Liquid flow distribution and flow control with dual adjustable orifice plates or overlapping orifices
First Claim
1. In an effect-to-effect evaporation of a liquid a method for distribution of said liquid for downflow evaporation thereof from a pool of said liquid whereto more of said liquid is added, the improvement comprising:
- (a) forming a multiplicity of orifices in parallel array through a plate supporting said pool of liquid for said distribution of said liquid through said orifices,(b) determining the level of said liquid in said pool and(c) adjusting the flow diameters of said orifices responsive to said level of said liquid by sliding translation of an array of orifice adjusting means adjacent to said orifices,(d) and controlling the rate of flow of said liquid through said orifices and maintaining said liquid level in said pool at about a selected level above said plate and maintaining effect-to-effect pressure control causing flashdown of said liquid, wherein said control of said rate of flow of said liquid provides for a range of said flow reduced by about 50% below an effect design point flowrate and to about 400% above said design point flowrate while maintaining said liquid level in said pool within a range of about 3 inches to 9 inches above said plate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for forming an array of multiple parallel flow orifices, for example by holes drilled through a plate in a selected pattern and spacing and of selected sizes or flow diameters, and whereby these orifices are used to provide an approximately equal and adequate distribution of liquid flowing through them as parallel streams of liquid and into an evaporation zone or a parallel array of evaporation channels, and wherein the orifices can be adjusted in flow diameter to control the flowrate of liquid in generally parallel streams with an array of orifice adjusting apparatus, for example an adjacent sliding orifice plate which provides for orifice flow rate adjustment with orifices through this second plate corresponding in position to those of the first orifice plate, and the use of such dual orifice plates for supporting a pool of liquid there-above and for controlling the flowrate of liquid through the first array of orifices by reducing or enlarging their orifice flow diameters to control the level of the liquid in the pool or the pressure of this pool on or at the orifices and controlling the effect-to-effect pressure causing flashdown, and to improve the evaporation process or the degree of evaporation in an adjacent flash evaporation zone or in a bundle of adjacent evaporator tubes, and when applied to a multi-effect series of several such vertical tube evaporators.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. In an effect-to-effect evaporation of a liquid a method for distribution of said liquid for downflow evaporation thereof from a pool of said liquid whereto more of said liquid is added, the improvement comprising:
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(a) forming a multiplicity of orifices in parallel array through a plate supporting said pool of liquid for said distribution of said liquid through said orifices, (b) determining the level of said liquid in said pool and (c) adjusting the flow diameters of said orifices responsive to said level of said liquid by sliding translation of an array of orifice adjusting means adjacent to said orifices, (d) and controlling the rate of flow of said liquid through said orifices and maintaining said liquid level in said pool at about a selected level above said plate and maintaining effect-to-effect pressure control causing flashdown of said liquid, wherein said control of said rate of flow of said liquid provides for a range of said flow reduced by about 50% below an effect design point flowrate and to about 400% above said design point flowrate while maintaining said liquid level in said pool within a range of about 3 inches to 9 inches above said plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In an effect-to-effect evaporation of a liquid a method for distribution of said liquid for downflow evaporation thereof from a pool of said liquid whereto more of said liquid is added, the improvement comprising:
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(a) forming a multiplicity of orifices in parallel array through a plate supporting said pool of liquid for said distribution of said liquid through said orifices i n to a multiplicity of vertical evaporation channels for partially evaporating said liquid, (b) determining the level of said liquid in said pool and (c) adjusting the flow diameters of said orifices responsive to said determined level of said liquid by translation of an array of orifice adjusting means adjacent to said orifices, (d) and controlling the rate of flow of said liquid through said orifices and maintaining said liquid level in said pool within a selected level range above said plate and maintaining effect-to-effect pressure control causing flashdown of said liquid, wherein said determining of said level of said liquid in said pool is measured in terms of the pressure of said liquid on said plate, and wherein said adjusting of said flow diameters of said orifices is further responsive to said measured pressure on said plate, and wherein said selected liquid level range of said pool is determined from said measured pressure of said liquid in said pool. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. In a multi-effect evaporation of a liquid a method for distribution of said liquid for downflow evaporation thereof from a pool of said liquid whereto more of said liquid is added, the improvement comprising:
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(a) forming a multiplicity of orifices in parallel array through a plate supporting said pool of liquid for said distribution of said liquid into a zone for flashdown of said liquid, (b) determining the level of said liquid in said pool by sensing the pressure of said liquid in said pool on said plate and (c) adjusting the flow diameters of said orifices responsive to said sensed pressure on said plate by translation of a horizontal array of orifice adjusting means adjacent to said orifices, (d) and controlling the rate of flow of said liquid distributed into said zone and maintaining said pressure of said liquid in said pool supported by said plate within a selected pressure range to maintain said flashdown of said liquid into said zone, wherein said multiplicity of orifices consists essentially of two arrays of corresponding parallel orifices adjacent to one another, and wherein said adjusting of said flow diameters of said orifices is provided by sliding one of said two arrays of orifices over the other of said two arrays of orifices.
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Specification