Method and apparatus for mixing fluids
First Claim
1. An apparatus for mixing a first fluid with a second fluid, the apparatus comprising:
- a fluid distribution portion comprising at least one tubular portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a first flow path for the first fluid, a duct that defines a second flow path for the second fluid, the duct having an axial direction and a first and second transverse directions mutually distinct from the axial direction, the first and second transverse directions defining a plane through an axial location and containing a cross-sectional area of the duct, a first fluid delivery system for supplying the first fluid to the fluid distribution portion a second fluid delivery system for supplying the second fluid to the duct;
the tubular portion comprising a plurality of orifices each forming a third flow path along which the first fluid can be injected into the second fluid within the duct; and
wherein the outer surface of the tubular portion comprising the orifices is positioned within the duct in the second flow path and the orifices when projected onto a plane containing the first and second transverse directions have an average spatial density of at least about 10,000 orifices per square meter of duct cross sectional area.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates in general to methods of controlled mixing one fluid with another. In particular it relates to a distributed direct fluid contactor including arrays of streamlined perforated tubes distributed across a flow to efficiently contact and mix one or more fluids flowing through one or more tubes with a second fluid flowing across those tubes. These distributed contactors thereby mix the fluids in a fairly uniform fashion causing a prescribed uniformity or variation in the ratio of the first to second fluid across the space. This thereby to generally creates and controls the physical and/or chemical changes in those fluids, including evaporation, condensation, forming powders and conducting chemical reactions including combustion.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. An apparatus for mixing a first fluid with a second fluid, the apparatus comprising:
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a fluid distribution portion comprising at least one tubular portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a first flow path for the first fluid, a duct that defines a second flow path for the second fluid, the duct having an axial direction and a first and second transverse directions mutually distinct from the axial direction, the first and second transverse directions defining a plane through an axial location and containing a cross-sectional area of the duct, a first fluid delivery system for supplying the first fluid to the fluid distribution portion a second fluid delivery system for supplying the second fluid to the duct;
the tubular portion comprising a plurality of orifices each forming a third flow path along which the first fluid can be injected into the second fluid within the duct; and
wherein the outer surface of the tubular portion comprising the orifices is positioned within the duct in the second flow path and the orifices when projected onto a plane containing the first and second transverse directions have an average spatial density of at least about 10,000 orifices per square meter of duct cross sectional area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 37)
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33. A method of mixing a first fluid with a second fluid comprising:
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providing a fluid distribution portion comprising at least one tubular portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a first flow path for the first fluid, providing a duct that defines a second flow path for the second fluid, the duct having an axial direction and a first transverse direction and a second transverse directions perpendicular to the axial direction, the first and second transverse directions at an axial location defining a plane comprising a cross-sectional area of the duct, positioning the at least one tubular portion in the duct such that it extends in a direction having a component in the first transverse direction;
providing a plurality of orifices on the at least one tubular portion, each orifice forming a third flow path along which the first fluid can be delivered into the second fluid within the duct;
providing a first fluid delivery system for providing the first fluid to the first flow path;
controlling a delivery pressure of the first fluid;
configuring at least one of the (i) the size of the plurality of orifices in the transverse direction, (ii) the linear density of the plurality of orifices in the transverse direction or (iii) the delivery pressure of the first fluid to deliver a non-uniform amount, with respect to the first transverse direction, of the first fluid into the second fluid to achieve a desired distribution of the first fluid in the second fluid in the first transverse direction downstream of the fluid distribution portion. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method of mixing and exchanging heat between a first fluid and a second fluid, the method comprising:
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providing a delivery member for a first fluid, the delivery member comprising tubular portions with a plurality of orifices;
providing a duct for a second fluid through, the duct having a duct axis and encompassing the orifices;
configuring a non-uniform transverse distribution of orifice sizes along at least one of a first direction transverse to the duct axis, and controlling the differential ejection pressure between the first fluid within the orifices and the second fluid outside the orifices along at least a first direction transverse to the duct axis;
providing a non-uniform density in the transverse direction of the orifices on the delivery member, delivering the second fluid through the duct; and
and delivering the first fluid through the delivery member to control the temperature of the second fluid exiting the duct. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48)
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49. A method of radiatively exchanging heat with a first fluid comprising:
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providing tubular portions comprising numerous orifices within a duct;
configuring the orifices to have a non-uniform spatial distribution with respect to a transverse axis of the duct;
configuring the orifices to have a non-uniform size distribution with respect to the transverse axis of the duct;
delivering a first fluid to the tubular portions with a non-uniform differential ejection pressure with respect to the transverse axis;
controlling the temperature of the first fluid delivered to the tubular portions, controlling the temperature of a wall of the duct, and controlling the radiation flux from the duct wall to the first fluid being delivered from the tubular portions to the duct. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52)
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53. A method of mixing a first fluid with a second fluid comprising:
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providing a fluid distribution portion comprising at least one tubular portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a first flow path for the first fluid, providing a duct that defines a second flow path for the second fluid, the duct having an axial direction and a first transverse direction and a second transverse directions perpendicular to the axial direction, the first and second transverse directions at an axial location defining a plane comprising a cross-sectional area of the duct, positioning the at least one tubular portion in the duct such that it extends in a direction having a component in the first transverse direction; and
dynamically controlling the distribution of the first fluid into the second fluid with respect to the first transverse direction downstream of the fluid distribution portion by controlling the pressures at both ends of the fluid distribution portion. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55)
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Specification