Devolatilizing apparatus

Claim 1

DEVOLATILIZING APPARATUS FOR VISCOUS MATERIAL COMPRISING AN INNER VESSEL WITH AN UPRIGHT WALL SURFACE, AN OUTER VESSEL SURROUNDING THE INNER VESEL AND IN SPACED RELATION THERETO TO FORM A FLUID RECEPTIVE CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, A HEADER AFFIXED TO THE TOP OF SAID OUTER VESSEL AND DEFINING A PERIPHERAL ORIFICE WITH THE TOP EDGE OF SAID INNER VESSEL, SAID ORIFICE DEFINING A WEIR MEANS FOR REGULATING OVERFLOW OF SAID FLUID FROM SAID CHAMBER ONTO THE WALL OF SAID INNER VESSEL TO PASS DOWN SAID WALL IN A THIN FILM AND UNIFORMLY ABOUT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF, A BAFFLE PLATE EXTENDING INTO SAID CHAMBER FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE OF FLUID FLOW THERETHROUGH, AN EXTRUDER FOR ADMITTING A VISCOUS FLUID TO BE DEVOLATILIZED INTO THE LOWER END OF SAID CHAMBER, A VAPOR CONDENSING MEANS ENCLOSING THE UPPER END OF SAID INNER VESSEL TO CONDENSE VOLATILE MATTER RELEASED FROM SAID FLUID AS IT FLOWS DOWNWARDLY IN THE INNER VESSEL, PERIPHERAL CHANNEL FORMING COLLECTOR MEANS ABOVE SAID WEIR MEANS TO COLLECT THE CONDENSED VAPOR AND A LIQUID OUTLET FOR SAID CONDENSED VAPOR COLLECTING MEANS, A JACKET SURROUNDING SAID OUTER VESSEL AND FORMING A HEATING CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, INLET AND OUTLET MEANS TO CIRCULATE A HEATING MEDIUM THROUGH SAID JACKET TO REGULATE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WALL OF SAID OUTER VESSEL, AND A PUMP MEANS COMPRISING A FORWARDING DISCHARGE PUMP LOCATED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID INNER VESSEL, AND A ROLL PUMP FOR STUFFING SAID DISCHARGE PUMP WITH DEVOLATILIZED FLUID FROM SAID INNER VESSEL.