PURPOSE: To enable bleeding with efficiency as high as 80% by bringing the bleed steam from a vacuum distillator into contact with a part of the original water introduced into the distillator then releasing the same into the atmosphere by an oil-sealed vacuum pump into which the atm. air is sucked in the midway of a compression stage.

CONSTITUTION: A gaseous bleed steam mixture composed of a large amt. of steam and a small amt. of noncondensible gas conducted from an evaporation chamber 1 passes a bleeding pipe 2 and enters a direct contact type cooler 3, where the mixture is cooled by contact with a part of the original water introduced therein through a pipe 4 and the greater part of the steam is condensed. The gas having an increased rate of air is sucked into a vacuum pump 5. The steam evaporating at 34°C in the chamber 1 is condensed by a condenser 6 where the original water of 25°C flows. The remaining gaseous bleed steam is extracted but it flows through a heat exchanger and therefore, the degree of overcooling is usually about 2°C and the temp. of the bleed steam is about 32°C. When the gas of 32°C flowing through the pipe 2 is brought into direct contact with the original water of 25°C, the effect of cooling is high and the gas attains 26°C.