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WO2009000019A1 - Élimination sélective d'un constituant liquide cible d'un liquide à plusieurs composants - Google Patents

Élimination sélective d'un constituant liquide cible d'un liquide à plusieurs composants Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2009000019A1
WO2009000019A1 PCT/AU2008/000890 AU2008000890W WO2009000019A1 WO 2009000019 A1 WO2009000019 A1 WO 2009000019A1 AU 2008000890 W AU2008000890 W AU 2008000890W WO 2009000019 A1 WO2009000019 A1 WO 2009000019A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
liquid
chamber
gas
temperature
target
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/AU2008/000890
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English (en)
Inventor
Hayden John Stein
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
GOMTECH Pty Ltd
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GOMTECH Pty Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2007903387A external-priority patent/AU2007903387A0/en
Application filed by GOMTECH Pty Ltd filed Critical GOMTECH Pty Ltd
Priority to AU2008267751A priority Critical patent/AU2008267751B2/en
Publication of WO2009000019A1 publication Critical patent/WO2009000019A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D1/00—Evaporating
    • B01D1/14—Evaporating with heated gases or vapours or liquids in contact with the liquid
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D1/00—Evaporating
    • B01D1/26—Multiple-effect evaporating
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D3/00—Distillation or related exchange processes in which liquids are contacted with gaseous media, e.g. stripping
    • B01D3/34—Distillation or related exchange processes in which liquids are contacted with gaseous media, e.g. stripping with one or more auxiliary substances
    • B01D3/343—Distillation or related exchange processes in which liquids are contacted with gaseous media, e.g. stripping with one or more auxiliary substances the substance being a gas
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D5/00—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation
    • B01D5/0057—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation in combination with other processes
    • B01D5/006—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation in combination with other processes with evaporation or distillation
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/02—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by heating
    • C02F1/04—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by heating by distillation or evaporation
    • C02F1/048—Purification of waste water by evaporation
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
    • Y02W10/00—Technologies for wastewater treatment
    • Y02W10/30—Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies
    • Y02W10/37—Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies using solar energy

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the selective removal of a target liquid constituent from a multi-component liquid using an evaporative separation process.
  • the present invention relates specifically, though not exclusively to the purification and reclamation of a target liquid constituent of various types from multi-component liquids which are contaminated with both solid and liquid contaminants.
  • wastewater refers to any water which has been adversely affected in quality by human activities as opposed to water that comes from natural environments without human influence. Wastewater includes liquid waste from domestic residences or commercial properties including sewerage and grey water, as well as liquid waste from industry or agriculture. As such wastewater can have a wide range of potential contaminants having a wide range of concentrations.
  • industrial wastewater may be contaminated with silt, sand, suspended particles of organic materials, alkalis, acids, grease, oils, chemicals, surfactants, parasites, dyes, detergents, algae, fungi, biocides, herbicides, pesticides, slimes, bacteria, poisons, cyanide, thiocyanates, thiosulphates, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, calcium, magnesium, silica, lead, copper, chrome, caustic or alumina.
  • Desalination is a process whereby excess dissolved salt is removed from salty water such as brine, seawater, saline water or brackish water to obtain fresh water, optionally with salt as a by-product. Depending on quality, the water can be used as human or animal drinking water or for agricultural irrigation.
  • Desalination plants exist in the prior art. Such prior art desalination plants use distillation processes such as multi-stage flash distillation, membrane process such as reverse osmosis, freezing processes or crystallization processes. Multi-stage flash distillation is a prior art desalination process in which seawater is heated to flash water into steam in multiple stages.
  • Vacuum distillation is a process by which salty water is boiled at a pressure below atmospheric pressure, the reduction in pressure being used to lower the temperature at which the water boils.
  • Reverse osmosis desalination plants use high pressures to force seawater through a semi-permeable membrane that retains salt ions on one side and allows pure water to pass through to the other side. These processes are very energy intensive, raising the cost of the water recovered from the salty water. The energy requirements of reverse osmosis can lead to an increase in harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Desalination is particularly expensive in places far from the sea. The costs include infrastructure costs, transportation cots, and the costs associated with the disposal of brine or salt.
  • Oil contamination of is the primary cause of wear and engine failure and the main reason why oil has to be changed.
  • oil does not "wear out” mechanically, meaning that oil can be used over and over again, and still perform as new, as long as it is contaminant-free.
  • oil becomes contaminated by solid contaminants such as dirt, dust, bacteria, carbon from combustion and other foreign matter, and liquid contaminants such as water and acids, which adversely affect the properties of the oil.
  • Many systems have been utilized in an attempt to purify and reclaim clean oil from waste oil.
  • Such prior art systems include filtration units to remove solid contaminants. Such filtration units are generally satisfactory but require additional equipment and transfer or handling operations. The liquid contaminants are generally more difficult to remove.
  • WO 2001/007134 describes a continuous contacting apparatus for separating a liquid component from a liquid mixture.
  • the apparatus comprises an evaporation chamber having first and second ends, an inlet and an outlet for a carrier gas, and an inlet and an outlet for a liquid mixture.
  • the inlet for the liquid mixture and the outlet of the carrier gas are located on the first end of the evaporation chamber.
  • the apparatus further comprises a dew-formation chamber having an inlet and an outlet for a carrier gas and an outlet for the separable liquid component, wherein the inlet for the carrier gas of the dew-formation chamber is situated in a countercurrent manner to the inlet for the carrier gas of the evaporation chamber.
  • a common heat transfer wall provides thermal communication between the evaporation chamber and the dew-formation chamber.
  • a feeding device is included for providing the liquid mixture onto the evaporation side of the heat transfer wall.
  • An air mover is used for controlling a flow of a carrier gas through the chambers, wherein the gas flow in the evaporation chamber is countercurrent to the gas flow in the dew-formation chamber.
  • a heating apparatus is provided for heating the carrier gas from the outlet of the evaporation chamber, wherein the heated carrier gas is directed to flow into the inlet of the dew-formation chamber.
  • a process for separating a liquid component from a liquid mixture in a continuous contacting manner comprising employing such an apparatus for such separation. This process in inefficient as it relies on heating of the carrier gas to heat the liquid mixture.
  • JP 61025602 describes a feed liquid being atomized from a nozzle before being brought into contact with a carrier gas from a passage and evaporated. Unevaporated mist is separated in a mist separator and then fed back to a feed liquid tank.
  • the carrier gas containing the vapor is expanded adiabatically in a turbine, cooled to condense the vapor, which is recovered in a mist separator.
  • the carrier gas is then compressed adiabatically in a turbine to elevate the temperature and circulated.
  • the feed liquid is being pumped through nozzles, would have to be filtered to remove particulate matter upstream of the nozzles.
  • the carrier gas must be compressed in a turbine to raise the temperature of the carrier gas. Relying on a heated carrier gas for heating the liquid is inefficient.
  • GB 2082310 describes a process for the recovery of solvents.
  • a carrier gas stream laden with solvent vapours in an evaporation space is compressed by a compressor, cooled, e.g. by heat exchanger, and expanded by turbine with the production of work to condense solvent vapours and separate the solvent.
  • the carrier gas stream low in solvent vapours is returned into the evaporation space after being reheated e.g. by the exchanger.
  • the work arising on expansion is used in mechanical coupling with the compressor for compressing the carrier gas stream laden with solvent vapours.
  • the work produced on expansion is used in mechanical coupling with the compressor for compressing the carrier gas stream laden with solvent vapours.
  • US Patent 3,843,463 describes a method of evaporation featuring humidification, which is effected in a chamber maintained at a progressively increasing temperature level.
  • the liquid being treated and a vapour carrier gas are passed through the chamber where they are progressively heated and the carrier gas is enriched in vapour from the liquid.
  • the enriched carrier gas exiting from the chamber is moved alongside the chamber and in heat transfer relation with the fluids within the chamber but in a direction countercurrent to the flow of those fluids. Heat is applied to the exit portions of the chamber to assure the desired temperature gradient. Condensation occurs on the outside of the chamber. This condensate and the concentrated liquid can be recovered.
  • the heated liquid concentrate exiting the chamber may be further treated.
  • liquid and carrier gas in this patent is entered through the top of a column and allowed to flow over multiple packing material to increase the evaporation surface are of the concentrated liquid and thus allows the carrier gas to come into contact with more liquid surface area as in a conventional evaporator scrubber system.
  • the liquid and the carrier gas are heated by steam which is extremely expensive.
  • US Patent 3,280,009 describes a process for the separation and recovery of the components of a mixture consisting of a volatile component and a non volatile component said volatile component being selected from the group consisting of phthalic acid anhydride and maleic acid anhydride which comprises establishing a melt of said mixture introducing said melt in regulated amounts in the form of multidinous fine drops into an evaporation zone so as to provide a large surface, area thereof contacting said melt in said evaporation zone with a gas which is heated to a temperature sufficient to vaporize volatile component said gas additionally serving as carrier for the vapors formed in said contacting and recovering the vapors from said carrier gas.
  • the liquid is sprayed through nozzles to form fine drops in a space as it falls through the carrier gas and the carrier gas is heated to a temperature to vaporise some components. All these operations are energy consuming and would require a tall vaporisation column to stop unwanted particles from carrying over to the treated product.
  • US Patent 2,985,686 describes, in a carbonylation reaction between reactants consisting essentially of carbon monoxide water and a gaseous hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of olefins and acetylene in a liquid solvent mixture and in the presence of a metal carbonyl the improved process for separating the vaporizable product of said carbonylation reaction from other vaporizable components of the liquid reaction mixture which comprises contacting said liquid reaction mixture with carbon monoxide as a non condensable carrier gas to entrain vapors of said vaporizable components at a temperature below the boiling point of said liquid reaction mixture countercurrently contacting said carbon monoxide containing said entrained components with condensate therefrom for fractional exchange of said components therebetween withdrawing liquid and vapor fractions from the zone of said countercurrent contacting wherein one of said fractions is enriched in said reaction product and condensing vapors from said carbon monoxide after said countercurrent contacting to form said condensate.
  • This system requires the liquid being separated to be heated in a boiler prior to separation. For many liquids, the temperature difference between the vaporisation point and the temperatures of the boiler creates pressure. This is undesirable in a transfer system and drastically slows down the reaction.
  • This plant is also designed to operate at a very high pressure (50 atmospheres and above) which places high demands on equipment costs and operational safety.
  • a process for selectively removing a target liquid constituent from a multi-component liquid comprising the steps: a) heating the multi-component liquid in a chamber to a temperature at which the target liquid constituent selectively evaporates to form a vapor rich in the target liquid constituent; b) bubbling a carrier gas through the multi-component liquid of step a); c) continuously removing a gas/vapor mixture from the chamber, the gas/vapor mixture comprising the vapor from step a) and the carrier gas from step b); d) condensing the gas/vapor mixture of step c) in a condenser to form a condensate rich in the target liquid constituent thereby liberate the carrier gas from the gas/vapor mixture; and, e) returning the carrier gas from step d) for use in step b).
  • a system for selectively removing a target liquid constituent from a multi-component liquid comprising: a) a heater for heating the multi-component liquid in a chamber to a temperature at which a target liquid constituent selectively evaporates to form a vapor rich in the target liquid constituent; b) a gas diffuser for bubbling a carrier gas through the heated multi-component liquid in the chamber; c) a gas circulation system for continuously removing a gas/vapor mixture from the chamber, the gas/vapor mixture comprising the vapor from step a) and the carrier gas from step b); d) a condenser for condensing the vapor of the target liquid constituent from the gas/vapor mixture to form a condensate rich in the target liquid constituent; and, e) means for returning the carrier gas from step d) for use in step b).
  • the carrier gas is sourced from the gas present in the chamber above the multi-component liquid when operation of the process commences.
  • the carrier gas may be one or more of the gases selected from the group consisting of: atmospheric air, dry air, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium, carbon dioxide.
  • the carrier gas is atmospheric air at a temperature in the range of 25-35°C.
  • the multi- component liquid includes solid and liquid contaminants when it is fed into the chamber overcoming the need for a separate filtration step.
  • the heater is arranged towards the bottom of the chamber and the gas diffuser is arranged such that the carrier gas is directed to flow downwardly towards the bottom of the chamber as it exits the carrier gas.
  • the heater may be arranged to direct heat into a lower portion of the chamber.
  • the heater may be external or internal to the chamber.
  • the gas/vapor mixture may be removed from the chamber by drawing a vacuum in the range of 10 - 5OkPa.
  • the gas diffuser includes a feeder tube provided with a plurality of space-apart apertures arranged at regular intervals along the length of the feeder tube to optimize the distribution of gas through the multi-component liquid.
  • the gas diffuser may be arranged within the chamber such that the spaced-apart apertures are immersed in the multi-component liquid in use. If desired, the multi-component liquid may be fed into the chamber through the feeder tube of the gas diffuser.
  • step e) may be conducted without reheating the carrier gas prior to its reuse for step b).
  • the gas circulation system may comprise a vacuum pump or gas blower downstream of the condenser.
  • the vapor of the target liquid constituent is condensed through heat exchange with a cooling medium.
  • condensation can be achieved using expansion.
  • the process may further comprise the step of removing a first target liquid constituent then a second target liquid, the first target liquid having a lower boiling point than the second target liquid constituent.
  • a first target constituent may be separated from the multi- component liquid in a first chamber with a second target constituent may be separated from the multi-component liquid in a second chamber in series.
  • the heater may be used to heat the multi-component liquid to a corresponding plurality of different temperatures in series in a single chamber.
  • the viscosity of the multi-component liquid may be reduced by the addition of a low viscosity additive.
  • the low viscosity additive may report to the condensate with the target liquid constituent during a first pass, and the condensate from the first pass may be selectively evaporated in a second pass using a lower temperature on the second pass to recover the low viscosity additive from the condensate.
  • two or more target liquid constituents are removed simultaneously by heating the multi-component liquid to a temperature at which the two or more target liquid constituents selectively evaporate together.
  • both or all of the target liquid constituents condense in the condenser to form a multi-component condensate rich in both or all of the target liquid constituents and the multi-component condensate may be subjected to further processing to selectively separate the target liquid constituents from each other in another pass conducted at a lower temperature than the first pass.
  • the multi-component liquid is heated to a temperature 25-50°C below the boiling point of the target liquid constituent.
  • step a) may be conducted at a temperature in the range of 45-85 0 C or at a temperature in the range of 55-75°C or at a temperature in the range of 60-70 0 C.
  • the multi-component liquid is contaminated oil and the target constituent is clean oil and the multi-component liquid is heated to a temperature in the range of 80 to 120 0 C.
  • Step a) may be conducted at a temperature in the range of 45-70 0 C to remove water from the contaminated oil.
  • step a) is conducted at a temperature in the range of 120-130 0 C to reclaim kerosene from the contaminated oil or step a) is conducted at a temperature in the range of 135-145°C to reclaim diesel from the contaminated oil or step a) is conducted at a temperature in the range of 225-250°C to reclaim heavy hydrocarbons from the contaminated oil.
  • Step a) may be conducted at a temperature in the range of 130-140°C to remove a light hydrocarbon fraction from the contaminated oil or step a) may be conducted at a temperature in the range of 150-155°C to reclaim an intermediate hydrocarbon fraction from the contaminated oil or step a) may be conducted at a temperature in the range of 175- 19O 0 C to reclaim a heavy hydrocarbon fraction from the contaminated oil.
  • the heater is provided in the form of a heat exchanger having an inlet, an outlet, at least one side wall, a base and an upper heat transfer surface in abutting contact with a lower heat transfer surface of the chamber and the process further comprises the step of circulating a heat transfer fluid through the heat exchanger to heat the multi-component liquid in the chamber.
  • a system for selectively removing a target liquid constituent from a multi-component liquid comprising: a) a heater for heating the multi-component liquid in a chamber to a temperature at which a target liquid constituent selectively evaporates to form a vapor rich in the target liquid constituent; b) a gas diffuser for bubbling a carrier gas through the heated multi-component liquid in the chamber; c) a gas circulation system for continuously removing a gas/vapor mixture from the chamber, the gas/vapor mixture comprising the vapor from step a) and the carrier gas from step b); d) a condenser for condensing the vapor of the target liquid constituent from the gas/vapor mixture to form a condensate rich in the target liquid constituent; and, e) means for returning the carrier gas from step d) for use in step b).
  • the heater, the chamber, the gas diffuser and the condenser are arranged in a vessel having one or more wall(s), the vessel further comprising a cooling jacket for cooling an outer peripheral portion of the wall(s) of the vessel, and a flow diverter arranged within the vessel for directing the flow of the gas/vapor mixture towards the cooled outer peripheral portion of the wall(s) of the vessel.
  • the system comprises a plurality of vessels arranged in series for selectively removing a plurality of target liquid fractions from a multi-component liquid, whereby selective removal of each of these fractions is achieved at progressively higher operating temperatures for each of the vessels in the series.
  • each of the vessels is provided with a heater in the form of a counter-current heat exchanger as this is an arrangement which can be used to recover waste heat from process streams.
  • a heat transfer fluid is caused to flow counter-currently relative to the flow of multi- component liquid through the plurality of vessels.
  • a system for selectively removing a target liquid constituent from a multi-component liquid substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying representations.
  • Figure 1 is a simplified conceptual flow diagram of a basic implementation of the system of the present invention for batch operation
  • Figure 2 is a simplified conceptual flow diagram of a basic implementation of the system of the present invention for continuous operation
  • Figure 3a illustrates a side and bottom view of one embodiment of the gas diffuser used in the system of the present invention
  • Figure 3b illustrates a bottom view of three alternative embodiments of the gas diffuser used in system of the present invention
  • Figure 4 is a simplified conceptual flow diagram of an embodiment of a multi- chamber system for selectively removing a plurality of target liquids from a multi-component liquid
  • Figure 5 is a simplified conceptual flow diagram of a multi-chamber system for processing a large volume of the multi-component liquid
  • Figure 6 is a simplified conceptual flow diagram of a basic implementation of the system of the present invention for recovering heat from a heat transfer fluid
  • Figure 7 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrated an embodiment of the present invention in which condensation of vapor is encouraged to occur within a vessel.
  • Figure 8 is a simplified conceptual flow diagram of a basic implementation of the system of the present invention for removing a plurality of target liquids from a multi- component liquid whilst recovering heat from a heat transfer fluid.
  • vapor pressure is the pressure of a vapor in equilibrium with its non-vapor phases. It relates to the tendency of molecules and atoms to escape from a liquid or a solid. A substance with a high vapor pressure at ambient temperature is referred to as "volatile".
  • the "boiling point" of a liquid is bulk phenomenon which occurs at a specific temperature at which a substance changes state from a liquid to a gas throughout a liquid for a given pressure. A liquid boils when its vapor pressure is equal to the ambient pressure. The higher the vapor pressure of a substance at a given temperature, the lower its boiling point.
  • evaporation refers to surface phenomenon in which molecules located near a gas/liquid surface change state from a liquid to a gas at any temperature below the boiling point of a liquid. Liquids with higher vapor pressures will tend to evaporate faster than liquids with lower vapor pressures. Evaporation is encouraged by increasing the kinetic energy of the liquid molecules.
  • condensation refers to the change in state of a substance from a gas to a liquid. Condensation commonly occurs when a vapor is subjected to a decrease in temperature, an increase in pressure (for example, compression) or a combination of the two.
  • condensate refers to a liquid which has been condensed from a vapor.
  • a “condenser” is a device used to condense a vapor or gas to a liquid.
  • distillation refers to a method of separating chemical substances based on differences in their boiling points.
  • cracking refers to a process whereby carbon-carbon bonds in a starting material are caused to break (for example, cracking of heavy hydrocarbons to form light hydrocarbons or breaking large alkanes into smaller alkanes or alkenes).
  • upstream refers to something located before a device.
  • downstream refers to something located after a device.
  • oil refers to any liquid petroleum product (generally distilled from crude oil) that is suitable for burning for the purpose of generating heat. Oils comprise long hydrocarbon chains, particularly alkanes, cycloalkanes and aromatics and are generally heavier than petrol (referred to in the United States as "gasoline”).
  • fuel oils have a boiling point generally ranging from 175 to 600 0 C depending on the length of the carbon chain, its composition and its purpose.
  • Fuel oils can include amounts of pollutants, particularly sulfur which forms sulfur dioxide upon combustion.
  • Types of fuel oil include: kerosene or paraffin oil, diesel, biodiesel, turbodiesel, low sulfur diesel, ultra-low sulfur diesel, heating oil, distillate, heavy distillate, light fuel oil, medium fuel oil, intermediate fuel oil, heavy fuel oil, residual fuel oil, marine gasoil, and marine diesel oil.
  • An “engine oil” or “motor oil” is any liquid petroleum product that is suitable for use in an engine to generate power.
  • gasoline or "petrol” is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture used as fuel in internal combustion engines which consists mostly of hydrocarbons with between 5 and 12 carbon atoms per molecule, enhanced with benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings.
  • the boiling point of an alkane is primarily determined by weight and as a rule of thumb, the boiling point rises 20 - 30 °C for each carbon added to the chain.
  • the alkanes from CH 4 to C 4 H 10 are gaseous, the alkanes from C 5 H 12 to C 17 H 36 are liquids; and the alkanes after C 18 H 33 are solids.
  • a straight chain alkane will have a boiling point higher than a branched chain alkane due to the greater surface area in contact, thus the greater van der Waals forces between adjacent molecules.
  • cyclic alkanes tend to have higher boiling points than their linear counterparts due to the locked conformations of the molecules which give a plane of intermolecular contact.
  • fresh water refers to water having less than 0.05 weight percent of dissolved salt.
  • crackish water refers to water having between 0.05-3 weight percent of dissolved salt.
  • saline water refers to water having between 3-5 weight percent of dissolved salt.
  • brine refers to water having greater than 5 weight percent of dissolved salt.
  • the term "ppm" refers to "parts per million”. Specific embodiments of the present invention are now described in detail. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
  • the process and system of the present invention is applicable to the separation of a target constituent from any multi-component liquid.
  • the multi-component liquid may be a two-component mixture such as an oil/water mixture, or even a solution such as seawater or another salt solution which is being treated to recover fresh water during desalination.
  • the system and method of the present invention can be used to separate a target liquid constituent such as water from oil or to separate fresh water from salty water, or to separate a plurality of hydrocarbon fractions from dirty fuel oil.
  • FIG. 1 A first embodiment of a system for selectively removing a target liquid constituent from a multi-component liquid (generally designated by reference numeral (10) is illustrated in Figure 1.
  • the system (10) comprises a heater (12) for heating the multi-component liquid in a chamber (14) to a temperature at which a target liquid constituent selectively evaporates to form a vapor rich in the target liquid constituent.
  • a gas diffuser (16) is. provided for bubbling a carrier gas through the heated multi-component liquid in the chamber (14).
  • the system (10) further comprises a gas circulation system (18) for continuously removing a gas/vapor mixture from the chamber (14), the gas/vapor mixture comprising the vapor of the target liquid constituent and the carrier gas.
  • a condenser (20) is used for condensing the vapor of the target liquid constituent from the gas/vapor mixture to form a condensate rich in the target liquid constituent.
  • the system (10) further comprises a means (22) for returning the carrier gas to the chamber (14).
  • the chamber (14) is a horizontal, preferably cylindrical closed container.
  • the chamber need not be cylindrical.
  • a rectangular, oval or hexagonal configuration could be contemplated.
  • the chamber need not be horizontal but could equally be vertical.
  • the multi- component liquid may include both solid and liquid contaminants. Solid contaminants such as sand, silt and metal components, if present, migrate under gravity towards a lowermost portion (24) of the chamber (14).
  • the heat input from the heater (12) is adjusted so as to regulate the temperature of a multi-component liquid in such as way as to selectively cause target liquid constituents present in the multi-component liquid to evaporate.
  • the vapors so produced are continuously drawn out of the chamber (14) towards the condenser (20) using the gas circulation system (18).
  • Evaporation is more energetically favorable for target liquid constituents within the multi-component liquid which have the lowest intermolecular forces holding that constituent in the liquid. In general, this means that evaporation occurs first for that constituent which has the greatest volatility and lowest solubility.
  • the lighter (more volatile) petroleum products such as gasoline evaporate faster than diesel fuel, heating oils, and kerosene, which are less volatile than gasoline.
  • the target liquid constituent with the highest volatility is removed first, with the temperature being raised by increasing the heat input from the heater (12) to remove the next most volatile target liquid constituent in sequence as described in greater detail below with reference to Figure 4.
  • the heater (12) is used to heat the multi-component liquid so as to cause a target liquid constituent present in the multi-component liquid to change state from a liquid to a vapor within the chamber (14).
  • the heater (12) can apply heat to the multi-component liquid directly or indirectly and may be arranged internal or external to the chamber (14). In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 , the heater (12) is preferably arranged to direct heat towards the lowermost portion (24) of the chamber (14).
  • the heater (12) can be a low watt electric, oil fed, gas flame, induction or solar heater or a source of waste heat or sensible heat which comes from outside of the system (10).
  • the temperature of the multi-component liquid is maintained at all times below the boiling point of the multi-component liquid.
  • heat input from the heater (12) to the chamber (14) is controlled using an adjustable thermostat (26) regulated by a temperature probe (28) which measures the temperature of the multi-component liquid in the chamber (14).
  • Liquid over-temperature safety is provided if desired such that the system (10) shuts down automatically if the temperature measured by the temperature probe (28) exceeds a predetermined high temperature limit.
  • the gas circulation system (18) comprises a vacuum pump, which is arranged to draw the vapor out of the chamber (14) through the suction outlet (30).
  • the vacuum pump (18) performs the secondary function of returning a carrier gas back into the chamber (14) in the manner described in greater detail below.
  • the discharge pressure of the vacuum pump (18) is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 bar (10 to 5OkPa).
  • the gas circulation system may equally rely on the use of a gas blower, gear pump or diaphragm pump, provided only that the gas circulation system (18) causes movement of the vapor out of the chamber (14) on a continuous basis.
  • the vacuum pump (18) is located downstream of the condenser (20) (between the condenser (20) and the chamber (14). Locating the vacuum pump (18) downstream of the condenser (20) reduces the possibility of vapor condensing in the vacuum pump (18) which could reduce the working life of the vacuum pump (18).
  • An added advantage of placing the condenser (20) upstream of the vacuum pump (18) is that this reduces the capacity requirements of the gas circulation system (18), as a partial vacuum is created during condensation of the vapor by reason of the reduction in the volume of the low pressure vapor which occurs as the vapor condenses. Utilization of this principle within the system (10) of the present invention enables the use of a vacuum pump (18) that only has to pull a vacuum high enough to initiate the start of the process. Once the process is initiated and condensation of the vapor begins to occur, the vacuum created in the condenser (20) is sufficient to allow recycle of the carrier gas through the system (10) to occur with only nominal input from the vacuum pump (18). Thus, by positioning the condenser (20) upstream of the vacuum pump (18), the present invention is capable of efficient operation with a small capacity vacuum pump while at the same time minimizing the danger of damage to the vacuum pump from corrosion.
  • the system and process of present invention operate at a much lower pressure than prior art systems.
  • One of the reasons for this is that the system (10) is closed such that there is no venting of gas or vapor from the system, reducing losses and emissions.
  • the vapor extracted from the chamber (14) using the vacuum pump (18) is directed to flow through the condenser (20) in which it is cooled or expanded to form a condensate rich in the target liquid constituent.
  • the gas/vapor mixture is directed to flow through a tangential inlet (19) into the condenser (20) to create a vortex to improve efficiency of condensation occurring therein.
  • the condensate is then collected in a condensate storage tank (34).
  • the condensate storage tank (34) is a cylindrical upright sealed container provided with a discharge port (54) for discharge of purified liquid located towards the lowermost end (56) of the condensate storage tank (34).
  • the condensate collected in the condensate storage tank (34) is substantially liberated from contaminants and is temporarily stored in the condensate storage tank (34) prior to being reclaimed for reuse.
  • the condenser (20) can be any of many types, such as a refrigeration type, water cooled, or air cooled, provided only that a sufficient temperature differential is provided by a cooling medium to cause the vapor present in the gas/vapor mixture to condense.
  • a water cooled condenser (20) is utilized, with cooling water being circulated from a cooling medium storage tank (21) through the condenser (20) using a circulating pump (23).
  • a condensate flow regulator (25) is provided between the condenser (20) and the condensate storage tank (34), the condensate flow regulator (25) being arranged to reduce the flow rate of the condensate as it enters the condensate storage tank (34) so as to encourage excess vapor to condense out of the condensate. This is done to minimize carry-over of vapor from the condensate storage tank (34) to the vacuum pump (18).
  • the condensate flow regulator (25) includes a delivery tube (27) provided with a plurality of space-apart condensate distribution apertures (29) arranged at regular intervals along the length of the delivery tube (27).
  • the condensate distribution apertures (29) are used to regulate the flow rate of the condensate as it enters the condensate storage tank (34) for optimum recovery of vapor from the gas/vapor mixture.
  • the particular shape of the delivery tube (27) can vary.
  • the delivery tube (27) and condensate distribution apertures (29) are arranged to direct the flow of the condensate towards the internal side wall(s) (31) of the condensate storage tank (34) to further encourage condensation of any excess vapor.
  • the gas diffuser (16) comprises a feeder tube (50) provided with a plurality of small diameter space-apart apertures (52) arranged at regular intervals along the length of the feeder tube (50) to optimize the distribution of the carrier gas through the multi- component liquid.
  • the particular shape of the gas diffuser (16) can vary, with three illustrative examples shown in Figure 3b.
  • the chamber (14) has a cylindrical shape
  • a circular-shaped arrangement for the gas diffuser (16) is considered to the most suitable for providing a homogeneous distribution of the micro-bubbles in the multi-component liquid.
  • the gas diffuser (16) is arranged within the chamber (14) such that the apertures (52) are always immersed in use in the multi-component liquid.
  • the apertures (52) are located such that the carrier gas is injected into the multi- component liquid at a level below the low liquid level set point.
  • the chamber (14) is provided with a bottom heater (12) and the gas diffuser (16) is arranged such that the carrier gas is directed to flow downwardly towards the bottom of the chamber (14) as it exits the gas diffuser (16).
  • the micro-bubbles expand rapidly as they form in the liquid, with further expansion occurring as the bubbles travel upward through the multi- component liquid, providing a greater surface area for enhanced evaporation.
  • the hottest portion of the liquid is also the most energetically favorable for micro-bubble initiation.
  • the bubbles When the bubbles reach the surface of the liquid, they break, discharging the carrier gas and any entrained vapor, further encouraging evaporation of the target liquid constituent by increasing the effective gas/liquid interfacial area.
  • the micro-bubbles are too small to allow solid contaminants present in the multi-component liquid to be carried over out of the chamber through the suction outlet (30). It is understood that the presence of solid contaminants which settle towards the lowermost portion (24) of the chamber (14) further encourages nucleation of micro-bubbles, increasing the efficiency of evaporation in the system (10).
  • the system (10) of the present invention is closed in that the carrier gas is sourced from the atmospheric air which is present in the chamber (14) above the multi-component liquid when operation of the process commences. It is to be understood, that it is equally possible to evacuate the atmospheric air from the system (10) before commencing operation so as to fill the chamber (14) with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, helium, argon or another carrier gas such as oxygen if desired. In any event, the carrier gas is not vented or otherwise consumed during operation of the process, reducing emissions to the atmosphere compared with prior art methods. The carrier gas is simply re-circulated throughout the closed system (10).
  • any water vapor present in the atmospheric air will be removed in the form of steam during start-up as the temperature of the multi-component liquid reaches a level at which water starts to evaporate to form steam.
  • the steam condenses out of the gas/vapor mixture.
  • any water present in the atmospheric air which filled the chamber at start-up is removed as condensate in the condensate storage tank (34).
  • the carrier gas being circulated around the system will be dry air. This overcomes the need for a separate drying process used in the prior art. Having dried the carrier gas in this manner, the heat input from the heater (12) can then be increased so that the temperature of the multi-component liquid is raised to a level at which a different target liquid constituent selectively evaporates.
  • a target liquid constituent is selectively removed from the multi- component liquid in the form of a vapor by heating the multi-component liquid.
  • the vapor is removed from the chamber (14) under the effect of the exhaust conditions established by a vacuum pump (18) in the manner described above.
  • the carrier gas which is circulated through the system (10) is removed at the same time as the vapor, in the form of a gas/vapor mixture.
  • the condenser (20) the vapor condenses out of the gas/vapor mixture, whereby the carrier gas is essentially liberated making it available for recycle through the gas diffuser (16) into the chamber (14) via means (22).
  • the carrier gas present in the gas/vapor mixture remains un-condensed during its passage through the condenser (20) and thus remains available for recycle back into the chamber (14) through the gas diffuser (16) using the vacuum pump (18).
  • the gas diffuser (16) thus acts as the means (22) for returning the carrier gas to the chamber (14).
  • the carrier gas being returned into the chamber (14) has been cooled during its passage through the condenser (20) and is not heated prior to its injection into the chamber (14). Consequently, the carrier gas will be colder than the heated multi-component liquid, which further encourages rapid expansion of the micro-bubbles once formed.
  • the multi-component liquid is fed into the chamber (14) on a continuous basis from a reservoir or tank (36) through an inlet (38) located in a side wall (40) or a top wall (42) of the chamber (14).
  • the level of the multi-component liquid in the chamber (14) is regulated within set limits using a level gage (44) having upper and lower liquid level set points in cooperation with a float operated level control valve (46).
  • the level control valve (46) shuts off liquid entry into the chamber (14) when the liquid level in the chamber (14) exceeds a high liquid level set point.
  • the level gage (44) senses that the liquid level in the chamber (14) is reaching a low liquid level set point, additional multi-component liquid is automatically directed to flow into the chamber (14) from the reservoir (36) through the inlet (38).
  • the multi-component liquid can be caused to flow into the chamber (14) under influence of gravity if desired, or a centrifugal pump (48) can be used to regulate the flow of the liquid into the chamber (14) in a steady state, if preferred.
  • the level of the condensate in the condensate storage tank (34) is monitored so as to cause the system (10) to shut down in the event that a high liquid level set point is exceeded.
  • the level of the condensate in the condensate storage tank is monitored using high and low liquid level gauges (58) and (60), respectively.
  • a normally closed discharge valve (62) is activated to allow condensate to be pumped from the condensate storage tank (34) using a circulation pump (61) until the discharge valve (62) is shut when the condensate level reaches the low liquid level gauge (60).
  • a pressure gauge (64) which measures the pressure of the carrier gas is positioned at the discharge side of the vacuum pump (18). The pressure measurement taken by the pressure gauge (64) is used to regulate the duty of the vacuum pump (18).
  • a concentrated waste product is left behind in the chamber (14) when the target liquid constituent evaporates. This waste product can be discarded or subjected to further processing if desired.
  • Evaporation occurs at any temperature below the boiling point of a liquid provided only that individual molecules of the liquid are a) located near a gas/liquid interface, b) are moving in the proper direction to allow the molecules to escape the liquid and form a vapor, and c) have sufficient kinetic energy to overcome liquid-phase intermolecuiar forces (eg. dipole- dipole attraction, instantaneous-dipole induced-dipole attractions, and hydrogen bonds).
  • liquid-phase intermolecuiar forces eg. dipole- dipole attraction, instantaneous-dipole induced-dipole attractions, and hydrogen bonds.
  • Boiling occurs when liquid molecules have enough thermal energy to overcome the liquid-phase intermolecuiar forces and allow a bulk change of state at a given temperature and pressure. Normally, the change of state which occurs during evaporation is a surface phenomenon which occurs very slowly.
  • the evaporation rate is enhanced using one or more of the following principles: a) increasing the temperature of the liquid to increase the kinetic energy of the molecules within the liquid; b) increasing the gas/liquid interfacial area by the introduction of the carrier gas using the gas diffuser so as to provide more opportunities for the molecules to escape; c) increasing the contact time between the gaseous and liquid phases by the introduction of the carrier gas using the gas diffuser; d) optionally, adding liquids with high vapor pressure to the multi-component liquid to reduce viscosity and increase the mobility of the molecules; e) increase in the amount of gas/liquid interface as the micro-bubbles continuously expand whilst floating upward which increases the contact between the carrier gas and the target constituent; and, f) extracting the vapor to reduce the concentration of the vapor in the air above the multi-component liquid.
  • the viscosity of the multi- component liquid can be reduced by the addition of a low viscosity additive to make it easier to bubble the carrier gas through the multi-component liquid.
  • the low viscosity additive can be added to the multi-component liquid via an inlet (17) before it enters the chamber (14) or after it enters the chamber (14).
  • the low viscosity additive is added to the multi-component liquid via the gas diffuser (16) along with the carrier gas being injected into the chamber (14).
  • the low viscosity additive will report to the condensate with the target liquid constituent.
  • the condensate can then be passed through the process a second time using a lower temperature on this second pass to selectively evaporate the low viscosity additive therefrom for re-use if desired.
  • the system may comprise a corresponding plurality of chambers (14) serially connected together such that a first target constituent is selectively separated from the multi-component liquid in a first chamber (90) with a second target constituent being separated from the multi- component liquid in a second chamber (92), and so on and so forth, until the multi- component liquid reaches the last chamber in the series.
  • a first target constituent is selectively separated from the multi-component liquid in a first chamber (90) with a second target constituent being separated from the multi- component liquid in a second chamber (92), and so on and so forth, until the multi- component liquid reaches the last chamber in the series.
  • Figure 4 for which like reference numerals refer to like parts.
  • Only two chambers (14) are shown but it is to be understood that any number of chambers can be used.
  • An example of the use of such a system is described in greater detail below in Example 4. It is equally possible to use a single chamber system (10) such as that illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 to remove a plurality of target liquid
  • two or more target liquid constituents can be removed simultaneously if desired by heating the multi-component liquid to a temperature at which the two or more target liquid constituents selectively evaporate together.
  • both or all of the target liquid constituents will condense in the condenser (20) to form a multi-component condensate rich in both or all of the target liquid constituents.
  • the multi-component condensate can then be used as is or subjected, if desired, to further processing to selectively separate the target liquid constituents from each other in another pass through the system (10) operating at a different temperature.
  • the first chamber (90) can be used to remove a multi-component condensate rich in constituent A + B on a first pass, leaving C behind in the first chamber (90).
  • the multi-component condensate rich in A + B can then be subjected to a second pass through the first chamber (90) or directed to the second chamber (92) operating at a lower temperature to selectively evaporate a condensate rich in A, leaving B behind in the second chamber (92).
  • FIG 5 illustrates a multi-chamber system (10) for use in processing a large quantity of multi-component liquid.
  • the system (10) comprises a plurality of chambers (14) in a vertically stacked arrangement with a heater (12) being arranged to direct heat input into the base of each chamber (14) in the stack. Using this stacked arrangement, heat losses are minimized as adjacent chambers in the stack pick up heat from each other.
  • a distribution system (37) is used to direct and regulate the flow of multi-component liquid from the reservoir or tank (36) to each chamber (14) in the manner described above for the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2.
  • the distribution system (37) can, by way of example, be used to take one of the plurality of chamber (14) off-line for maintenance whilst distributing the multi-component liquid to flow only to the other chambers (14).
  • the gas/vapor mixture from each chamber (14) is extracted using a shared gas circulation system (18) arranged to direct the gas/vapor mixture to a shared condenser (20).
  • the condensate which forms in the condenser (20) is collected in a shared condensate storage tank (34).
  • the carrier gas liberated from the gas/vapor mixture in the condenser (20) is re-circulated back into each chamber (14) using a gas diffuser (16) arranged in each chamber in an analogous manner as described above for Figures 1 and 2.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention for which like reference numerals refer to like parts.
  • a multi-component liquid is treated on a batch basis.
  • the heater (12) for heating the multi-component liquid is provided in the form of a heat exchanger having an inlet (70), an outlet (72), at least one side wall (74), a base (76) and an upper heat transfer surface (78) in abutting contact with a lower heat transfer surface (80) of the chamber (14).
  • a heat transfer fluid is circulated through the heat exchanger (12) to heat the multi-component liquid in the chamber (14).
  • the operating temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the inlet (70) of the heat exchanger (12) must be greater than the temperature at which the target liquid constituent selectively evaporates.
  • Suitable heat transfer fluids for use in the process and apparatus of the present invention include: glycol (such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, or a mixture of them), glycol-water mixtures, methanol, propanol, propane, butane, ammonia, formate, tempered water or fresh water or any other fluid with an acceptable heat capacity that is commonly known to a person skilled in the art.
  • the heat transfer fluid can be a gas or a liquid or a slurry. It is equally possible to use the heat exchanger (12) to recover waste heat from a fluid, such as a flue gas or exhaust gas generated using another industrial process as discussed in greater detail below.
  • a second heat exchanger (not shown) can be used to transfer waste heat from the flue gas or exhaust gas to the circulating heat transfer fluid in circumstances where a flue gas of exhaust gas is too corrosive or too hot for introduction into the heater (12).
  • the temperature of the multi-component liquid is maintained at all times below the boiling point of the multi-component liquid by regulating one or both of the flow rate and temperature of the fluid introduced into the heat exchanger (12) through the inlet (70) using the signal from the adjustable thermostat (26) regulated by the temperature probe (28) which measures the temperature of the multi-component liquid in the chamber (14)
  • Liquid over-temperature safety is provided if desired such that the system (10) shuts down automatically if the temperature measured by the temperature probe (28) exceeds a predetermined high temperature limit in an analogous manner as described above for the embodiment illustrated in figure 2..
  • the heat exchanger (12) and the chamber (14) are sized in such a way that the upper heat transfer surface (78) of the heat exchanger (12) and the lower heat transfer surface (80) of the chamber (14) are of equivalent size and shape.
  • the heater (12) and the chamber (14) operate in an analogous manner to that described above for other embodiments of the present invention, the main difference being that source of heat in this embodiment is a hot fluid directed to flow through the inlet (70) into the heater (12). Heat transfer across the upper and lower heat transfer surfaces, (78) and (80) respectively is encouraged by generating turbulent flow of the heat transfer fluid as it is circulated through the heat exchanger.
  • Heat transfer across the upper and lower heat transfer surfaces, (78) and (80) respectively is further encouraged when the carrier gas is injected into the heated multi- component liquid using the gas diffuser (16) and the gas diffuser (16) is arranged such that the carrier gas is directed to flow downwardly towards the bottom of the chamber (14) as it exits the gas diffuser (16).
  • the carrier gas being returned into the chamber (14) has been cooled during its passage through the condenser (20) and is not heated prior to its injection into the chamber (14). Consequently, the carrier gas will be colder than the heated multi- component liquid, which further encourages heat transfer between the heater (12) and the chamber (14).
  • condensation of the heat transfer fluid from a gas to a liquid can occur within the heater (12).
  • the heater (12) condensate may be discarded or may be subjected to further processing to selectively separate one or more target liquid constituents from each other in a chamber (14) using the process of the present invention.
  • the heat transfer fluid is. a flue gas
  • water and other condensable substances can condense from the flue gas as it cools during its passage through the heater (12).
  • This condensate is collected and transferred to a second chamber (14) to selectively remove fresh water leaving a concentrated waste product containing flue gas contaminants such as carbon, sulfur and fluorine behind in the chamber (14) as the water evaporates.
  • This waste product can be discarded or subjected to further processing if desired.
  • the system (16) of the present invention is effectively being used to scrub and cool a flue gas whilst making use of heat being recovered from the flue gas which would otherwise be wasted.
  • the heater exchanger (12) of the present embodiment is particular suited for use in the system of Figure .5 with a plurality of chambers (14) in series (and preferably in a vertically stacked arrangement) with a heater exchanger (12) being arranged to direct heat input into the base of each chamber in the stack.
  • FIG. 7 A further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, for which like reference numerals refer to like parts.
  • This embodiment is particularly suited to a system for selectively removing a target hydrocarbon fraction from used or contaminated oil, but can equally be used for removal of other target liquid constituents from other multi-component liquids.
  • the system (10) includes a plurality of closed vessels (100) in series, each vessel (100) comprising a bottom heater (12) for heating the multi-component liquid held in a chamber (14) located in a lower portion (102) of the vessel (100), a gas diffuser (16) for bubbling a carrier gas through the heated multi-component liquid in the chamber (14), and a condenser (20) which is integral to the vessel (100) such that condensation of the gas/vapor mixture to form a condensate rich in the target liquid constituent occurs within the vessel (100).
  • each vessel (100) is provided with an external or internal cooling jacket (104) for cooling an outer peripheral portion (106) of the wall(s) (108) of the vessel (100).
  • a flow diverter (110) is arranged within the vessel (100) for directing the flow of the gas/vapor mixture towards the cooled outer peripheral portion (106) of the wall(s) (108) of the vessel (100).
  • the vessel (100) illustrated in cross-section in Figure 7 is a horizontal, preferably cylindrical closed container, like a pressure vessel, to allow for the system to operate under a vacuum if desired.
  • the cooling jacket (104) is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed pipes (112) through which a cooling medium is circulated in a continuous closed loop.
  • the cooling jacket (104) can be any of many types, such as a refrigeration type, water cooled, or air cooled, provided only that a sufficient temperature differential is provided by a cooling medium to cause the vapor present in the gas/vapor mixture to condense as it comes into contact with the cooled outer peripheral portion (106) of the vessel (100).
  • the flow diverter (110) can be solid or hollow with a plurality of evenly distributed pipes (113) through which a cooling medium is circulated in a continuous closed loop in an analogous manner to the way in which a cooling medium is circulated through the pipes (112) of the cooling jacket (104).
  • the heater (12) is used to heat the multi-component liquid in the chamber (14) to a temperature at which a target liquid constituent selectively evaporates to form a vapor rich in the target liquid constituent.
  • the heater (12) illustrated in Figure 7 is a heat exchanger, having an upper heat transfer surface (78) in abutting contact with a lower heat transfer surface (80) of the corresponding chamber (14) as described above in relation to Figure 6.
  • a cooling medium is caused to flow in a continuous closed loop through the pipes (112) of the cooling jacket (104) so as to cool the outer peripheral portion (106) of the wall(s) (108) of the vessel (100).
  • the gas diffuser (16) bubbles a carrier gas through the. heated multi- component liquid in the chamber (14), forming a gas/vapor mixture within the vessel (100).
  • the gas circulation system (18) continuously draws the gas/vapor mixture from the chamber (14) upwards through the vessel (100) towards the suction outlet (30) located in an upper portion (114) of the vessel (100).
  • the flow diverter (110) directs the gas/vapor mixture to flow towards the cooled outer peripheral portion (106) of the wall(s) (108) of the vessel (100), causing some or all of the vapor present in the gas/vapor mixture to condense to form a condensate rich in the target liquid constituent.
  • the gas/vapor mixture removed through the suction outlet (30) in this embodiment comprises the carrier gas and any remaining vapor of the target liquid constituent which remains uncondensed, which may be negligible.
  • the system (10) further comprises means for returning the carrier gas to the chamber (14) (not shown).
  • the condensate which forms within the vessel (100) flows downwardly under the influence of gravity until it is collected in a drain or gutter (118) arranged within a lower portion (102) of the vessel (100) and adjacent to the wall(s) (106).
  • the condensate collected in the gutter (118) is then directed to flow out of the vessel (100) and into a condensate storage tank (34).
  • the condensate collected in the condensate storage tank (34) is substantially liberated from contaminants and is temporarily stored in the condensate storage tank prior to being reclaimed for re-use.
  • the gas circulation system (18) comprises a vacuum pump, which is used to draw the carrier gas (and any remaining uncondensed vapor) out of the vessel (100) through the suction outlet (30). Whilst a vacuum pump has been used in this embodiment, the gas circulation system (18) may equally rely on the use of a gas blower, gear pump or diaphragm pump, provided only that the gas circulation system (18) causes movement of the carrier gas out of the chamber (14) on a continuous basis. The vacuum pump (18) performs the secondary function of returning a carrier gas back into the chamber (14) in the manner described above.
  • the system (10) of the present invention is closed in that the carrier gas is sourced from the atmospheric air (or other uncondensed gas) which is present in the chamber (14) above the multi-component liquid when operation of the process commences. It is to be understood, that it is equally possible to evacuate the atmospheric air from the system (10) before commencing operation so as to fill the chamber (14) with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, helium, argon or another carrier gas such as oxygen if desired. In any event, the carrier gas is not vented or otherwise consumed during operation of the process, reducing emissions to the atmosphere compared with prior art methods. The carrier gas is simply re-circulated throughout the closed system.
  • a series of seven vessels (100) is shown a first vessel (120) for removing water from the contaminated oil; a second vessel (122) for removing a kerosene fraction from the partially purified oil which exits the first vessel (120); a third vessel (124) for removing a diesel fraction from the partially purified oil which exits the second vessel (122); a fourth vessel (126) for removing a light hydrocarbon fraction from the partially purified oil which exits the third vessel (124); a fifth vessel (128) for removing a medium hydrocarbon fraction from the partially purified oil which exits the fourth vessel (126); a sixth vessel (130) for removing a heavy hydrocarbon fraction from the partially purified oil which exits the fifth vessel (128); and, a final vessel (132) for removing a bituminous product from the partially purified oil which exits the sixth vessel (130). Selective removal of each of these fractions is achieved at progressively higher operating temperatures for each of the vessels (120), (122), (124), (126), (128), (
  • each of the vessels (120), (122), (124), (126), (128), (130) and (132) is provided with a heater (12) in the form of a counter-current heat exchanger.
  • a hot heat transfer fluid by way of example a hot or heated oil, is introduced into the final vessel (132) in the series (as this vessel has the highest operating temperature of the series of vessels), to heat the partially purified oil in the chamber (14) of the final vessel (132) to a temperature at which a bituminous product is selectively evaporated.
  • the hot heat transfer fluid is cooled slightly as it is circulated through the heater (12) of the final vessel (132).
  • the partially cooled heat transfer fluid is then directed to flow into the next vessel in the series, in this example, the sixth vessel (130), and so on, until finally being circulated through the first vessel (120) (which has the lowest operating temperature in the series).
  • the heat transfer fluid continues to lose heat as if flows counter-currently relative to the flow of partially purified oil through the system (10), with useful heat being recovered from the heat transfer fluid by each of the vessels (100) in the series.
  • the system of Figure 8 can be used to replace the heat trains used in oil refineries, other refineries or mills such as pulp mills, making use of otherwise wasted sensible heat to purify contaminated multi-component liquids.
  • the plurality of closed vessels (100) share a common gas circulation system (18) with a backpressure regulator (140) being provided on each vessel (100) to facilitate independent control of the pressure in each vessel in the series.
  • exemplary fuel oils are treated. It will be readily appreciated by persons skilled in the art that there is no one typical composition of a fuel oil, each particular type of oil having different fractions of alkanes, different additives etc. depending on a number of factors, most notably the nature of the use to which the oil is to be put. Although other types of fuel oils may equally be used to practice or test the various aspects of the present invention, the description to follow is limited for convenience and clarity to kerosene, diesel and DFO. The present invention is equally applicable to the treatment of other fuel oils.
  • Example 1 Description of Testing Apparatus A bench-scale testing apparatus was assembled to conduct trials. The chamber was constructed using the lid and body of a 5.5 liter capacity Prestige ® Pressure Cooker (210mm diameter, 150mm high) with all other fittings stripped. The suction outlet was constructed using a %" male flair fitting attached to the lid of the chamber and offset from the centre of the lid. Insulation, in the form of a towel, was provided around the chamber to minimise loss of heat. Heating was supplied to the Pressure Cooker using a Sunbeam ® Model FP220D electric frying pan as the heater, which was rated at a maximum temperature of 200 0 C having a power rating of 10 amps. A 220mm hole was cut into the lid of the frypan to accommodate the body of the pressure cooker.
  • Prestige ® Pressure Cooker 210mm diameter, 150mm high
  • the suction outlet was constructed using a %" male flair fitting attached to the lid of the chamber and offset from the centre of the lid. Insulation, in the form of a towel, was provided
  • the gas diffuser was constructed using a 425mm length of %" diameter copper tube with 12 x 1/16" apertures having VA" -2'" centers on the bottom of the tube.
  • the copper tube was bent in a circle to fit inside the chamber with a centre feeder tube joining to a %" male flair fitting attached to the centre of the lid of the chamber with 1 ⁇ " flare nut.
  • the inlet end of the copper feeder tube was open to allow entry of the carrier gas into the gas diffuser with the opposite end of the copper feeder tube sealed to force the carrier gas to flow out of the apertures.
  • the condenser was constructed using a 447mm length of Vi' copper tubing flared both ends with flare nuts to connect the suction outlet to the condenser.
  • the condenser was constructed using three pieces of thin wall of mild steel tube, arranged concentrically to form a water-cooled condenser having three chambers - the outer chamber and the inner chamber were arranged to receive cooling water with the gas/vapor mixture being directed to flow through the DCitral chamber to maximize cooling efficiency. Specifically, the outermost tube had a 38mm OD, the middle tube had a 25mm OD and the inner tube had a 16mm OD.
  • the condensate (and liberated carrier gas) was transferred from the condenser to the condensate storage tank along a 500mm long, %" copper tube flared both ends with flare nuts.
  • the condensate storage tank was constructed using 90mm thin wall steel tube, 200mm long with dish ends welded ends of vessel, 2 x %" male flare fittings positioned 60mm apart on top dish entering the vessel, bottom dish drain valve 1 A".
  • the vacuum pump used to return the carrier gas to the chamber and draw the gas/vapor mixture from the chamber had a capacity of 75 litres per minute.
  • the carrier gas was delivered from the vacuum pump to the chamber using 2 x %" female flare flexible refrigeration charging hoses.
  • Water cooling of the condenser was achieved by pumping water from a 25 litre capacity Plastic bucket through a garden hose to the condenser and back again using a submersible pump (V 2 " 950 litres per hour at 1.8m head).
  • the carrier gas flows out of the suction outlet of the chamber and then through the condenser to the condensate storage tank.
  • the carrier gas then flows back through the vacuum pump for injection into the dirty kerosene in the chamber through the gas diffuser.
  • the temperature of the carrier gas upon injected into the kerosene through the gas diffuser is around ambient temperature (20 - 30 0 C) and at a flow rate of about 1.5 litres per second.
  • the vapor which condenses on the contact surfaces of the downwardly inclined condenser form a condensate which flows along the central chamber of the condenser and into the condensate storage tank.
  • the condensate settles under gravity towards the lower portion of the condensate storage tank whilst the carrier gas is drawn through the vacuum pump back into the chamber through the gas diffuser.
  • the submersible pump is used to circulate cooling water through the inner and outer chambers of the condenser.
  • the heater was used to raise the temperature of the dirty kerosene into the range of 65 to 85 0 C to remove any water present.
  • the water which evaporated in this temperature range was collected in the condensate storage tank and reused as cooling water.
  • the temperature was then raised to the range of 120-130 0 C (preferably held at 125°C to selectively evaporate clean kerosene, leaving behind a sludge rich in contaminants. Any solids present in the multi-component liquid sample fed into the chamber remained in the chamber as a sludge which can be separately treated for disposal.
  • Table 1 Anal sis of Feed and Condensate Composition for Dirt Kerosene Sam le
  • Example 2 The test described above for Example 2 was repeated using 1 litre of dirty (used) diesel (which is essentially a mixture of liquid hydrocarbon fuel oils), with water being removed as a first step in the manner described above for Example 2. Thereafter the sample was heated to a temperature in the range of 140-145 0 C. At the conclusion of the test, the composition of the clean kerosene condensate was evaluated and compared with the composition of the original sample. The results are shown in the Table 2 below. It is clear from this analysis that the condensate is essentially pure with over 95% of the original sample reporting to the condensate.
  • Example 2 The test described above for Example 2 was repeated using 1 litre of dirty (used) heavy hydrocarbon fuel oil, with water being removed as a first step in the manner described above for Example 2. Thereafter the sample was heated to a temperature in the range of 175- 195°C. At the conclusion of the test, the composition of the clean fuel oil condensate was evaluated and compared with the composition of the original sample. The results are shown in the Table 3 below. It is clear from this analysis that the condensate is essentially pure with over 95% of the original sample reporting to the condensate.
  • Example 2 The test described above for Example 2 was repeated using 1 litre of crude oil (direct from a wellhead), with water being removed as a first step in the manner described above for Example 2. Thereafter the sample was heated in three passes to the following temperatures:
  • Condensate 1 to a temperature in the range of 130-140 0 C (preferably 135°C); b) Condensate 2: to a temperature in the range of 150-155 0 C. c) Condensate 3: to a temperature in the range of 175-19O 0 C.
  • Example 2 The test described above for Example 2 was repeated using 1 litre of dirty salty water sourced directly from the Swan River in Perth. The sample was heated to a temperature in the range of 60-80 0 C (preferably 65°C) to form a condensate which is substantially fresh water, leaving behind in the chamber a concentrated waste sludge rich in contaminants.
  • the composition of the condensate was evaluated and compared with the composition of the original salty water sample. The results are shown in the Table 5 below with all units in mg/L (equivalent to g/m 3 ) unless otherwise stated. It is clear from this analysis that the condensate is essentially pure with over 95% of the original sample reporting to the condensate.
  • the vacuum pump was actuated to commence drawing the carrier gas from the space in the chamber above the lake water.
  • a gas/vapor mixture is removed from the top of the chamber via the suction outlet and the rate of gas injection through the gas diffuser matches the rate of extraction of the gas/vapor mixture.
  • the extracted gas/vapor mixture is expanded and cooled upon entry into the condenser at a velocity drop of approximately 10:1 with the contact surfaces of the condenser operating between 20-30 0 C due to the cooling effects of cooling water being passed through the outer and inner chambers of the condenser.
  • the carrier gas flows out of the suction outlet of the chamber and then through the condenser to the condensate storage tank.
  • the carrier gas then flows back through the vacuum pump for injection into the lake water in the chamber through the gas diffuser.
  • the temperature of the carrier gas upon injected into the lake water through the gas diffuser is around ambient temperature (20 - 30 0 C) and at a flow rate of about 1.5 litres per second.
  • the vapor which condenses on the contact surfaces of the downwardly inclined condenser form a condensate which flows along the central chamber of the condenser and into the condensate storage tank.
  • the condensate settles under gravity towards the lower portion of the condensate storage tank whilst the carrier gas is drawn through the vacuum pump back into the chamber through the gas diffuser.
  • the submersible pump is used to circulate cooling water through the inner and outer chambers of the condenser.
  • the lake water was heated to a temperature in the range of 60-80 0 C (preferably 65 0 C) to form a condensate which is substantially fresh water, leaving behind in the chamber a concentrated waste sludge rich in contaminants.
  • the present invention has a number of advantages over the prior art, including the following: a) the process of the present invention is safer than distillation because the multi- component liquid is not heated above the boiling point of any of target liquid constituents; b) the present invention maximizes the reclamation of purified target liquid constituents from a contaminated multi-component liquid without creating conditions potentially harmful to the target liquid being reclaimed by avoiding the use of excessive temperatures which can alter the chemistry of the target liquid constituents; c) the present invention permits water to be efficiently removed from a multi- component liquid in a multi-stage process using one apparatus, thus eliminating the need for a separate dehydration stage present in prior art systems.
  • the present invention is capable of efficient operation with much smaller capacity vacuum pump than those of the prior art; e) through encouraging evaporation of a target liquid constituent liquid from a contaminated multi-component liquid, the solid contaminants are essentially left behind in the chamber thus eliminating the need for a separate filtration stage which is an essential feature of prior art systems; f) compared to distillation and cracking process, the power consumption using the present invention is approx.
  • the present invention provides a closed system in that there is no need for venting of non-condensibles which yield a loss in prior art processes; and, h) the present invention yields a waste product which is less that 5% of the starting material, compared to the usual 20 - 25% achieved using prior art distillation or cracking processes.
  • the multi- component liquid can be pre-heated to an intermediate temperature upstream of the chamber 14.
  • One method of achieving this is to provide solar heating to heat the multi- component liquid whilst it is being stored in the reservoir or tank 36.
  • the vacuum pump can be caused to operate at a higher vacuum (with the discharge pressure of the vacuum pump 18 being in the range of 90 to 10OkPa) to encourage evaporation of the target liquid from the multi-component liquid to occur at a lower temperature to reduce the heating requirements of the process. All such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description and the appended claims.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Vaporization, Distillation, Condensation, Sublimation, And Cold Traps (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé et un appareil pour éliminer sélectivement un constituant liquide cible d'un liquide à plusieurs composants. Le procédé comprend les étapes consistant : a) à chauffer le liquide à plusieurs composants dans une chambre à une température à laquelle le constituant liquide cible s'évapore sélectivement pour former une vapeur riche en constituant liquide cible; b) à faire barboter un gaz vecteur à travers le liquide à plusieurs composants de l'étape a); c) à retirer de manière continue un mélange de gaz/vapeur de la chambre, le mélange de gaz/vapeur comprenant la vapeur de l'étape a) et le gaz vecteur de l'étape b); d) à condenser le mélange de gaz/vapeur de l'étape c) dans un condensateur pour former un condensat riche en constituant liquide cible, et à libérer ainsi le gaz vecteur du mélange de gaz/vapeur; et e) à renvoyer le gaz vecteur de l'étape d) pour une utilisation dans l'étape b).
PCT/AU2008/000890 2007-06-22 2008-06-20 Élimination sélective d'un constituant liquide cible d'un liquide à plusieurs composants Ceased WO2009000019A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2008267751A AU2008267751B2 (en) 2007-06-22 2008-06-20 Selective removal of a target liquid constituent from a multi-component liquid

Applications Claiming Priority (10)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2007903387A AU2007903387A0 (en) 2007-06-22 Reclamation of fresh water from industrial waste water
AU2007903402A AU2007903402A0 (en) 2007-06-22 Selective removal of a target liquid from a multi-component liquid
AU2007903386 2007-06-22
AU2007903402 2007-06-22
AU2007903388A AU2007903388A0 (en) 2007-06-22 Reclamation of one or more target hydrocarbon fractions from contaminated oil
AU2007903386A AU2007903386A0 (en) 2007-06-22 Desalination process and system
AU2007903388 2007-06-22
AU2007903387 2007-06-22
AU2007905787A AU2007905787A0 (en) 2007-10-23 Selective removal of one or more target liquid(s) from a multi-component liquid
AU2007905787 2007-10-23

Publications (1)

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WO2009000019A1 true WO2009000019A1 (fr) 2008-12-31

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WO2013024310A1 (fr) * 2011-08-12 2013-02-21 Hyd Rákkutató És Gyógyszerfejlesztő Kft. Procédé et appareil pour séparer les composants d'un mélange liquide
US8609385B2 (en) 2007-05-01 2013-12-17 Zuvachem, Inc. Methods for the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into a hydrocarbon using a metabolically engineered photosynthetic microorganism
WO2015110760A1 (fr) * 2014-01-24 2015-07-30 Starklab Installation et procede de traitement par evaporation/condensation d'eau pompee en milieu naturel
CN106630004A (zh) * 2016-11-17 2017-05-10 内蒙古大唐国际克什克腾煤制天然气有限责任公司 一种用于酚氨回收系统的除油收集装置
CN108217795A (zh) * 2017-11-28 2018-06-29 中石化石油工程技术服务有限公司 高盐气田水蒸发结晶处理装置
IT201700015148A1 (it) * 2017-02-10 2018-08-10 Smart Aquae S R L Apparato e metodo di potabilizzazione di acqua
CN110270313A (zh) * 2019-06-26 2019-09-24 江苏大学 蒸汽冷凝法制备硅球及功能化硅球吸附剂的方法及其应用
US10617970B2 (en) 2014-08-28 2020-04-14 Skf Marine Gmbh Evaporation system, evaporation method, and sealing system
EP3733255A4 (fr) * 2017-12-29 2021-04-28 Joint Stock Company "Atomenergoproekt" Système de condensat pour récupération de rejet énergétique de centrale nucléaire
CN112739445A (zh) * 2018-10-15 2021-04-30 摩瑞奇曼公司 硫化氢去除工艺
EP4529964A1 (fr) * 2023-09-26 2025-04-02 Centrum Badan i Rozwoju Technologii dla Przemyslu S.A. Procédé et système de distillation

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CN107673452A (zh) * 2016-08-02 2018-02-09 中国石油化工股份有限公司 一种乙烯裂解废碱预处理方法和装置
US11299471B2 (en) * 2018-10-24 2022-04-12 George Stantchev Apparatus and method for removing a component from a solution

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US3280009A (en) * 1959-07-13 1966-10-18 Rheinpreussen Ag Process and apparatus for spray evaporation
US3843463A (en) * 1971-12-08 1974-10-22 Aluminum Co Of America Evaporative method
JPS6125602A (ja) * 1984-07-13 1986-02-04 Shimadzu Corp 蒸留装置
WO2001007134A1 (fr) * 1999-07-26 2001-02-01 Arizona Board Of Regents Procede et appareil assurant le transfert simultane de chaleur et de masse au moyen d'un gaz vecteur

Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8609385B2 (en) 2007-05-01 2013-12-17 Zuvachem, Inc. Methods for the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into a hydrocarbon using a metabolically engineered photosynthetic microorganism
US20140158520A1 (en) * 2011-08-12 2014-06-12 Gábor Somlyai Process and apparatus for the separation of the components of a liquid mixture
JP2014522723A (ja) * 2011-08-12 2014-09-08 エイチワイディー ラックタト イーエス ギョギースツェルフェジレスツト ケイエフティー． 液体混合物の成分を分離する方法及び装置
US9675903B2 (en) * 2011-08-12 2017-06-13 HYD Rákkutató és Gyógyszerfejlesztö Kft. Process and apparatus for the separation of the components of a liquid mixture
WO2013024310A1 (fr) * 2011-08-12 2013-02-21 Hyd Rákkutató És Gyógyszerfejlesztő Kft. Procédé et appareil pour séparer les composants d'un mélange liquide
WO2015110760A1 (fr) * 2014-01-24 2015-07-30 Starklab Installation et procede de traitement par evaporation/condensation d'eau pompee en milieu naturel
FR3016876A1 (fr) * 2014-01-24 2015-07-31 Starklab Installation et procede de traitement par evaporation/condensation d'eau pompee en milieu naturel
CN106029194A (zh) * 2014-01-24 2016-10-12 斯塔克拉博公司 通过蒸发/冷凝处理自然环境泵唧的水的设备和方法
US10617970B2 (en) 2014-08-28 2020-04-14 Skf Marine Gmbh Evaporation system, evaporation method, and sealing system
DE102014217226B4 (de) 2014-08-28 2021-09-23 Skf Blohm + Voss Industries Gmbh Verdampfungsanlage, Verdampfungsverfahren und Abdichtungssystem
CN106630004A (zh) * 2016-11-17 2017-05-10 内蒙古大唐国际克什克腾煤制天然气有限责任公司 一种用于酚氨回收系统的除油收集装置
IT201700015148A1 (it) * 2017-02-10 2018-08-10 Smart Aquae S R L Apparato e metodo di potabilizzazione di acqua
WO2018146712A1 (fr) * 2017-02-10 2018-08-16 Smart Aquae S.R.L. Appareil et procédé pour produire de l'eau potable par évaporation
CN108217795A (zh) * 2017-11-28 2018-06-29 中石化石油工程技术服务有限公司 高盐气田水蒸发结晶处理装置
EP3733255A4 (fr) * 2017-12-29 2021-04-28 Joint Stock Company "Atomenergoproekt" Système de condensat pour récupération de rejet énergétique de centrale nucléaire
CN112739445A (zh) * 2018-10-15 2021-04-30 摩瑞奇曼公司 硫化氢去除工艺
CN112739445B (zh) * 2018-10-15 2023-01-24 摩瑞奇曼公司 硫化氢去除工艺
CN110270313A (zh) * 2019-06-26 2019-09-24 江苏大学 蒸汽冷凝法制备硅球及功能化硅球吸附剂的方法及其应用
CN110270313B (zh) * 2019-06-26 2021-12-21 江苏大学 蒸汽冷凝法制备硅球及功能化硅球吸附剂的方法及其应用
EP4529964A1 (fr) * 2023-09-26 2025-04-02 Centrum Badan i Rozwoju Technologii dla Przemyslu S.A. Procédé et système de distillation

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