Continuous crystallizers

Claim 1

IN A SALINE WATER FREEZING SYSTEM APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ENCLOSED ANNULAR CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER BEING RELATIVELY SHALLOW AND ADAPTED TO HAVE A SLURRY OF ICE AND SALINE WATER CIRCULATED THEREIN IN A SELECTED DIRECTION ALONG AN ENDLESS PATH DEFINED BY SAID CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER HAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION ADAPTED TO MAKE SAID SLURRY DIP BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL OF SAID PATH IN THE COURSE OF ITS FLOW THEREALONG, MEANS TO CIRCULATE SAID SLURRY ALONG SAID PATH POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID PORTION, MEANS FOR ADMITTING SALINE WATER TO BE REFRIGERATED AND RECIRCULATED BRINE SEPARATED FROM THE SLURRY ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN IMMISCIBLE VAPORIZABLE LIQUID INTO SAID SLURRY BELOW THE SURFACE THEREOF AND ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF SAID MEANS TO CIRCULATE, PREFERABLY ADJACENT SAID MEANS FOR ADMITTING SALINE WATER AND BRINE TO SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO MAINTAIN TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS WITHIN SAID CHAMBER SUCH THAT SAID VAPORIZABLE LIQUID AS AFORESAID WILL RISE THROUGH SAID SLURRY AND VAPORIZE TO FORM ADDITIONAL ICE CRYSTALS AND AUGMENT THE SIZE OF EXISTING ICE CRYSTALS IN SAID SLURRY, SAID VAPORIZED LIQUID RISING TO A VAPOR SPACE IN SAID CHAMBER ABOVE THE SURFACE OF SAID SLURRY, A VAPOR OUTLET FOR VAPORIZED LIQUID POSITIONED DOWNSTREAM OF SAID MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AND UPSTREAM OF SAID MEANS TO CIRCULATE, AND WITHDRAWAL MEANS ADJACENT SAID PORTION TO WITHDRAW A PORTION OF SAID SLURRY WITH SEPARABLE ICE CRYSTALS THEREIN CORRESPONDING IN QUANTITY TO THE QUANTITY OF MATERIAL OF SALINE WATER AND BRINE ADDED BY SAID MEANS FOR ADMITTING.