Evaporator construction

Claim 1

IN A FLASH EVAPORATOR CONSTRUCTION FOR DISTILLING SEA WATER AND THE LIKE IN MULTI-STAGE, GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, TANDEM-ARRANGED EVAPORATOR CHAMBERS OF A TYPE IN WHICH FEEDWATER FLOWS CONTINUOUSLY BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE STAGES, IN WHICH SUCCESSIVELY LOWER INTERNAL PRESSURES EXIST IN ADJACENT STAGES, AND IN WHICH THE FLOW OF FEEDWATER BETWEEN ADJACENT STAGES MUST FORM A FEEDWATER BARRIER TO PREVENT THE BLOW-THROUGH OF FLASHED VAPORS BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT STAGES; AN ELONGATED GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED TUBULAR SHELL; PARTITION MEANS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE TUBULAR SHELL DIVIDING THE SHELL LONGITUDINALLY INTO TANDEM-ARRANGED ADJACENT EVAPORATOR CHAMBERS; MEANS DIVIDING EACH CHAMBER INTO A FEEDWATER RECEIVING PORTION AND A COMMUNICATING CONDENSATION PORTION FOR CONDENSING VAPORS PRODUCED BY VAPORIZATION OF PART OF THE FEEDWATER IN THE CHAMBER RECIEVING PORTION; THE EVAPORATOR CHAMBER FEEDWATER RECEIVING PORTIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH INLET AND OUTLET MEANS INCLUDING A PASSAGEWAY FORMED IN THE PARTITION MEANS SERVING AS THE FEEDWATERD OUTLET MEANS FOR ONE CHAMBER AND THE FEEDWATER INLET MEANS FOR THE NEXT LOWER PRESSURE STAGE CHAMBER; FEEDWATER DISTRIBUTION MEANS IN EACH CHAMBER RECEIVING PORTION COMMUNICATING WITH THE INLET MEANS FOR SUCH CHAMBER; ORIFICE MEANS FORMING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID PASSAGEWAY SERVING AS THE FEEDWATER OUTLET MEANS FOR ONE CHAMBER AND THE FEEDWATER INLET MEANS FOR THE NEXT LOWER PRESSURE STAGE CHAMBER INCLUDING FEEDWATER FLOW REGULATING MEANS AT SAID ORIFICE MEANS ADJUSTABLE TO VARIOUS ORIFICE MEANS CLOSING POSITIONS REGULATING THE FLOW OF FEEDWATER THROUGH THE ORIFICE MEANS AND TO THE FEEDWATER DISTRIBUTION MEANS OF SAID NEXT LOWER PRESSURE STAGE CHAMBER, SAID FLOW REGULATING MEANS IN MAXIMUM ORIFICE MEANS CLOSING PORTION BING INCAPABLE OF COMPLETELY CLOSING OFF THE FLOW OF FEEDWATER THROUGH SAID ORIFICE MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF FEEDWATER THROUGH SAID ORIFICE MEANS AT ALL TIMES, AND THE FEEDWATER DISTRIBUTION MEANS IN ANY CHAMBER COOPERATING WITH SAID ORIFICE MEAN AND FLOW REGULATING MEANS BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND THE NEXT LOWER PRESSURE STAGE CHAMBER SO AS TO DISTRIBUTE A BODY OF CONTINUOUSLY MOVING FEEDWATER LENGTHWISE OF THE SHELL IN SAID CHAMBER WITH A SURFACE ELEVATION LEVEL ABOVE THE OUTLET MEANS FOR SUCH CHAMBER, THEREBY SEPARATING THE INTERNAL PRESSURES IN THE SUCCESSIVE CHAMBER STAGES ABOVE THE LEVELS OF THE FEEDWATER BODIES THEREIN AND MAINTAINING PRESSURES DIFFERENTIALS BETWEEN ADJACENT CHAMBERS; WHEREBY, THE SURFACE ELEVATION LEVELS IN EACH CHAMBER OF THE FEEDWATER FLOWING CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH SAID CHAMBER MAY BE MAINTAINED AT A PROPER OPERATING LEVEL AND AT LEAST AT A MINIMUM SUFFICIENT TO FORM A FEEDWATER BARRIER BETWEEN ADJACENT STAGES FOR PREVENTING THE BLOW-THROUGH OF FLASHED VAPORS BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT STAGES BY THE ADJUSTMENT OF SAID FLOW REGULATING MEANS OF SAID ORIFICE MEANS AND DESPITE UNFORESEEN OPERATING CONDITIONS OF THE FLASH EVAPORATOR CONSTRUCTION AT THE TIME OF INITIAL INSTALLATION AND DESPITE SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN SAID OPERATING CONDITION.