Distillation method having counterflow heat exchange with condensate

Claim 2

In a distillation method to produce substantially pure condensate and a concentrate of the solute from a raw solution such that the heat of evaporation is recovered as the heat of condensation from the condenser and returned to the evaporator, and that the heat required to bring the raw liquid to the boiling point is substantially supplied by the leaving condensate and concentrate, which are thereby colled to substantially the Temperature of the entering raw liquid, comprising the steps of: a. heating said entering raw liquid to a temperature of up to its boiling point by counterflow heat exchange with said condensate and said concentrate resulting from said distillation as said condensate and concentrate are removed from the system; b. introducing said heated raw liquid into an evaporator; c. causing heat to flow into said raw liquid in the evaporator thereby causing some of said liquid to vaporize and the remainder to increase in its concentration of solute; d. transporting said vapor to a superheater; e. supplying heat to said vapor in said superheater, causing entrained liquid to evaporate; f. providing means to recover the solute within said entrained liquid, and to remove said solute, including means to return said solute to said concentrate; g. placing said purified, superheated vapor in heat exchange with said vapor transported from said evaporator and within said superheater, to recover said superheat, to superheat said vapor with entrained liquid and to cool said purified, superheated vapor to near its condensation temperature; h. transporting said cooled purified vapor to a condenser; i. obtaining said heat supplied to said evaporator from said condenser, thereby causing some of said vapor to form said condensate; and j. continuously cooling and removing said condensate as well as said concentrate in said counterflow heat exchange with, and to substantially the temperature of, the entering said raw liquid, said raw liquid replacing the mass of said condensate and concentrate removed.