Means for breaking down aqueous jelly-like solutions and thus separating water and solid constituents from each other by means of freezing and subsequent melting

Claim 1

An apparatus for treating an aqueous jelly-like solution to separate from each other the water and the solid constituents of said solution, said apparatus comprising: a. a container for a supply of said solution; b. a pair of spaced heat-exchangers, each of said heat-exchangers comprising an elongated casing having a plurality of tubes mounted to extend axially therewithin in circumferentially spaced relation and to terminate at the respective ends of the tubes in an inlet chamber at one end of the casing and in an outlet chamber at the other end of the casing, said casing being provided with an inlet conduit adjacent one end thereof and with an outlet conduit adjacent the other end thereof, the spaces between said casing and said tubes being sufficient to permit passage of fluid coolant entering through said inlet conduit and discharged through said outlet conduit, said chambers and said tubes of each of said Heat-exchangers being arranged and adapted for passing said jelly-like solution therethrough; c. compressor and condenser means for said coolant, disposed in series with said heat-exchanges; d. controlled valve means for passing said jelly-like solution and said coolant through said tubes and through said spaces, respectively, of each of said heat-exchangers, whereby each of said heat-exchangers serves alternately in one cycle as freezer of said solution and in a second cycle as vaporizer to melt said frozen solution; e. an overflow conduit having the form of a water trap connecting one of said chambers of each of said heat-exchangers with said container; f. means for blowing air through said tubes of each of said heat-exchangers at the end of each freezing cycle in each of said heat-exchangers whereby to free said tubes from unfrozen solution before the next succeeding melting cycle in the respective heat-exchangers; and g. a valved discharge conduit connected to one end chamber of each of said heat-exchangers for permitting flow through said conduit during said melting cycle in each of said heat-exchangers.

Claim 2

An apparatus for treating an aqueous jelly-like solution to separate from each other the water and the solid constituents of said solution, said apparatus comprising: a. a container for a supply of said solution; b. a pair of spaced heat-exchangers, each of said heat-exchangers comprising an elongated casing having a plurality of tubes mounted to extend axially therewithin in circumferentially spaced relation and to terminate at the respective ends of the tubes in an inlet chamber at one end of the casing and in an outlet chamber at the other end of the casing, said casing being provided with an inlet conduit adjacent one end thereof and with an outlet conduit adjacent the other end thereof, the spaces between said casing and said tubes being sufficient to permit passage of fluid coolant entering through said inlet conduit and discharged through said outlet conduit, said chambers and said tubes of each of said Heat-exchangers being arranged and adapted for passing said jelly-like solution therethrough; c. compressor and condenser means for said coolant, disposed in series with said heat-exchanges; d. controlled valve means for passing said jelly-like solution and said coolant through said tubes and through said spaces, respectively, of each of said heat-exchangers, whereby each of said heat-exchangers serves alternately in one cycle as freezer of said solution and in a second cycle as vaporizer to melt said frozen solution; e. an overflow conduit having the form of a water trap connecting one of said chambers of each of said heat-exchangers with said container; f. means for blowing air through said tubes of each of said heat-exchangers at the end of each freezing cycle in each of said heat-exchangers whereby to free said tubes from unfrozen solution before the next succeeding melting cycle in the respective heat-exchangers; and g. a valved discharge conduit connected to one end chamber of each of said heat-exchangers for permitting flow through said conduit during said melting cycle in each of said heat-exchangers.