Continuous extractive crystallization process

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF A LIQUID MULTICOMPONENT ORGANIC SYSTEM FROM WHICH SOLID DISCRETE PARTICLES CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO COMPONENTS OF SAID SYSTEM HAVING DIFFERENT MELTING POINTS SEPARATE UPON LOWERING THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF, WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID LIQUID FROM A HIGHER TEMPERATURE ZONE TO A LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE MAINTAINED BY INDIRECT HEAT-EXCHANGE AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE SOLIDIFICATION POINT OF SAID DISCRETE PARTICLES BUT ABOVE THE SOLIDIFICATION POINT OF THE WHOLE SYSTEM SO AS TO FORM SAID DISCRETE PARTICLES; CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A SELECTIVE EXTRACTIVE MATERIAL, LIQUID UNDER THE CONDITIONS IN SAID ZONES, TO SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE ZONE; CONTINUOUSLY MECHANICALLY MOVING THE PARTICLES THUS FORMED TOWARD SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE ZONE COUNTERCURRENTLY TO THE FLOW OF LIQUID, INCLUDING SAID EXTRACTIVE MATERIAL, SO AS TO GRADUALLY INCREASE THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID PARTICLES AND DECREASE THE CONCENTRATION OF THE LOWER MELTING COMPONENTS THEREIN, THEREBY PURIFYING THE HIGHER MELTING COMPONENT; CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING HEAT TO SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE ZONE AND WITHDRAWING HEAT FROM SAID LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE BY INDIRECT HEAT-EXCHANGE THEREIN SO AS TO MAINTAIN AN EFFECTIVE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT BETWEEN SAID ZONES; CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING SAID LIQUID AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE SAID ZONES AND AT A TEMPERATURE INTERMEDIATE THE TEMPERATURES THEREOF SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE AS AN ESSENTIALLY CRYSTALLIZATION ZONE AND THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE ZONE AS AN ESSENTIALLY PURIFICATION ZONE; AND CONTINUOUSLY RECOVERING PURIFIED COMPONENT OF SAID SYSTEM FROM SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE ZONE AND EXTRACTIVE MATERIAL AND LIQUOR LEAN IN SAID COMPONENT FROM SAID LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE.