Distilling apparatus operating on the thermocompressor principle

Claim 1

In a distilling apparatus for operation according to the thermocompressor principle, including a housing, a boiling chamber at least partially defined by a wall situated within the housing and adapted to contain the liquid to be distilled, means for heating the liquid to be distilled contained in the boiling chamber to produce a vapor, feed line means for conducting liquid to be distilled into the boiling chamber, means for imparting additional energy to the vapor produced in the boiling chamber having an inlet side to which the vapor formed in the boiling chamber is directed and an outlet side from which the vapor is discharged at an increased temperature, distillate removal line means for withdrawing distillate from the distilling apparatus, at least one heat exchange tube provided within the housing of the distilling apparatus and arranged such that a fluid stream composed of at least one of liquid to be distilled and vapor flows therethrough, and droplet separation means provided within the housing, the improvement comprising tubular means disposed within the apparatus to define an inner conduit and an outer annular flow duct, means for dividing said outer annular flow duct into an upper portion and a lower portion, aperture means provided in one of said two portions of said annular flow duct, and said energy imparting means being disposed within said housing such that after the fluid stream flows through the at least one heat exchange tube and through said inner conduit, vapor flows through said energy imparting means which conveys the same into one of said two portions of said annular flow duct, whereby the vapor discharges from the same to be condensed.