Thin film distillation apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING LIQUID IN A THIN FILM COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A CHAMBER THAT IS FORMED WITH AN INTERNAL SURFACE OF REVOLUTION HAVING AN UPRIGHT AXIS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING LIQUID TO SAID SURFACE TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY THEREOVER IN A FILM UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY, A ROTOR THAT IS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS THAT IS DIPOSED WITHIN SAID SURFACE AND THAT INCLUDES A GENERALLY U-SHAPED CHANNEL MEMBER THAT IS DISPOSED WITH THE OPEN MOUTH OF THE CHANNEL CONFRONTING SAID SURFACE OF REVOLUTION, SAID CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING AXIALLY-EXTENDING PARALLEL SIDEWALLS, A VERTICALLY ARRANGED SERIES OF WIPER BLADES HAVING SUBSTANTIAL RADICAL EXTENT DISPOSED IN SAID CHANNEL IN SUPERPOSED RELATION AND WITH THEIR SIDES ENGAGING THE SIDEWALLS OF SAID CHANNEL MEMBER IN SLIDING RELATION OVER SUBSTANTIAL, RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTIONS THEREOF, EACH SAID BLADE HAVING AN AXIAL LENGTH LESS THAN THE AXIAL LENGTH OF SAID SURFACE OF REVOLUTION AND BEING FREE TO MOVE RADIALLY INDEPENDTLY OF SAID OTHER BLADES, EACH BLADE BEING FORMED WITH RADIALLY PROJECTING LANDS AND WITH RECESSES BETWEEN SAID LANDS, SAID LANDS AND SAID RECESSES HAVING SUBSTANTIAL ANGULAR EXTENT RELATIVE TO SAID SURFACES OF REVOLUTION AND SAID BLADES BEING MOUNTED SO THAT SAID LANDS