Flexible thin-walled tubular heat exchanger and still

Claim 1

IN A HEAT-EXCHANGING STILL, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING HOUSING, UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL TUBE-SHEETS DIVIDING SAID HOUSING INTO UPPER, MIDDLE, AND LOWER COMPARTMENTS, MEANS INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL PARTITION DISPOSED BENEATH SAID UPPER TUBE-SHEET PROVIDING A RECEIVING COMPARTMENT FOR THE RECEPTION OF LIQUID TO BE DISTILLED, A PLURALITY OF TUBES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID RECEIVING COMPARTMENT, PARTITION, AND MIDDLE COMPARTMENT AND INTERCONNECTING SAID UPPER AND LOWER COMPARTMENTS, EACH TUBE BEING A TUBE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIAMETER THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH WITH ITS ENDS CONNECTED IN TUBULAR CONFIGURATION TO SAID SPACED TUBE SHEETS, AND BEING FORMED OF A THIN, FLEXIBLE WALL OF SYNTHETIC PLASTIC RESINS, THE THINESS AND FLEXIBILITY AND STRENGTH OF THE MATERIAL BEING SUCH THAT THE TUBE IS SUBSTANTIALLY INCAPABLE OF MAINTAINING ITS TUBULAR SHAPE IN THE ABSENCE OF SUPPORT BUT WILL BE SO MAINTAINED, WITHOUT RUPTURE, BY A PREDETERMINED DIFFERENTIAL OF INSIDE PRESSURE OVER OUTSIDE PRESSURE, SAID PARTITION BEING PROVIDED ADJACENT SAID TUBES WITH OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH LIQUID IN THE RECEIVING COMPARTMENT MAY ESCAPE TO RUN DOWN THE OUTER SURFACE OF EACH TUBE AS A THIN FILM, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING LIQUID TO SAID RECEIVING COMPARTMENT, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT AND FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID MIDDLE COMPARTMENT, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A PARTIAL VACUUM WITHIN ALL SAID COMPARTMENTS, AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING VAPOR FROM SAID MIDDLE COMPARTMENT, THE MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AND WITHDRAWING FLUIDS FROM THE RESPECTIVE COMPARTMENTS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO MAINTAIN A PRESSURE IN SAID TUBES WHICH HAS A PREDETERMINED DIFFERENTIAL OVER THE PRESSURE IN THE MIDDLE COMPARTMENT SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID TUBES EXPANDED IN TUBULAR SHAPE.