Continuous thermal diffusion process employing fixed beds of adsorbent and moving inlets and outlets

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE ADSORPTIVE SEPARATION OF COMPONENTS OF A LIQUID MIXTURE BY THERMAL DIFFUSION WHICH COMPRISES SUPPLYING SAID MIXTURE TO A POROUS SOLID ADSORBENT WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY NON-SELECTIVE FOR ANY COMPONENT OF SAID MIXTURE WHEN BOTH THE MIXTURE AND THE ADSORBENT ARE IN CONTACT AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TEMPERATURE, CONTACTING THE LIQUID MIXTURE WITH THE ADSORBENT AT A SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE THAN THAT OF THE ADSORBENT, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MIXTURE AND THE ADSORBENT DURING THE CONTACTING THEREOF AND THEREBY CONCENTRATING IN THE INTRAPARTICLE PORES OF THE ADSORBENT A FIRST COMPONENT OF SAID MIXTURE WHILE CONCENTRATING A SECOND COMPONENT OF THE MIXTURE IN THE INTERPARTICLE VOID SPACE OF THE ADSORBENT, WITHDRAWING FROM THE ADSORBENT A NON-ADSORBED PORTION OF THE LIQUID MIXTURE WHILE MAINTAINING SAID TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CONTACTING MIXTURE AND ADSORBENT, SAID NON-ADSORBED PORTION BEING OF REDUCED CONCENTRATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST COMPONENT, BRINGING TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TEMPERATURE SAID ADSORBENT AND TEH LIQUID IN THE INTERPARTICLE VOID SPACES BETWEEN THE PARTICLES OF THE ADSROBENT, AND THEN WITHDRAWING FROM THE ADSORBENT A LIQUID HAVING A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF SAID FIRST COMPONENT THAN THE ORIGINAL FEED MIXTURE.