Abstract: In an apparatus for the desalination of sea water using a multi-effect evrator process, a sea water preheater and a falling film evaporator are both formed of similar stamped heat exchanger plates. The heat exchanger plates have a uniform arrangement of projections-depressions disposed in a grid-like manner with rows of the projections-depressions extending perpendicularly to one another. The plates are assembled in facing contact so that one pair of plates form tubular ducts and adjacent plates on each side of the pair combine with the plates forming the tubular ducts and provide slot-like ducts separated from and extending perpendicularly to the tubular ducts. Adjacent plates are welded together. The plates in the preheater form a continuous unit divided into stages. The plates in the falling film evaporator are arranged in individual units with each unit forming a separate stage.

Abstract: Apparatus for carrying out thermodynamic processes in which a work medium undergoes mutually opposite phase transitions. The apparatus comprises casings consisting of confining plates and spacers therebetween, the casings being arranged in stacked relationship. Each casing encloses a plurality of phase transition compartments in superposed relationship. There are orifices in the confining plates through which pairs of phase transition compartments open directly into one another so as to form a number of work chambers. These are also passages delimited by the spacers in the casings for connecting the work chambers in series and passages delimited by the spacers in the casings for introducing and drawing work medium into and from the phase transition compartments. Finally, there are passages delimited by the spacers in the casings for supplying and abducting heat to and from the work medium.

Abstract: A forced-circulation evaporator plant for concentrating products such as liquid distillation residues and caustic soda has a circulating pump for circulating a product to be concentrated to a battery of heat exchangers interconnected in series. The last exchanger in the series is directly heated with steam. All of the other exchangers are heated by water vapors generated by the evaporation of the product to be concentrated in a battery of flash drums traversed in series by the product and by steam from hot condensate liquids coming from the same exchangers.

Abstract: A liquid solution is passed through a multi-stage evaporation plant while using recirculated vapor, fed through a mechanical compressor in order to increase the pressure and temperature of the vapor.The plant comprises a number of evaporators connected in series and split up into a plurality of groups, which comprise a decreasing number of evaporators; as seen in the flow direction--the vapor being fed in parallel, streams through said groups.

Abstract: A process for the concentration of dilute phosphoric acid in a phosphoric acid process characterized by a plurality of separate phosphoric acid cycles when the phosphoric acid is concentrated in each cycle by a vacuum evaporation is described wherein the phosphoric acid cycles is heated by indirect heat exchange by heat of formation formed in a sulfuric acid contact process.

Abstract: A solar desalting method and apparatus includes a storage tank for receiving heated sea water at a first rate from a solar collector during daylight hours and for delivering the same to a flash evaporator a second rate. The flash evaporator is connected for delivery of the evaporated and unevaporated portions of the feed water as the heating vapor and feed liquid, respectively, to a serially connected multi-effect film evaporator. Sea water is used to condense the vapor from the last evaporator effect as the distillate product of the system. The storage tank permits nighttime operation with the brine from the last effect and a portion of the cooling water being fed to the solar collector during the daytime and discharged at night.

Abstract: A method for preheating the air circulating and used in an installation comprising a multi-stage evaporator adapted to concentrate a liquid product, in particular a food product such as a milk product, on the one hand, and a drying unit in which is processed and concentrate issuing from said evaporator, or any other concentrate, on the other hand, said method comprising the steps of heating condensates of said multi-stage evaporator by means of a fluid issuing from said evaporator and hotter than said condensates, then driving the thus-heated condensates into a heat-exchanger wherein they cause air to be preheated.

Abstract: A process for the concentration of dilute phosphoric acid in a phosphoric acid process characterized by a plurality of separate phosphoric acid cycles when the phosphoric acid is concentrated in each cycle by a vacuum evaporation is described wherein the phosphoric acid cycles is heated by indirect heat exchange by heat of formation formed in a sulfuric acid contact process.

Abstract: The column employs a head section with a counterflow column, a bottom section with a counterflow column and a plurality of reaction stages for stripping metal salts via steam from ammoniacal solutions or suspensions. Each reaction stage has a floor, a pipe defining a laterally confined chamber, an outlet and a valve in the outlet to control the discharge of liquid. At least one steam line communicates the upper end of each stage with the pipe in the next uppermost stage. Incrustation of the column by the stripped salts is reduced by the high velocity of flow in the bubble bed in each stage.

Abstract: Preheated saline water, typically sea or brackish water, is further heated by quanta of steam, passed to it at differential temperatures and pressures and condensed in the saline water. Scale compounds are precipitated and scale-forming bicarbonates decomposed, with the evolution of carbon dioxide, which is gathered and expelled by steam accessory to the quanta of steam. Post-thermal saline water, which is formed, is multistage flash vaporized while self-cooling. The flashed vapors are compressed to form said quanta of steam. After being further cooled while preheating saline water, post-thermal saline water is evaporated in a multistage vapor compression evaporator, producing brine at a high concentration factor. Relative to equilibrium in scale-compound precipitation between 302.degree. F and 347.degree. F, the recovery of fresh water is 70% to 80% for sea water, and 80% to 90% for brackish waters over a wide range of salinity.

Abstract: Diepoxides of the general formula: ##STR1## wherein n has an average value not exceeding 0.03 and R is the bisphenyl radical of bisphenol-A are recovered from an epoxy resin of the same general formula with n varying from 0.07 to 0.30, by removing the low-boiling substance from the epoxy resin at 0.1-1 mm Hg and 165.degree.-200.degree. C and distilling off said diepoxide from the thus treated epoxy resin at 0.1-0.005 mm Hg and a temperature not exceeding 240.degree. C. The low viscosity, narrow molecular weight distribution and excellent purity of these diepoxides allow their use in critical application fields.

Abstract: Saline water, typically sea water or brackish water, after deaeration and deoxygenation is preheated, then further heated by steam condensing with the preheated saline water. By the further heating, bicarbonates are thermally decomposed, forming carbon dioxide, while scale compounds, comprising magnesium hydroxide, anhydrite and minor compounds containing silica, iron, alumina, phosphate, etc., are thermally precipitated. Some of the steam is uncondensed and issues from the further heated saline water with included, evolved carbon dioxide. It is condensed in preheating saline water; evolved carbon dioxide is separated from the condensate and recycled to the saline water to prevent alkaline scale in preheating, while condensate is combined with the further heated saline water, forming post-thermal saline water. This is flash vaporized while cooling and the steam is regenerated by compressing the flashed vapors.

Abstract: A multi-stage flash, direct contact condensation method and apparatus for purifying brine is disclosed which eliminates costly apparatus previously required while maintaining adequate volume to efficiently produce potable water by use of gravity fed sprays of condensate upon which previously flashed steam is allowed to condense.

Abstract: Distillation apparatus having a plurality of substantially identical effects arranged in a side-by-side relation. Each effect includes means for distributing feed liquid as a thin film over the outer surfaces of tubes of a horizontally oriented heat exchange tube bundle for condensing a portion of vapor disposed therein. A portion of the feed liquid evaporates and is provided as the vapor to the heat exchange tubes of the next succeeding effect and the unevaporated feed liquid in each effect is passed to the next succeeding lower effect where a portion vaporizes by flash evaporation. An uncondensed portion of the vapor exits the heat exchange tubes for condensing on a feed liquid preheater associated with each effect. Each effect is disposed in substantially identical cylindrical sections for being joined in a unitary assembly. Suitably apertured transverse divider panels between each effect permit the passage of feed water and vapor between effects.