GB1188999A - Method and Apparatus for Low Pressure Purifying of Liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

1,188,999. Vacuum degassing. CHEMICAL CONSTRUCTION CORP. 16 May, 1967 [24 May, 1966], No. 22795/67. Heading B1M. [Also in Division C7] In a method and apparatus for continuously removing volatile impurities from a liquid the latter flows through a plurality of connected chamibers which are separated from each other by liquid seals and which have successively lower pressures, the liquid flowing horizontally as a layer through each chamber after the first; the horizontal flow may be either over the floors of chambers juxtaposed in a substantially horizontal plane but each chamber having a floor slightly elevated above the floor of the previous one, or in the case of metals the flow may be through a series of vertically aligned chambers in each of which is a horizontal surface over which the metal flows. As shown in Fig. 1, molten metal entering at 1 overflows lip 3 and falls into the first of three vacuum chambers, where it flows as a thin layer across the surface of baffle 11 before falling into the pool which forms a liquid seal between the first and second low pressure zones. Metal overflows continuously at 14 onto the upper surface of baffle 18 from where it passes as before to a final zone at still lower pressure before overflowing at 29 to a collection zone from which it is tapped at 32. In a simplified form, (Fig. 2, not shown) provision is made for the addition of alloying or refining agents to the liquid as it enters the apparatus. As claimed, these forms of apparatus are used only for the treatment of metals. In a different form of apparatus, illustrated in Fig. 3 the liquid flows horizontally across the floors of the chambers, each floor being slightly raised above the level of the preceding one and the chambers being formed by vertical baffles depending into the liquid.