THE CONDENSING CHAMBERS, FOR REDUCING THE PRESSURE IN EACH OF THE EVAPORATING UNITS BELOW THE VAPOR PRESSURE OF FEED WATER THEREIN AT THE EXISTING TEMPERATURE THEREOF WHEREBY AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE FEED WATER IS VAPORIZED BY ITS OWN INTERNAL HEAT IN EACH OF THE EVAPORATING CHAMBERS AND THE RESULTANT WATER VAPOR IS CONDENSED BY THE HEAT EXCHANGER IN THE RESPECTIVE CONDENSING CHAMBER, SAID PRESSURE REDUCING MEANS INCLUDING A VACUUM PUMP, A MANIFOLD CONNECTED TO THE INLET SIDE OF THE VACUUM PUMP, CONDUITS CONNECTING THE UPPER PORTION OF EACH OF THE CONDENSING CHAMBERS TO THE MANIFOLD IN A MANNER AS TO EXHAUST NONCONDENSABLE GASES THEREFROM WHILE REDUCING THE VAPOR PRESSURE THEREIN, A PRESSURE REGULATING VALVE IN EACH OF SAID CONDUITS, SAID PRESSURE REGULATING VALVES BEING ADJUSTED IN A MANNER SUCH THAT THE PRESSURES IN THE RESPECTIVE EVAPORATION UNITS ARE ARRANGED IN DECREASING ORDER IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF FEED WATER THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR REMOVING CONDENSATE FROM EACH OF THE CONDENSING CHAMBERS, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING THE RESIDUE FEED WATER FROM THE LAST OF THE EVAPORATING CHAMBERS.