Means for the treatment of liquid to effect cooling,warming,vaporization,separation,purification and the like

Claim 1

A device for the treatment of openings in the inner walls of the drum and liquids comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart drums mounted for rotational movement about a common axis, means for rapidly rotating the drums about the axis at a rate sufficient to generate centrifugal force greater than that of gravity to cause liquid in the drum to adhere as a wall to the outer periphery of the drum during rotational movement, laterally spaced apart outer and inner openings in the peripheral end portion of the inner walls of the axially spaced apart drums, pipes extending axially between axially aligned openings in the inner Walls of the drum with the outer pipes communicating the outermost openings and the inner pipes communicating the innermost openings, a stationary inlet extending into one of the drums for introduction of liquid into said drum, a stationary outlet extending into the other drum with means for radial adjustment of the inlet to said outlet means to a position inwardly of the innermost openings to maintain a layer of liquid against the peripheral wall of the drums having a thickness to extend beyond the innermost of said openings, a vapor outlet in communication with the interior of said drums, and means for passage of heat exchange fluid or gas in heat exchange relation with said pipes whereby, during rotational movement of the drum, the wall of liquid on the peripheral surface of the drum will separate in response to gravity with the colder and heavier liquid in the outer portion of the layer and the hotter and lighter liquid in the inner portion of the layer.

Claim 2

A device for the treatment of liquid comprising an outer drum mounted for rotational movement about its axis, means for rapidly rotating the drum about its axis at a rate sufficient to generate a centrifugal force greater than that of gravity, an inner drum spaced concentrically with the outer drum and mounted for movement with the outer drum, an intermediate drum concentrically arranged between the inner and outer drums and spaced therefrom to provide an outer annular space between the intermediate drum and the outer drum and an inner annular space between the intermediate drum and the inner drum, a stationary inlet extending into the outer annular space at one end of the drums, a stationary outlet extending into the outer annular space at the other end of the drums, an inlet in communication with the inner annular space at the other end of the drums, and an outlet in communication with the inner annular space at the one end of the drum for flow of liquid through the inner space countercurrent to the flow of liquid through the outer annular space, and means for heating one of the liquids whereby, during rotational movement of the drums, the layer of liquid will separate in response to gravitational force with the colder and heavier liquid outermost in the layer and the lighter and hotter liquid innermost in the layer.

Claim 3

A device for the treatment of liquid comprising a drum of frustoconical shape mounted for rotational movement about an axis, means for rotating the drum about its axis at a rate sufficient to generate centrifugal force greater than that of gravity, axially spaced radially extending bars adjacent the opposite ends of the drum, a stationary inlet extending into the drum at the larger end thereof for introduction of liquid to be treated, a stationary outlet extending into the smaller end of the drum with means for radial adjustment of the inlet to said outlet means for adjusting the thickness of the layer of liquid adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the drum during rotational movement of the drum, coils about the inner periphery of the conically shaped drum within the thickness of the layer of liquid about the drum during rotational movement of the drum and rotatable with the drum, an inlet in communication with one end of the coils and an outlet in communication with the other end of the coils, means for circulating liquid from the inlet to the outlet of the coils for passage in indirect heat exchange with the liquid layer on the periphery of the drum during rotational movement, and means for maintaining the thickness of the layer of the liquid in the drum to submerge the coils in the liquid layer during rotational movement of the drum whereby, during rotational movement of the drum, the layer of liquid will separate in response to gravitational force with the heavier and colder liquid outermost in the layer and the lighter and hotter liquid innermost in the layer.

Claim 5

A device for the treatment of fluids, a drum mounted for rotational movement about an axis, means for rapidly rotating the drum about its axis at a rate sufficient to generate centrifugal force greater than that of gravity whereby liquid in the drum forms as a wall on the surface of the drum during rotational movement, a bowl within the drum mounted for rotational movement therewith about the same axis with the ends of the bowl joined to the end walls of the drum to subdivide the drum into an outer casing and an interior compartment open at the opposite axial ends, inlet means for feeding a viscous material into the interior compartment at one end thereof, outlet means at the other end of the compartment for removal of viscous material, vapor outlet means in communication with the one end of the interior compartment, a screw extending axially through the interior compartment for displacement of viscous material axially through the compartment from the inlet end to the outlet end in heat exchange relation with the surface of the rotating bowl and means for circulating heating fluid through the outer casing in heat exchange relationship with the bowl for heat transfer therebetween.

Claim 6

A device for the treatment of fluids comprising a drum mounted for rotational movement about an axis, means for rapidly rotating the drum at a rate sufficient to generate a centrifugal force greater than that of gravity, an outlet at one end of the drum for introduction of liquid to be treated, a vapor outlet in communication with a central portion of the drum for exhausting vapors given off by the liquid in the drum, a plurality of U-shaped tubular members each having an inlet end and an outlet end with the inlet ends in communication with the outer portion of the wall of liquid on the surface of the drum during rotational movement of the drum and with the inlet ends spaced radially inwardly from the outlet end for termination within the wall of liquid on the periphery of the drum whereby the colder liquid of higher specific gravity flows through the tubes from the inlet end to the outlet end, an outer casing about the rotating drum and coils, and means for circulating a heat exchange medium through the space between the casing and the drum for heat exchange with the liquid passing through said tubular members during rotational movement with the drum.