Method of distilling under partial vacuum

Abstract

The vacuum column system distills liquid under partial vacuum conditions. The system rigorously splashes and boils liquid in a boiler chamber so as to form vapor and a rising mist from the splashing liquid. The vapor and mist rise in a circularly converging path through a mist collector. The heavier mist strikes the surfaces of the mist collector and deposits on those surfaces, thereby separating itself from the vapor. The vapor is then drawn to a condensor chamber where droplets of treated liquid are sprayed through it and fall into a shallow pool of treated liquid. The droplets seed condensation of the vapor directly onto the droplets. Also, the droplets assist in encapsulating bubbles of vapor in the pool as the droplets fall into the pool. The bubbles are then entrained with other treated liquid of the pool as the treated liquid is drawn from the pool down an entrainment conduit. A vortex action is created at the mouth or entrance port to the entrainment conduit from the pool, and enhances bubble entrainment. A jet stream of treated liquid into the vortex further enhances bubble entrainment into the entrainment conduit. The vapor of the bubbles condenses or dissolves into treated liquid to form more of it as the liquid travels down the entrainment conduit due to the increasing compression on the bubbles as lower levels are reached in the conduit.