Multi-stage water distilling apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATON AND RECOVERY OF POTABLE DISTILLATE FROM SALINE WATER WITH COMPRISES, A PLURALITY OF PRESSURE SEALED CHAMBERS DISPOSED ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER AND IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS COMPRISING AN INVERTED V-SHAPED CENTRAL HEATING CHAMBER HAVING A GROUP OF CLOSELY-SPACED PARALLEL PLATES WHICH ARE VERTICALLY INCLINED AND ARRANGED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A VERTICAL AXIS EXTENDING CENTRALLY THROUGH SAID HEATING CHAMBER, THE GROUPS OF PLATES BEING OPPOSITELY INCLINED AND WHEREIN EACH PLATE IS EXTENDED TO THE TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS OF THE CHAMBER FORMING A PLURALITY OF EVAPORATOR-CONDENSER COMPARTMENTS, A FUEL BURNER DISPOSED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID CENTRAL HEATING CHAMBER, SAID HEATNG CHAMBER COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY INCLINED INNER PLATES WHICH FORM THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID CENTRAL CHAMBER AND WHICH PLATES ARE DIRECTLY HEATED BY SAID BURNER, SAID PLATES OF EACH COMPARTMENT PROVIDING A HEATED EVAPORATIVE PLATE SURFACE FACING TOWARDS SAID BURNER WITH A CO-ACTING SIDE SURFACE ON THE NEXT ADJACENT PLATE FORMING A CONDENSING SURFACE FOR CONDENSATE WITHIN EACH COMPRATMENT, A DE-AREATOR CONNECTED TO AN INLET CONDUIT FOR CONDUCTING SALINE WATER INTO SAID EVAPORATOR-CONDENSOR COMPARTMENTS, SAID DE-AERATOR BEING CONNECTED TO A BRANCHED-PAIR OF CONDUITS FOR INTRODUCING SALINE WATER CONCURRENTLY INTO THE TOP OF THE COMPARTMENTS WHICH INCLUDE SAID OPPOSITELY INCLINED INNER PLATES NOZZLE MEANS DISPOSED ON THE DISCHARGE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID PAIR OF CONDUITS FOR EFFECTING FILM-FLOW OF SALINE WATER DOWNWARDLY OVER THE SLOPING SURFACE OF SAID INNER PLATES WHILE THE SAME ARE HEATED BY SAID BURNER, EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS COMPRISING A PARTITION EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE COMPARTMENT FOR A SHORT LENGTH AND DIVIDING SAID COMPARTMENT INTO TWO SUB-COMPARTMENTS, ONE OF SAID SUB-COMPARTMENTS FORMING A COLLECTIONS TROUGH FOR SAID SALINE WATER AND THE OTHER A TROUGH FOR COLLECTING SAID CONDENSATE, MEANS COMPRISING A SALINECONVEYING CONDUIT CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID SALINE COLLECTION TROUGHS FOR INTRODUCING SALINE WATER PROGRESSIVELY FROM ONE COMPARTMENT INTO THE TOP OF THE NEXT SUCCEEDING EVAPORATOR CONDENSOR COMPARTMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE GROUPS FOR SUPPLYING SALINE WATER THERETO AND FILM-FLOWING THE SAME DOWNWARDLY OVER THE PLATES IN SUCCESSION, ADJUSTABLE FLOW CONTROL VALVES CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID SALINE-CONVEYING CONDUITS, PUMP MEANS CONNECTED TO THE END COMPARTMENTS OF EACH OF SAID GROUPS FOR CONVEYING AWAY UNEVAPORATED SALINE WATER, MEANS COMPRISING A CONDENSATE-WITHDRAWING CONDUIT FOR WITHDRAWING CONDENSATE FROM EACH OF SAID CONDENSATE COLLECTING TROUGHS, ADJUSTABLE FLOW CONTROL VALVES CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID CONDENSATE-WITHDRAWING CONDUITS, SAID ADJUSTABLE FLOW VALVES IN SAID SALINE-CONVEYING CONDUITS AND SAID CONDENSATEWITHDRAWING CONDUITS BEING CONNECTED IN PARALLEL AND RESPECTIVELY ADJUSTED SO THAT A CONSTANT LEVEL OF CONDENSATE AND SALINE WATER RESPECTIVELY IS MAINTAINED IN SAID EVAPORATOR-CONDENSER COMPARTMENTS, AND VACUUM PUMP MEANS CONNECTED TO THE END COMPARTMENT OF ONE OF SAID GROUPS FOR MAINTAINING SUBSATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES IN SAID COMPARTMENTS.