Evaporator stripper and fractionator

Claim 1

AN EVAPORATOR FOR THE SEPARATION OF A RELATIVELY VOLATILE MATERIAL FROM A RELATIVELY NON-VOLATILE MATERIAL WHICH EVAPORATOR COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATED OUTER HOUSING HAVING AT THE ONE END AN INLET OPENING TO INTRODUCE FLUID MATERIAL TO BE EVAPORATED AND TO REMOVE VOLATILE MATERIAL, AND AT THE OTHER END A DISCHARGE OPENING TO REMOVE NON-VOLATILE MATERIAL, THE HOUSING CONTAINING THEREIN A PLURALITY OF ALTERNATING DISCS AND TUBULAR JACKETS AXIALLY DISPOSED AND SPATIALLY SEPARATED WITHIN THE HOUSING; THE DISCS POSITIONED TRANSVERSE TO THE FLOW OF MATERIAL THROUGH THE HOUSING AND SHAPED TO DIRECT THE FLOW OF FLUID MATERIAL THEREON TOWARD THE OUTER PERIPHERAL EDGE OF EACH DISC; THE TUBULAR JACKETS CHARACTERIZED BY AN ENCLOSED TUBULAR CAVITY HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DISPOSED CIRCUMFERENTIAL INNER WALL SURFACE OF SUFFICIENT VERTICAL LENGTH THAT A MAJORITY OF THE HEAT TRANSFER TO THE MIXTURE TO BE SEPARATED OCCURS ON THIS SURFACE AND OF LESS INTERNAL DIAMETER THAN THE DISC DIRECTLY BELOW THE TUBULAR JACKET, THE JACKET HAVING AN INWARDLY DISHED RELATIVELY SHORT FLANGE ABOUT ITS UPPER CIRCUMFERENCE, THE OUTER PERIPHERAL LIP OF THE FLANGE EXTENDING BEYOND THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE DISC DIRECTLY ABOVE THE FLANGE, WHEREBY FLUID MATERIAL FROM THE UPPER DISC IS DIRECTED ONTO THE FLANGE AND IS RAPIDLY FORMED INTO A THIN DOWNWARDLY MOVING FILM ON THE INNER WALL SURFACE AND THEN FALLS ONTO THE LOWER DISC; AND MEANS TO INTRODUCE INTO AND MEANS TO WITHDRAW FROM EACH TUBULAR CAVITY A FLUID HEAT EXCHANGE MEDIUM THEREBY PERMITTING FLUID MATERIAL INTRODUCED INTO THE EVAPORATOR TO BE SEPARATED INTO A RELATIVELY VOLATILE AND NON-VOLATILE MATERIAL BY CONTINUOUSLY FORMING AND REFORMING SAID NON-VOLATILE MATERIAL ON THE RELATIVELY COOL HIROZONTAL DISC AND DIRECTLY HEATING THE MATERIAL ONLY AS A RELATIVELY THIN DOWNWARDLY MOVING FILM ON THE INNER WALL SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR JACKET.