Adjacent loop distillation

Claim 1

Distillation apparatus comprising: a substantially deaerated conduit having an inlet end and an outlet end with one of said ends being an inner end and the other an outer end, said conduit arranged in a generally spiral-like configuration about said inner end to present a plurality of generally laterally adjacent loops of said conduit extending continuously from said inner end to said outer end, each pair of adjacent loops presenting therein an upstream loop and downstream loop relative to said inlet end; a partial partition in said conduit extending from said inlet to said outlet end and dividing the conduit into an inside distilland trough and an outside distillate trough for carrying an impure liquid to be distilled and the distillate derived therefrom, respectively; and means communicating with said inlet end for delivering the impure liquid to the distilland trough at a selected temperature and pressure and for flow of said impure liquid and vapor arising therefrom along said distilland trough toward said outlet end and accompanying flow of said vapor under centrifugal force across said partition to said distillate trough, whereby said vapor will tend to collect in said distillate trough and condense therein, each pair of adjacent, upstream and downstream loops of said conduit having a common, heat-conducting wall between the distillate trough of the upstream loop and the distilland trough of the adjacent downstream loop, said common wall of each pair of adjacent loops transferring heat to the downstream distilland trough given off as the evaporating liquid condenses in the distillate trough of the upstream loop, whereby the impure liquid is continuously vaporized and condensed.