Electrodialysis apparatus

Claim 1

AN ELECTRODIALYSIS APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF JUXTAPOSED MULTI-MEMBRANED UNITS EACH COMPRISING A FIRST INTERMEDIATE PLATE AT ONE END OF THE UNIT AND AN IDENTICAL INTERMEDIATE PLATE AT THE OTHER END OF THE UNIT RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO THE FIRST INTERMEDIATE PLATE, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL ALTERNATING ANION-SELECTIVE AND CATIONSELECTIVE MEMBRANES BETWEEN SAID INTERMEDIATE PLATES, AT LEAST ONE GASKET AND ONE INTERMEMBRANE SPACER MEMBER BETWEEN EACH TWO MEMBRANES DEFINING BETWEEN SAID MEMBRANES ALTERNATE DILUTING AND CONCENTRATING COMPARTMENTS HAVING INLETS AND OUTLETS, ALL SAID MEMBRANES, GASKETS, INTERMEMBRANE SPACER MEMBERS AND INTERMEDIATE PLATES BEING PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, SAID INTERMEDIATE PLATES BEING OF INSULATING MATERIAL AND OF THE SAME OUTLINE AS SAID MEMBRANES AND GASKETS, AND HAVING APERTURES THEREIN IN THE AREA THEREOF WHICH IS IN CONTACT WITH THE ACTIVE MEMBRANE SURFACES OF SAID MEMBRANES AND HAVING PORTS THEREIN, SAID MEMBRANES, GASKETS, AND SPACER MEMBERS HAVING ALIGNED HOLES THEREIN FORMING MANIFOLD CONDUIT MEANS SEPARATELY INTERCONNECTING THE INLETS OF ALL THE DILUTING COMPARTMENTS OF SAID UNIT AND SEPARATELY INTERCONNECTING THE OUTLETS OF ALL THE DILUTING COMPARTMENTS OF SAID UNIT, SAID MEMBRANES, SPACERS AND GASKETS HAVING FURTHER ALIGNED HOLES THEREIN FORMING FURTHER MANIFOLD CONDUIT MEANS WITHIN EACH UNIT INTERCONNECTING THE INLETS OF ALL THE CONCENTRATING COMPARTMENTS OF EACH UNIT AND SEPARATELY INTERCONNECTING THE OUTLETS OF THE CONCENTRATING COMPARTMENTS OF SAID UNIT, THE PORTS IN SAID INTERMEDIATE PLATES REGISTERING WITH SAID MANIFOLD CONDUIT MEANS, EXTERNAL DISCONNECTABLE CONDUITS CONNECTING THE MANIFOLD CONDUIT MEANS FOR THE DILUTING COMPARTMENT INLET AND OUTLETS OF ONE UNIT WITH THE MANIFOLD CONDUIT MEANS FOR THE DILUTING COMPARTMENT INLETS AND OUTLETS OF ADJACENT UNITS, FURTHER EXTERNAL DISCONNECTABLE CONDUITS CONNECTING THE MANIFOLD CONDUIT MEANS FOR THE CONCENTRATING COMPARTMENT INLETS AND OUTLETS OF ONE UNIT WITH THE MANIFOLD CONDUIT MEANS FOR THE CONCENTRATING COMPARTMENTS OF ADJACENT UNITS, AND ELECTRIC CURRENT SUPPLYING MEANS CONSISTING OF AN ANODE AT ONE END OF THE APPARATUS AND A CATHODE AT THE OTHER END OF THE APPARATUS FOR PASSING A DIRECT CURRENT TRANSVERSELY THROUGH ALL THE MEMBRANES AND COMPARTMENTS.