Patent ID: 7316781

Claim:
A purification process for removing contaminants from a lipophilic fluid comprising the steps of: (a) providing a mixture comprising a lipophilic fluid and at least one contaminant; (b) converting the mixture into a high surface area fluid having a surface to volume ratio from about 1000:1 to about 4:1; (c) vaporizing at least the lipophilic fluid in the high surface area fluid from a vaporizing surface while applying a vacuum from about 500 to about 0.5 Torrs, thereby separating the contaminant from the lipophilic fluid and converting the lipophilic fluid into a purified lipophilic fluid; and (d) collecting the purified lipophilic fluid on a condensing surface; wherein the vaporization process of step (c) is at a steady-state condition; wherein the energy consumption of the process is less than about 0.05 kW-hr per liter of lipophilic fluid processed; and wherein step (c) is maintained at one or more of the following conditions: (i) a vacuum of about 1 Torr; (ii) a temperature of 60° C. or less; (iii) an evaporation rate of lipophilic fluid of about 0.1 to about 100 kg/hr; and (iv) wherein the lipophilic fluid is decamethylcyclopentasiloxane.