Apparatus for high volume distillation of liquids

A closed system for high volume distillation of impure liquids comprising:

• (a) evaporator means, including means for supplying impure liquid feed thereto, for evaporating said impure liquid at a temperature above the freezing point of said liquid at ambient pressure and at a pressure not exceeding a pressure correspondng to said evaporation temperature under saturated conditions;
• (b) first compressor means receiving said vapor from said evaporator means for increasing said vapor pressure and temperature;
• (c) condenser means in heat transfer relationship with said impure liquid feed for receiving said vapor and for at least partially condensing said vapor whereby the heat released by said vapor is transferred to said feed liquid to supply at least a part of the heat energy necessary for evaporating said feed liquid;
• (d) duct means communicating with said condenser means for carrying said vapor from said first compressor means to said condenser means;
• (e) means for recovering condensate from said condenser means;
• (f) means for removing unevaporated liquid feed from said evaporator means;
• and
• (g) auxiliary turbine means drivingly connected to said first compressor means, said auxiliary turbine means including an auxiliary flow conduit for hot gas flow therethrough, said auxiliary flow conduit annularly disposed with respect to and separated from the space in which said vapor flows, and turbine blading in said conduit, said turbine blading drivingly linked to said first compressor means whereby hot gas flow through said conduit does work on said turbine blading which work is transmitted to said first compressor means.