Desalting sea water

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF DESALTING A FEED STREAM OF SEA WATER WHICH COMPRISES, WITHDRAWING HEAT FROM SAID FEED STREAM TO LOWER ITS TEMPERATURE, SUPPLYING TO SAID FEED STREAM A SEED-SLURRY OF FINELY DIVIDED DISCRETE PARTICLES OF MATERIAL PRMANENTLY SOLID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND PRESENTING SURFACES TO WHICH ICE WILL ADHERE, ADDING UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID FEED STREAM A LIQUEFIED REFRIGERANT OF COMPOSITION INERT TO SAID FEED STREAM AND TO SAID PARTICLES, REDUCING SAID PRESSURE FOR EXPANSION OF SAID REFRIGERANT TO INDUCE BUBBLE FORMATION AND TO SUPER-COOL THE MIXTURE BY BRINGING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID MIXTURE BELOW THE FREEZING TEMPERATURE OF SAID FEED STREAM, THEREAFTER DELIVERING SAID MIXTURE COMPRISING SAID FEED STREAM, SAID REFRIGERANT AND SAID SEED-SLURRY TO A FREEZING ZONE, FURTHER REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON SAID MIXTURE INCLUDING SAID FEED STREAM FOR FURTHER EXPANSION OF SAID REFRIGERANT FOR RAPID COOLING IN SAID FREEZING ZONE OF SAID FEED STREAM AND OF SAID PARTICLES AND FOR INCREASING THE PRODUCTION, WITHIN SAID FREEZING ZONE OF A MULTIPLICITY OF BUBBLES WHICH HASTEN THE FREEZING OF SAID ICE ON SAID PARTICLES, REMOVING FROM SAID FREEZING ZONE TO A WASHING ZONE SAID PARTICLES TOGETHER WITH ICE ADHERENT THERETO, WASHING ADHERENT LIQUID FROM SAID ICE, WITHDRAWING SAID ICE FROM SAID WASHING ZONE, SUPPLYING TO A MELTING ZONE REFRIGERANT VAPORS AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO SAID WASHED ICE PARTICLES TO MELT SAID ICE, WITHDRAWING FROM SAID MELTING ZONE SAID REFRIGERANT FOR FURTHER COOLING, RETURNING SAID SOLID PARTICLES IN THE FORM OF SAID SEEDSLURRY TO SAID FEED STREAM, WITHDRAWING FROM SAID FREEZING ZONE A STREAM WHOSE SALT CONCENTRATION IS MATERIALLY HIGHER THAN THAT OF SAID FEED STREAM, AND UTILIZING SAID WITHDRAWN STREAM FOR WITHDRAWING SAID HEAT FROM SAID FEED STREAM.