ThermoEngineer
Civil/Environmental
- Jun 3, 2020
- 3
The process, described below, can be applied in multiple situations, therefore I share the idea to discuss and also I’m searching for partners to create a startup(s) around this idea.
Any advice is welcome!
The idea of the distillation process is to evaporate fluid from mixture to critical state, which decreases the latent heat of evaporation to zero, and then returns heat energy and pressure energy through a system of heat exchangers and special pressure exchangers to the feeding mixture.
The advantages of the process are:
- Minimum energy usage. The latent heat is zero in the process; heat and pressure energy returns to feeding mixture inside the process. The energy is used only to reduce Entropy and to compensate inefficiency of process, and it means that the energy usage has to be close to the theoretical minimum for a distillation process. It is much more effective than the reverse osmosis process.
- The process uses heat energy - which is the cheapest type of energy.
- The process is very suitable for solar concentrators. Using direct transformation of heat to distillation, it gives an opportunity for solar concentrators to work with highest efficiency, because the process does not waste heat, as other processes do.
Some Clarifications.
Pressure Exchanger (PX) - a device that transfers pressure energy from a high pressure fluid stream to a low pressure fluid stream. There are a lot of types of this device and it is widespread in the desalination industry. Here is the simplified scheme :
Basically, it is a chamber, with a free diaphragm inside and a system of valves and pipes around the chamber. There is no moving parts except diaphragm.
In the diagram the PX feeds the high pressure process, using energy of downstream liquid.
The efficiency of the PX is very close to 100% under the following conditions:
- operates with liquids (no gas)
- pressure drops and pressures are equival upstream and downstream
- flow rates are balanced out upstream and downstream.
Therefore a high pressure pump is needed only for startup and PX inefficiency compensation.
An example of a very similar pressure-exchanger is DWEER, presented in the desalination industry, 4 min video from 2.00: www.youtube.com...
Diaphragm Pressure exchangers were invented in the 70s or earlier, it is an established technology.
Here is the simplified scheme for the continuous process (clickable):
The mixture of fluid 1 and fluid 2 is heating in the evaporator and fluid 1 is evaporated to the critical state. Then fluid 1 and fluid 2 are going to the 3-way heat exchanger, where they are cooled by the feeding mixture. Mass balance for the heat exchanger is perfect just because the upstream fluid mixture = downstream (fluid 1 + fluid 2), the heat exchanger works on counterflows, therefore it is the most favourable state for the heat exchanger efficiency. Then fluid 1 and fluid 2 are going to their pressure exchangers and give their pressure energy to the feeding mixture. The volume and mass balances are close to perfect again.
To compensate the inefficiency of the PXes and for startup processes a high pressure pump is installed.
There are many scenarios for startups and other co-operations, for example:
1. R&D company for the bioethanol process. There is a lot of energy consumed and wasted for water-ethanol distillation. The goal is to make a startup which will modify plants.
2. R&D company for sea water desalination process. (The process has to be more effective than reverse osmosis process)
3. Maybe you are searching for a PhD theme or work in a laboratory with similar processes - you are welcome!
4. R&D company for combining distillation/desalination and solar concentration technologies.
5. A lot of other scenarios beyond my imagination.
I Invite you to discuss the concept and make new startups.
Any advice is welcome!
The idea of the distillation process is to evaporate fluid from mixture to critical state, which decreases the latent heat of evaporation to zero, and then returns heat energy and pressure energy through a system of heat exchangers and special pressure exchangers to the feeding mixture.
The advantages of the process are:
- Minimum energy usage. The latent heat is zero in the process; heat and pressure energy returns to feeding mixture inside the process. The energy is used only to reduce Entropy and to compensate inefficiency of process, and it means that the energy usage has to be close to the theoretical minimum for a distillation process. It is much more effective than the reverse osmosis process.
- The process uses heat energy - which is the cheapest type of energy.
- The process is very suitable for solar concentrators. Using direct transformation of heat to distillation, it gives an opportunity for solar concentrators to work with highest efficiency, because the process does not waste heat, as other processes do.
Some Clarifications.
Pressure Exchanger (PX) - a device that transfers pressure energy from a high pressure fluid stream to a low pressure fluid stream. There are a lot of types of this device and it is widespread in the desalination industry. Here is the simplified scheme :
Basically, it is a chamber, with a free diaphragm inside and a system of valves and pipes around the chamber. There is no moving parts except diaphragm.
In the diagram the PX feeds the high pressure process, using energy of downstream liquid.
The efficiency of the PX is very close to 100% under the following conditions:
- operates with liquids (no gas)
- pressure drops and pressures are equival upstream and downstream
- flow rates are balanced out upstream and downstream.
Therefore a high pressure pump is needed only for startup and PX inefficiency compensation.
An example of a very similar pressure-exchanger is DWEER, presented in the desalination industry, 4 min video from 2.00: www.youtube.com...
Diaphragm Pressure exchangers were invented in the 70s or earlier, it is an established technology.
Here is the simplified scheme for the continuous process (clickable):
The mixture of fluid 1 and fluid 2 is heating in the evaporator and fluid 1 is evaporated to the critical state. Then fluid 1 and fluid 2 are going to the 3-way heat exchanger, where they are cooled by the feeding mixture. Mass balance for the heat exchanger is perfect just because the upstream fluid mixture = downstream (fluid 1 + fluid 2), the heat exchanger works on counterflows, therefore it is the most favourable state for the heat exchanger efficiency. Then fluid 1 and fluid 2 are going to their pressure exchangers and give their pressure energy to the feeding mixture. The volume and mass balances are close to perfect again.
To compensate the inefficiency of the PXes and for startup processes a high pressure pump is installed.
There are many scenarios for startups and other co-operations, for example:
1. R&D company for the bioethanol process. There is a lot of energy consumed and wasted for water-ethanol distillation. The goal is to make a startup which will modify plants.
2. R&D company for sea water desalination process. (The process has to be more effective than reverse osmosis process)
3. Maybe you are searching for a PhD theme or work in a laboratory with similar processes - you are welcome!
4. R&D company for combining distillation/desalination and solar concentration technologies.
5. A lot of other scenarios beyond my imagination.
I Invite you to discuss the concept and make new startups.
