Fluid recovery system with improved entrainment loss prevention means

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF SEPARATING AND RECOVERING A CONSTITUENT OF A LIQUID MIXTURE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF; UTILIZING A STREAM OF HIGH VELOCITY MOTIVE FLUID TO CREATE A LOW PRESSURE WITHIN A CHAMBER CONTAINING THE MIXTURE SUCH THAT THE CONSTITUENT IS EVAPORATED AND IS INDUCED TO FLOW FROM THE CHAMBER BY THE ACTION OF THE MOTIVE FLUID, INTRODUCING THE GASEOUS MIXTURE OF MITIVE FLUID AND CONSTITUENT INTO A SEPARATION COLUMN, CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING CONTACT LIQUID THROUGH A CIRCUIT INCLUDING A SUMP IN THE VESSEL, A SPRAY HEADER DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID SUMP AND A ZONE BETWEEN SAID SUMP AND HEADER WHEREIN THE CONTACT LIQUID FLOWS IN DIRECT CONTACT HEAT TRANSFER RELATION WITH THE GAS BEING SUPPLIED TO THE VESSEL, CAUSING THE GASEOUS CONSTITUENT TO CONDENSE, GO INTO SOLUTION, OR BE PHYSICALLY ENTRAINED, AND GRAVITATE TO SAID SUMP, REGULATING THE PRESSURE WITHIN SAID COLUMN SUCH THAT THE HEAT LIBERATED IN THE SEPARATION OF THE CONSTITUENT FROM THE MOTIVE FLUID IS ABSORBED BY THE CIRCULATING CONTACT LIQUID CAUSING PORTIONS THEREOF TO EVAPORATE, COLLECTING ANY CONSTITUENTS ENTRAINED IN THE FLOW OF MOTIVE FLUID WITHIN THE VESSEL, PROVIDING QUANTITIES OF CONTACT LIQUID TO THE CIRCULATING FLOW TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT VAPORIZED, UTILIZING THE QUANTITIES OF CONTACT LIQUID SO SUPPLIED TO WASH THE COLLECTED CONSTITUENTS INTO THE CIRCULATING FLOW AND PERIODICALLY WITHDRAWING PORTIONS OF CONSTITUENT AND CONTACT LIQUID MIXTURE IN SAID CIRCUIT, AND EXTERNALLY SEPARATING CONSTITUENT AND CONTACT LIQUID, RETURNING CONTACT LIQUID TO THE SYSTEM AND RECOVERING OR DISPOSING OF THE CONSTITUENT.