Electrodialyzer

Claim 1

AN ELECTRODIALYSIS APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ALTERNATING ANION-PERMEABLE RESIN MEMBRANES AND CATION-PERMEABLE RESIN MEMBRANES AND SPACER FRAMES BETWEEN EACH TWO MEMBRANES, EACH OF SAID MEMBRANES AND FRAMES HAVING A PLURALITY OF HOLES THEREIN ALONG THE UPPER AND LOWER PARTS THEREOF WHICH ARE ALIGNED WITH CORRESPONDING HOLES IN THE OTHER MEMBRANES AND FRAMES FOR FORMING CONDUITS FOR FEEDING AND DISCHARGING CONCENTRATING AND DILUTING SOLUTIONS FROM THE APPARATUS, ALTERNATE CONDUITS BEING FOR THE CONCENTRATING SOLUTION, AND THE OTHER CONDUITS BEING FOR THE DILUTING SOLUTION, EACH FRAME HAVING SOLUTION PATH PORTIONS THEREIN FROM ALTERNATE HOLES TO THE INSIDE OF THE FRAME, THE SOLUTION PATH PORTIONS IN EACH FRAME BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A HOLE IN THE FRAME WHICH IS ALIGNED WITH A HOLE IN THE NEXT ADJACENT FRAMES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RESPECTIVE FRAME WHICH HAVE NO SOLUTION PATH PORTION ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, WHEREBY OF A PLURALITY OF HOLES FORMING A CONDUIT ONLY THE ALIGNED HOLES IN ALTERNATE FROMES HAVE FLOW PATH PORTION ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, SAID FLOW PATH PORTIONS EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE THIN SHEET ON THE FRAME AND HAVING A THICKNESS LESS THAN THAT OF THE FRAME AND A PLURALITY OF COMPRESSIBLE PROJECTIONS ON SAID SHEET EXTENDING IN AT LEAST ONE DIRECTION FROM SAID SHEET AND HAVING A DIMENSION IN THE DIRECTION OF THE THICKNESS OF THE FRAME SUCH THAT IN THE UNCOMPRESSED CONDITION THEY PROJECT BEYOND THE SURFACE OF THE FRAME AND THEY ARE COMPRESSED TO THE THICKNESS OF THE FRAME WHEN THE FRAMES AND MEMBRANES ARE ASSEMBLED, THE PROJECTIONS BEING POSITIONED ON THE SHEET TO PROVIDE ONLY BROKEN PATHS BETWEEN THE HOLE AND THE INSIDE OF THE FRAME AND SAID SHEET AND PROJECTIONS BEING OF INSULATING MATERIAL.