Extraction method for separating at least one component of a phase consisting of a mixture of a substances

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF A LIQUID MIXTURE OF AT LEAST TWO COMPONENTS WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO A SYSTEM IN WHICH TWO IMMISCIBLE FLUID PHASES ARE EACH MAINTAINED IN A UNIFORM, CONTINUOUS COUNTERCURRENT FLOW, ONE OF SAID PHASES BEING A LIQUD AND THE OTHER AN INERT GAS, THE COMPONENTS FORMING SAID MIXTURE BEING SOLUBLE IN EACH OF SAID FLUID PHASES WITH THEIR RELATIVE SOLUBILITIES IN THE RESPECTIVE COUNTERCURRENTLY FLOWING PHASES BEING A FUNCTION OF THE TEMPERATURE OF THE RESPECTIVE PHASES, MAINTAINING A FIXED AND PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IN SAID SYSTEM BY CONTROLLING THE THERMAL ENERGY AVAILABLE TO SEPARATE ZONES THEREOF WHEREBY THE RELATIVE SOLUBLITY AND CONCENTRATION OF EACH OF THE COMPONENTS IN THE SEPARATE PHASES WILL VARY ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE SYSTEM SO THAT AT A PLURALITY OF INTERMIDIATE POINTS CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OF COMPONENTS BEING SEPARATED THE PRODUCT OF THE CONCENTRATION OF A COMPONENT AT THAT POINT IN EACH OF THE COUNTERCURRENTLY FLOWING PHASES MULTIPLED BY THE VOLUME OF THAT PHASE PASSING THAT POINT WILL BE EWUAL, MAINTAINING THE PRODUCT OF THE CONCENTRATION OF THE COMPONENT TO BE SEPARATED IN THE PHASE FLOWING TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE SYSTEM MULTIPLIED BY THE VOLUME OF SAID PHASE GREATER THAN THE PRODUCT OF THE CONCENTRATION OF THE COMPONENT TO BE SEPARATED IN THE PHASE FLOWING FROM THE CENTER OF SAID SYSTEM MULTIPLIED BY THE VOLUME OF SAID PHASE, AND AT EACH OF THE INTERMIDIATE POINTS SEPARATING A PART OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE COUNTERCURRENTLY FLOWING PHASES TOGETHER WITH THE COMPONENT SOLUBLE THEREIN.