Plate type liquid heater and evaporator

Claim 1

A liquid heater-evaporator (H-E) of the plate type especially for the partial evaporation of liquid within the H-E to increase its concentration, including parallel, equispaced evaporator plates (E-P) and heater plates (H-P) arranged in interdigitated sequence and in tandem with corresponding EP gaskets (EPG) and HP gaskets (HPG) therebetween to provide respective heating and liquid channels between adjacent plates, the plates and gaskets having registering openings therein providing respective and separate inlet and outlet paths for heating medium and liquid to be evaporated (LTBE), said openings comprising a feed inlet opening for the LTBE and an outlet opening for the mixture consisting of concentrated liquid and vapor in each EP and EPG; each feed inlet opening of each EPG lying in a medially located arcuate band at corresponding edges at the same ends of the EP's along which an arcuate portion of the gasket extends and each EPG arcuate portion having a distribution system comprising a series of radially directed orifices disposed around the portion and each EP having a distribution zone thereon comprising its said inlet opening of arcuate form corresponding to that of its gasket and a series of outstanding mutually divergent rib like guides thereon adjacent and downstream of the EPG arcuate portion providing a flow channel between each adjacent pair of guides, each orifice being disposed relative to a flow channel whereby the radially disposed orifices cooperate with the flow channels to produce a uniformly distributed film of liquid flowing from the distribution zone across the width of the EP.