Process for separating volatile material from a liquid mixture by a series of vaporization stages

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF VOLATILE MATERIAL FROM A LIQUID MIXTURE IN A PLURALITY OF STAGES IN SERIES FROM THE FIRST TO THE LAST, EACH STAGE HAVING A VAPORIZATION ZONE AND A SPRAY CONDENSATION ZONE IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, THE VAPORIZATION ZONE AND THE CONDENSATION ZONE IN EACH STAGE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PRESSURE, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES: IN A FIRST VAPORIZATION ZONE CONTACTING SAID LIQUID MIXTURE WITH A HOT HEAT TRANSFER FLUID, SAID FLUID BEING IMMISCIBLE WITH SAID LIQUID MIXTURE, THEREBY VAPORIZING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID VOLATILE MATERIAL AND PARTIALLY COOLING SAID HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID; PERMITTING SAID PARTIALLY COOLED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID AND RESIDUAL MIXTURE TO STRATIFY AND SEPARATING THE SAME; PASSING SAID PARTIALLY COOLED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID TO THE NEXT SUCCEEDING VAPORIZATION ZONE AND CONTACTING SAID LIQUID MIXTURE THEREIN WITH SAID HEAT TRANSFER FLUID THEREBY VAPORIZING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID VOLATILE MATERIAL AND PARTIALLY COOLING SAID HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID; SPRAYING COOLED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID FROM THE NEXT SUCCEEDING CONDENSATION ZONE AND CONTACTING SAID SPRAY WITH SAID VAPORIZED VOLATILE MATERIAL IN THE CONDENSATION ZONE, THEREBY CONDENSING SAID VOLATILE MATERIAL AND PARTIALLY WARMING SAID COOLED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID; PERMITTING SAID PARTIALLY WARMED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID AND VOLATILE MATERIAL TO STRATIFY AND SEPARATING THE SAME; PASSING SAID PARTIALLY WARMED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID TO THE NEXT PRECEEDING CONDENSATION ZONE; WITHDRAWING WARMED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID FROM THE CONDENSATION ZONE OF SAID FIRST STAGE AND SEPARATELY HEATING THE SAME AND THEN PASSING THE HEATED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID TO THE VAPORIZATION ZONE OF SAID FIRST STAGE AS SAID HOT HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID; WITHDRAWING COOLED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID FROM THE VAPORIZATION ZONE OF SAID LAST STAGE, AND PASSING SAID COOLED HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID TO THE CONDENSATION ZONE OF THE PENULTIMATE STAGE AS THE COLD HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID, SAID HEAT TRANSFER LIQUID FLOWING IN A SINGLE CLOSED CIRCUIT BY STAGES FROM SAID LAST STAGE TO SAID FIRST STAGE, AND COOLING THE VAPORIZED VOLATILE MATERIAL IN SAID LAST STAGE BY EXTERNAL MEANS.