Desalting of saline waters

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FRESH WATER FROM SALT WATER, WHICH COMPRISES MECHANICALLY DRIVING A HOT, WATERINSOLUBLE, INERT NORMALLY LIQUID MATERIAL HAVING A BOILING POINT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THAT OF WATER THROUGH A CLOSED CIRCUIT CONTAINING A LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CIRCUIT, A SECOND LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR AT AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE CIRCUIT AND A GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR TO THE GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR, WITHDRAWING SALT WATER FEED PREHEATED AS HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED INTO THE INERT LIQUID STREAM EN ROUTE FROM THE LOWER LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR TOT HE GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR, WITHDRAWING SALT WATER AND INERT LIQUID FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE GASLIQUID SEPARATOR AND PASSING IT INTO THE INTERMEDIATE LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR, WITHDRAWING SALT WATER FROM THE INTERMEDIATE LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR AND DISCHARGING IT FROM THE CIRCUIT THROUGH AN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE WHERE IT IS PLACED IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE CONTACT WITH A PORTION OF THE SALT WATER FEED, WITHDRAWING INERT LIQUID FROM THE INTERMEDIATE LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR AND PASSING IT THROUGH AN ENLONGATED VERTICAL CONDENSER-COMPRESSOR ZONE INTO THE LOWER LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR, WITHDRAWING WATER VAPORT FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR AND PASSING IT INTO TH DOWNWARDLY FLOWING INERT LIQUID IN THE COMPRESSOR-CONDENSER ZONE WHEREBY IT IS HYDRAULICALLY COMPRESSED TO LIQUID WATER, WITHDRAWING INERT LIQUID FROM THE LOWER LIQID-LIQUID SEPARATOR AND MECHANICALLY DRIVING IT TO THE GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR, WITHDRAWING FRESH WATER PRODUCT FROM THE LOWER LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATOR AND DISCHARGING IT FROM THE CIRCUIT THROUGH A HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE WHERE IT IS PLACED IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE CONTACT WITH A PART OF THE SALT WATER FEED AND SUPPLYING AT LEAST THE MAJOR PROPORTION OF HEAT REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THE CIRCULATING INERT LIQUID AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BY CONVERSION TO HEAT OF THE MECHANICAL ENERGY REQUIRED TO DRIVE THE INERT LIQUID AROUND THE CLOSED CIRCUIT.