Separation of mixtures

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF MOLECULAR SOLUTIONS OF A MIXTURE OF COMPONENTS A AND B WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO THE FEED ZONE OF A PERMEATION APPARATUS, WHICH PERMEATION APPARATUS IS COMPRISED OF AN ENCLOSED VESSEL CONTAINING A FEED ZONE AND TWO NON-COMMUNICATING PERMEATE ZONES A1 AND B1, TWO DISSIMILAR PERMEATION MEMBRANES A2 AND B2 OF DIFFERENT COMPOSITION POSITIONED WITHIN SAID ENCLOSED VESSEL WHICH MEMBRANES SERVE AS BOUNDARIES FOR THE FEED ZONE AND SEPARATE THE FEED ZONE FROM THE TWO NON-COMMUNICATING PERMEATE ZONES, PERMEATION MEMBRANE A2 SEPARATING THE FEED ZONE FROM PERMEATE ZONE A1 AND PERMEATION MEMBRANE B2 SEPARATING THE FEED ZONE FROM PERMEATE ZONE B1, PERMEATION MEMBRANE A2 BEING SELECTIVE FOR THE PREFERENTIAL PERMEATION OF COMPONENT A AND PERMEATION MEMBRANE B2 BEING SELECTIVE FOR THE PREFERENTIAL PERMEATION OF COMPONENT B, PERMEATING THE MIXTURE IN THE FEED ZONE THROUGH SAID PERMEATION MEMBRANES A2 AND B2 AND INTO THE SEPARATE PERMEATE ZONES A1 AND B1, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING THE PERMEATED PORTIONS FROM THE PERMEATE ZONES A1 AND B1, AND MAINTAINING THE COMPOSITIONS OF THE PERMEATED PORTIONS AND THE COMPOSITION OF THE MIXTURE IN THE FEED ZONE APPROXIMATELY CONSTANT BY EMPLOYING AMOUNTS OF EFFECTIVE SURFACE AREAS OF THE DISSIMILAR PERMEATION MEMBRANES A2 AND B2 IN RATIOS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER SUCH THAT IF THE PERMEATING PORTIONS WERE TO BE COMBINES AT ANY GIVEN INSTANT THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMBINED MIXTURE WHICH WOULD BE OBTAINED WOULD CORRESPOND APPROXIMATELY TO THE COMPOSTION OF THE FEED MIXTURE.