APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LIQUID PURIFICATION

• US 20150047967A1
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Perpetual Water LLC
• Original Assignee: Sam J. Burton
• Inventors: Burton, Sam J., Burton, Dick
• Granted Patent: US 9,527,006 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 203/49
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 1/0082 Regulation; Control
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 1/16 by spraying B01D1/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 1/20 Sprayers in general B05B
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/10 Vacuum distillation B01D3/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 5/0003 by using heat-exchange surfaces for indirect contact between gases or vapours and the cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 5/006 with evaporation or distillation

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and systems for separating a fluid mixture are provided which employ gas-handling equipment operable to introduce a gas into the liquid mixture prior to being dispersed within the apparatus, vacuum conditions, and internal condensing. The liquid mixture is dispersed within the separation apparatus as micro-sized droplets. A more volatile portion of the liquid mixture is vaporized when exposed to the vacuum conditions and separates from the non-vaporized liquid portion. The vaporized portion is directed to a condensing structure within the apparatus, which condenses the vaporized portion into a liquid product.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recovering a liquid product from a liquid mixture, said apparatus comprising:

a tubular outer housing defining a vacuum chamber located within said housing;

a fluid-collection trough located within said housing and defining at least in part a vaporization zone of said vacuum chamber and a channel into which liquid may be collected, said trough further defining a vapor passage for a vapor product exiting said vaporization zone;

one or more liquid mixture supply conduits located within said vaporization zone and extending along at least a portion of the length thereof, each of said conduits comprising

one or more nozzles operable to introduce the liquid mixture into said vaporization zone as a plurality of finely dispersed droplets, at least a portion of the liquid mixture contained within said droplets being vaporized within said vaporization zone to form the vapor product, said channel being configured to collect any portion of the liquid mixture not vaporized in said vaporization zone and deliver the non-vaporized portion of the liquid mixture to a waste stream outlet configured to remove the non-vaporized portion from said trough and housing;

a condensing structure located within said housing in disposition to contact and condense at least a portion of the vapor product exiting said vaporization zone through said vapor passage thereby forming the liquid product.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, said housing having a substantially horizontal longitudinal central axis.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, said trough having a longitudinal central axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal central axis of said housing.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, said condensing structure including a condensing fluid supply for delivering a laminar flow of a condensing fluid to an inner wall surface of said housing, the flow of condensing fluid causing at least a portion of the vapor product to condense.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, the condensing fluid comprising a portion of the liquid product that has been refluxed to said apparatus.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, said condensing structure comprising one or more coolant tubes through which is flowed a coolant having a temperature sufficient to condense at least a portion of the vapor product.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, said condensing structure including one or more liquid product collectors operable to collect condensed liquid product and/or direct the liquid product toward a liquid product outlet.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, said trough comprising an at least partially hollow wall structure through which a warming fluid may be flowed so as to maintain a substantially constant temperature within said vaporization zone.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, said apparatus further comprising mesh material at least partially disposed within said vapor passage operable to prevent liquid droplets from escaping said vaporization zone through said vapor passage.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, said apparatus further comprising one or more temperature control fluid conduits located within said vapor passage and adjacent to said mesh material and through which a temperature control fluid may be flowed so as to control the temperature within said vapor passage.

11. A system for recovering a liquid product from a liquid mixture comprising a most volatile fraction, a less volatile fraction, and a least volatile fraction, the less volatile fraction comprising the predominant component of the liquid mixture, said system comprising:

a first gas-handling apparatus operable to introduce a first gas component into the liquid mixture so as to cause at least a portion of the first gas component to become dissolved within the liquid mixture;

a first separation apparatus located downstream from said first gas-handling apparatus and operable to separate the most volatile fraction from the less volatile fraction and least volatile fraction, said first separation apparatus comprising;

a first tubular outer housing defining a first vacuum chamber located within said first housing,

a first fluid-collection trough located within said first vacuum chamber and defining at least in part a first vaporization zone of said vacuum chamber and a first channel into which liquid may be collected, said first trough further defining a first vapor passage for a most volatile fraction vapor product exiting said first vaporization zone, and

one or more nozzles located within said first vaporization zone and operable to introduce the liquid mixture into said vaporization zone as a plurality of finely dispersed droplets, at least a portion of the liquid mixture contained within said droplets being vaporized within said first vaporization zone to form the most volatile component vapor product, said first channel being configured to collect any portion of the liquid mixture not vaporized in said first vaporization zone and deliver the non-vaporized portion from said first trough and said first housing as an enriched liquid mixture;

a second gas-handling apparatus located downstream from said first separation apparatus and operable to introduce a second gas component into the enriched liquid mixture from said first separation apparatus so as to cause at least a portion of said second gas component to become dissolved within the enriched liquid mixture; and

a second separation apparatus located downstream from said second gas-handling apparatus and operable to separate a portion of the less volatile fraction the least volatile fraction, said second separation apparatus comprising;

a second tubular outer housing defining a second vacuum chamber located within said second housing,

a second fluid-collection trough located within said second vacuum chamber and defining at least in part a second vaporization zone of said second vacuum chamber and a second channel into which liquid may be collected, said second trough further defining a second vapor passage for a less volatile fraction vapor product exiting said second vaporization zone,

one or more nozzles located within said second vaporization zone and operable to introduce the enriched liquid mixture into said second vaporization zone as a plurality of finely dispersed droplets, at least a portion of the enriched liquid mixture contained within said droplets being vaporized within said second vaporization zone to form the less volatile fraction vapor product, said second channel being configured to collect any portion of the enriched liquid mixture not vaporized in said second vaporization zone and deliver the non-vaporized portion from said second trough and said second housing as a liquid discharge, and

a condensing structure located within said second housing in disposition to contact and condense at least a portion of the less volatile fraction vapor product exiting said second vaporization zone through said second vapor passage thereby forming said liquid product.

12. The system according to claim 11, said condensing structure further comprising a recycle stream comprising a portion of said liquid product, said recycle stream being delivered to an inner wall surface of said second outer housing as a laminar condensing fluid stream.

13. The system according to claim 11, said first and second housings having respective, substantially horizontal longitudinal central axes.

14. The system according to claim 13, said first and second troughs having respective longitudinal central axes that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal central axis of said first and second housings, respectively.

15. A method for recovering a liquid product from a liquid mixture, said method comprising:

introducing a gas into a stream of said liquid mixture so as to cause at least a portion of said gas to become dissolved within the liquid mixture thereby forming a gas-containing liquid mixture;

directing the gas-containing liquid mixture stream into a separation apparatus operating under vacuum conditions, said separation apparatus comprising a tubular outer housing, a fluid-collection trough located within said housing and defining at least in part a vaporization zone and a channel into which liquid may be collected, and a condensing structure located within said housing;

transporting the gas-containing liquid mixture along at least a portion of the length of said vaporization zone through one or more liquid mixture supply conduits;

dispersing said gas-containing liquid mixture within the vaporization zone as a plurality of droplets, causing at least a portion said droplets to vaporize thereby forming a vapor product, contacting the vapor product with said condensing structure to condense at least a portion of said vapor product thereby forming said liquid product;

recovering any portion of the plurality of droplets not vaporized in said trough and delivering the non-vaporized portion of said droplets to a waste stream outlet configured to remove the non-vaporized portion of said droplets from said separation apparatus; and

recovering the liquid product from said separation apparatus.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said method further comprises delivering a laminar flow of condensing fluid to an inner wall surface of said housing within said condensing structure, the flow of condensing fluid causing at least a portion of the vapor product to condense.

17. The method according to claim 16, said condensing fluid comprising a portion of said liquid product that has been refluxed to said apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 15, said condensing structure including one or more coolant tubes through which is flowed a coolant having a temperature sufficient to condense at least a portion of the vapor product.

19. The method according to claim 15, said condensing structure including one or more liquid product collectors operable to collect condensed liquid product and/or direct the liquid product toward a liquid product outlet.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein said method further comprises maintaining said vaporization zone at substantially constant temperature by flowing a warming fluid through an at least partially hollow wall structure located within said trough.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein said method further comprises preventing at least a portion of said droplets from escaping said vaporization zone through a vapor passage by at least partially disposing mesh material within said vapor passage.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said method further comprises flowing a temperature control fluid through one or more temperature control conduits located within said vapor passage and adjacent to said mesh material so as to control the temperature within said vapor passage.

23. The method according to claim 15, wherein said method further comprises removing at least a portion of volatile organic compounds from said liquid mixture prior to introducing said gas into said liquid mixture stream.