Falling film type heat exchanger

Claim 1

IN A FALLING FILM HEAT EXCHANGER HAVING A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY VERTICALLY DISPOSED SPACED PLATES FORMING SETS OF ALTERNATE CHANNELS ISOLATED FROM EACH OTHER, A FIRST SET OF SAID CHANNELS BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE LIQUID TO BE HEATED, A SECOND INTERDIGITATED SET OF SAID CHANNELS BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A HEATING FLUID, THE IMPROVED MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING LIQUID TO BE HEATED OVER THE EXTERIOR HEATING SURFACES OF THE HEAT EXCHANGER PLATES IN THE FIRST CHANNELS, WHICH COMPRISES AN UPWARDLY CONVEX FIRST BAFFLE MEMBER IN THE FORM OF A HOOD DISPOSED AT THE UPPER END OF EACH OF THE SECOND CHANNELS AND EXTENDING ALONG THE UPPER EDGES OF THE HEAT EXCHANGER PLATES, THE LOWER EDGES OF THE BAFFLE MEMBERS BEING AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE UPPER EDGES OF THE MAIN EXTENTS OF THE HEATING SURFACES OF THE HEAT EXCHANGER PLATES, A LIQUID CONDUCTING MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE LIQUID DISCHARGING OPENING THERETHROUGH DISPOSED CENTRALLY ABOVE AN AREA OF THE PLATES AT THE TOP THEREOF, AND SECOND BAFFLE MEMBERS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE FIRST BAFFLE MEMBERS, MEANS SUPPORTING THE SECOND BAFFLE MEMBERS WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST BAFFLE MEMBERS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND BAFFLE MEMBERS INTERCEPTING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE LIQUID DIRECTLY DISCHARGED FROM THE OPENING AND DISTRIBUTING IT TO FALL SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY ONTO THE BAFFLE MEMBERS IN