Electrode structure for emulsion treatment

Claim 1

A TREATING UNIT ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL TO PURIFY CONTAMINATED OILS FLOWING THERETHROUGH, SAID TREATING UNIT COMPRISING: TWO CONCENTRIC SPIRAL ELECTRODES EACH FORMED OF A LONG STRIP OF THIN METAL SPIRALLING OUTWARD FROM AN AXIS IN TURNS OF PROGRESSIVELY LARGER RADIUS, THE TURNS OF THE TWO ELECTRODES BEING INTERSPACED TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN NARROW SPIRAL-SHAPED INTERELECTRODE SPACES EACH HAVING INGRESS AND EGRESS MEANS, EACH ELECTRODE STRIP HAVING A SPIRAL LOWER EDGE, THE SPIRAL LOWER EDGE OF ONE ELECTRODE BEING IN A PLANE BELOW THE SPIRAL LOWER EDGE OF THE OTHER ELECTRODE, ELECTRIC INSULATION MEANS ELECTRICALLY INSULATING SAID ELECTRODES FROM EACH OTHER, SAID INSULATION MEANS COMPRISING TWO LONG SPIRAL SPACERS OF ELECTRIC INSULATION MATERIAL DISPOSED IN A PLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXIS AND COMPRESSED BETWEEN ADJACENT TURNS OF SAID ELECTRODES EXCLUSIVELY IN UPPER PORTIONS OF THE SPIRAL INTERELECTRODE SPACES, LEAVING LOWER PORTIONS OF SUCH INTERELECTRODE SPACES OPEN TO FORM INTERELECTRODE TREATING SPACES OF A WIDTH DETERMINED BY THE THICKNESS OF SAID SPACRES; AND SUPPORT ARMS IN SAID PLANE BELOW SAID ELECTRODES SUPPORTING BOTH ELECTRODES AND BOTH SPIRAL SPACERS, SAID SUPPORT ARMS ENGAGING THE SPIRAL EDGE OF SAID ONE ELECTRODE IN SUPPORTING RELATION, SAID OTHER SPIRAL ELECTRODE BEING SUPPORTED BY SAID ONE SPRIAL ELECTRODE THROUGH SAID LONG SPACERS COMPRESSED BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT TURNS OF SAID ELECTRODES.