Solar evaporator

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE-EFFECT HEAT AN VAPOR TRANSFER USABLE FOR THE DISTILLATION AND THE CONCENTRATION OF LIQUIDS AND FOR THE DRYING OF VARIOUS MATERIALS, AND OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A CONTAINER WHICH CONTAINS A GASEOUS FLUID UNDER A GIVEN PRESSURE AND A TIERED ARRANGEMENT OF STAIONARY PARALLEL ANGULAR HEAT TRANSFER WALLS HAVING THE SAME RELATIVELY LARGE AREA AND ONE FACE OF WHICH IS WETTABLE, SAID HEAT TRANSFER WALLS BEING DISPOSED WITH THEIR WETTABLE FACES UPWARDLY DIRECTED WHILE ON AT LEAST ONE PORTION OF THEIR OTHER FACES THE LIQUID TO BE TREATED IS SUPPLIED IN THE FORM OF A RELATIVELY THIN LAYER, MEANS TO HEAT THE UPPERMOST HEAT TRANSFER WALL TO TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE BOILING TEMPERATURE OF THE LIQUID LAYER CARRIED BY SAID UPPERMOST WALL AT SAID GIVEN PRESSURE AS WELL AS TO COOL THE LOWERMOST HEAT TRANSFER WALL OF SAID ARRANGEMENT, WHEREBY IS DEFINED IN SAID CONTAINER A TIERED ARRANGEMENT OF SEPARATE ELONGATED SIMULTANEOUS EVAPORATING AND CONDENSING COMPARTMENTS EACH OF WHICH IS LIMITED BY THE TWO SUCCESSIVE HEAT TRANSFER WALLS, THE FACING WETTABLE FACE AND OTHER FACE OF WHICH RESPECTIVELY ACT AS A CONDENSING SURFACE AND AN EVAPORATING SURFACE, AND MEANS FOR RESPECTIVELY COLLECTING FROM SAID COMPARTMENTS DONDENSATES DRAINING DOWN BY GRAVITY FROM THEIR CONDENSING SURFACES; THE IMPROVEMENT ACCORDING TO WHICH EACH HEAT TRANSFER WALL IS PROVIDED, ON ITS OTHER FACE CARRYING THE LIQUID TO BE EVAPORATED, WITH AT LEAST ONE SERIES OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SUPERPOSED DRAINS INSIDE WHICH THE LIQUID IS PLACED IN A THIN LAYER, OVERFLOW TUBES CONNECTING EACH DRAIN TO THE DRAIN BELOW FOR EACH SERIES AND BEING ARRANGED AT ALTERNATING ENDS OF SUCCESSIVE DRAINS, PASSAGEWAYS CONDUCTING THE LIQUID TO BE TREATED TO THE TOP DRAIN OF EACH SERIES, THE WASTE LIQUID BEING COLLECTED IN THE BOTTOM DRAIN OF EACH SERIES, AND A GUTTER BEING ARRANGED AT THE LOWERMOST PORTION OF THE WETTABLE FACE OF SAID WALL TO COLLECT THE CONDENSATE OBTAINED IN THE COMPARTMENT FOR WHICH SAID WETTABLE FACE ACTS AS A CONDENSING SURFACE.