Horizontal distillation apparatus

Claim 1

A DISTILLATION APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF COMPOUNDS OF LOW AND OF HIGH BOILING POINTS COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL LONGITUDINAL TUBE, AN APERTURED VAPOR INLET CLOSURE SECURED IN AIR TIGHT MANNER TO ONE END OF SAID TUBE, AN APERTURED VAPOR OUTLET CLOSURE SECURED IN IN AIR TIGHT MANNER TO THE OTHER END OF SAID TUBE, PACKING MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLING SAID TUBE, A PLURALITY OF SAPCED-APART WEIR TANKS DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY WITHIN THE TOP OF SAID TUBE, A LIKE NUMBER PLURALITY OF SPACED-APART SUMP TANKS DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY WITHIN THE BOTTOM OF SAID TUBE IN OFF-SET RELATIONSHIP TO SAID WEIR TANKS TO COLLECT THE OVERFLOW OF EACH RESPECTIVE WEIR TANK, A PUMP DISPOSED BETWEEN EACH RESPECTIVE WEIR TANK, AND THE CO-ACTING SUMP TANK FOR COVEYING LIQUID TOWARD SAID INLET CLOSURE FROM THE BOTTOM OF ONE SUMP TANK TO THE TOP OF THE ADJACENT WEIR TANK AND A LIQUID MIXTURE FEED INLET DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE SAID CLOSURE ENDS WHEREBY THE CONTINUOUS PACKING MATERIAL DISPOSED IN SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED FULLY PACKED TUBE IS DIVIDED INTO A LIKE NUMBER PLURALITY OF CONTIGUOUS DISTILLATION ZONES.