CA2897553C - Solid-liquid separator - Google Patents
Solid-liquid separator Download PDFInfo
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- CA2897553C CA2897553C CA2897553A CA2897553A CA2897553C CA 2897553 C CA2897553 C CA 2897553C CA 2897553 A CA2897553 A CA 2897553A CA 2897553 A CA2897553 A CA 2897553A CA 2897553 C CA2897553 C CA 2897553C
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Abstract
A solid-liquid separator separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher. The solid-liquid separator includes a compressor configured to compress the substance, a cooler configured to liquefy the substance, an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance, a valve configured to regulate the flow of the liquefied substance, a sprayer configured to spray liquefied gas as droplets, a processing tank configured to contain the mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion, a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank, and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank. An upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the gaseous substance.
Description
SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently.
2. Description of the Related Art As the background art of this technical field, JP
07-313874 A and the national publication for the international publication W02008/093707 disclose techniques of utilizing the phase change of an organic solvent to separate a solid-liquid mixture.
JP 07-313874 A discloses a configuration of an apparatus that regenerates spent activated carbon by using an organic solvent that is a liquid at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, and distills the used organic solvent for enhancing the purity, in order to reuse the organic solvent for regenerating another spent activated carbon.
The national publication for the international publication W02008/093707 discloses a method for liquefying a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, and then mixing the liquefied substance with sewage sludge to deodorize the sewage sludge.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
JP 07-313874 A discloses a method for regenerating activated carbon (adsorbent) by immersing the spent activated carbon (spent adsorbent) in a large amount of organic solvent, as well as a method for while distilling the organic solvent that includes impurities for reuse.
The national publication for the international publication W02008/093707 discloses a method for extracting malodorous components by immersing sewage sludge in liquefied gas, and then separating the malodorous components by causing the used liquefied gas to change into a gas phase, as well as a method for recovery of the liquefied gas.
According to JP 07-313874 A and the national publication for the international publication W02008/093707, a target substance is extracted by immersing a solid-liquid mixture in an organic solvent, and thus the extraction process requires a large amount of organic solvent and increases processing cost. In addition, a leakage of the organic solvent, when occurring, increases risks.
ak 02897553 2016-10-31
07-313874 A and the national publication for the international publication W02008/093707 disclose techniques of utilizing the phase change of an organic solvent to separate a solid-liquid mixture.
JP 07-313874 A discloses a configuration of an apparatus that regenerates spent activated carbon by using an organic solvent that is a liquid at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, and distills the used organic solvent for enhancing the purity, in order to reuse the organic solvent for regenerating another spent activated carbon.
The national publication for the international publication W02008/093707 discloses a method for liquefying a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, and then mixing the liquefied substance with sewage sludge to deodorize the sewage sludge.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
JP 07-313874 A discloses a method for regenerating activated carbon (adsorbent) by immersing the spent activated carbon (spent adsorbent) in a large amount of organic solvent, as well as a method for while distilling the organic solvent that includes impurities for reuse.
The national publication for the international publication W02008/093707 discloses a method for extracting malodorous components by immersing sewage sludge in liquefied gas, and then separating the malodorous components by causing the used liquefied gas to change into a gas phase, as well as a method for recovery of the liquefied gas.
According to JP 07-313874 A and the national publication for the international publication W02008/093707, a target substance is extracted by immersing a solid-liquid mixture in an organic solvent, and thus the extraction process requires a large amount of organic solvent and increases processing cost. In addition, a leakage of the organic solvent, when occurring, increases risks.
ak 02897553 2016-10-31
3 Therefore, the present invention provides a solid-liquid separator that can reduce the amount of use of an extraction medium such as an organic solvent that is required for solid-liquid separation.
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher, the solid-liquid separator comprising: a compressor configured to receive the substance in a gaseous phase and to pressurize and heat the substance into a pressurized gaseous state; a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that has a high temperature and a high pressure after being compressed; an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance; a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator; a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve; a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank; a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank;
and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher, the solid-liquid separator comprising: a compressor configured to receive the substance in a gaseous phase and to pressurize and heat the substance into a pressurized gaseous state; a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that has a high temperature and a high pressure after being compressed; an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance; a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator; a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve; a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank; a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank;
and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied
4 substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank, wherein an upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the vaporized substance in the gaseous state.
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher, the solid-liquid separator comprising: a cooler configured to liquefy the substance, wherein, when the separator is in use, the substance is in a in high-pressure gas state when received by the cooler; a pump configured to feed the liquefied substance; an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance; a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator; a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve; a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank; a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank; and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied substance from a liquid mixture flowed out ak 02897553 2016-10-31 4a from the processing tank, wherein an upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
Further embodiments provide a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher. The solid-liquid separator includes a compressor configured to compress the substance, a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that has a high temperature and a high pressure after being compressed, an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance, a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator, a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve, a processing tank configured to contain the mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank, a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank, and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the substance from a liquid ak 02897553 2016-10-31 4h mixture flowed out from the processing tank. An upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
A further embodiment provides a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher. The solid-liquid separator includes a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that is a high-pressure gas, a pump configured to feed the liquefied substance, an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance, a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator, a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve, a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank, a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank, and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank. An upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
Furthermore, the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heat exchanger configured to use, as latent heat required to vaporize the substance, latent heat generated when the substance is liquefied.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, a heat exchanger that vaporizes the liquefied substance and another heat exchanger that liquefies the gaseous substance are connected in each other with a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the substance is dimethyl ether.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mixture comprises a spent adsorbent that has been used for water treatment.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mixture comprises spent activated carbon that has been used for water treatment.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sprayer comprises piping that is disposed horizontally, and is connected to an upstream flow passage with a connecting pipe being rotatable at upper part of the center of gravity of the piping. The piping has at least two ejection outlets, the ejection outlets being provided point-symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the connecting pipe. The ejection outlets are provided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the piping, at positions between the vertically downward direction and the horizontal direction, causing the sprayer to be rotated by a fluid force of a fluid ejected from the ejection outlets.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a solid-liquid separator can be provided which uses a liquefied substance that has been liquefied by pressurizing the substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure to reach equal to or higher than the saturated vapor pressure, so as to separate a solid-liquid mixture. With the solid-liquid separator, by spraying droplets of the liquefied substance vertically from above onto the mixture in a processing tank filled with the gas of the substance of the saturated vapor pressure, the liquid within the mixture is extracted by the generated droplets, making it possible to reduce the amount of the liquefied substance in the processing tank, and to decrease running costs and improve safety.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an exemplary internal structure of a processing tank included in the solid-liquid separator according to the embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 3 is another exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to separate a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently. Specifically, the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment is applicable to various types of solid-liquid separation, such as dehydration of a sludge generated by water treatment, purification of oil-contaminated soil, and dehydration and deoiling for planktons.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to desorb, with high efficiency, adsorbed impurities from a spent adsorbent that has been used for water treatment. Thus, an activated carbon regeneration apparatus, as an example, that regenerates spent activated carbon will be described below as an embodiment of the present invention.
Examples of substances usable in the present embodiments include ethylmethyl ether, formaldehyde, ketene, and acetaldehyde. Dimethyl ether (hereinafter, referred to as DME) having a boiling point of about -24 C and a saturated vapor pressure at 24 C of about 0.58 MPa is easy to handle, and thus can keep running cost low.
Therefore, DME will be described as an example in an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Examples of embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(First Embodiment) A configuration of an activated carbon regeneration apparatus, to which the present invention is applicable, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Fig. 2 illustrates the internal structure of a processing tank 2 illustrated in Fig. 1.
An embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 provides a configuration in which DME circulates in the apparatus while undergoing a phase change, by using a compressor 5 and cooler 34. The inside of the flow passages and devices is maintained at the saturated vapor pressure of DME.
Gaseous DME is initially pressurized and heated by the compressor 5. The pressurized gaseous DME is cooled by a cooler 34, and then fed to a high temperature-side flow passage 33 of a heat exchanger 7.
The gaseous DME in the high temperature-side flow passage 33 is cooled while the latent heat caused by liquefaction is transmitted to a low temperature-side flow passage, and the total amount of gaseous DME is liquefied and discharged as liquefied DME. The liquefied DME is led to a valve 11 via an accumulator 6. The flow rate of the liquefied DME is adjusted at the valve 11, and the liquefied DME is fed to the processing tank 2 filled with the gaseous DME. An upper portion of the inside of the processing tank 2 includes a sprayer 20 having a structure that is horizontally rotatable about a vertical axis. The liquefied DME is sprayed from the rotating sprayer 20, as droplets, to the inside of the processing tank 2. A filter 45 is provided at the bottom of the processing tank 2 to prevent a solid from flowing out, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Spent activated carbon 50 to be processed is contained above the filter 45. The droplets ejected from the sprayer 20 fall by gravity, come into contact with the spent activated carbon, and flow downward while desorbing water and organic matters that have adhered to or been adsorbed to the spent activated carbon. Then, the droplets are discharged from a lower portion of the processing tank 2 to be led to a valve 13.
The liquefied DME including impurities is depressurized when passing through the valve 13, partially vaporized to become a two-phase flow with a lower temperature, and then led to the low temperature-side flow passage of the heat exchanger 7. The DME
including impurities receives as much energy as the latent heat of evaporation at the heat exchanger 7, and is vaporized continuously. On the other hand, when the amount of the impurities exceeds the solubility to DME
that has been concentrated and residing in the low temperature-side flow passage, the impurities are precipitated as deposit 31.
The vaporized DME, that is, gaseous DME, is again fed from the compressor 5 to circulate. Thus, the present embodiment is a phase change cycle of DME.
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, causing DME to circulate in this cycle can achieve an improved desorption rate for the activated carbon, while desorption is performed by contact with the droplets of the liquefied DME at the inside of the processing tank 2, making it possible to reduce the amount of use of DME, leading to lower running cost and higher safety. Latent heat of evaporation and latent heat of condensation, exchanged at the heat exchanger 7, are substantially equal in quantity and thus can be heat exchanged with a slight temperature difference. Therefore, a large-scale heat or cooling source that can handle the latent heat is not required.
The principle of how to spray the droplets of the liquefied DME into the processing tank 2 while filling the inside of the processing tank 2 with the gaseous DME
will be described below. The upstream pressure can be constantly maintained at the saturated vapor pressure or higher with the valve 11. With the liquefied DME being retained in the accumulator 6, DME discharged from the sprayer 20 can constantly be kept in the state of liquid even when the operation conditions of the compressor 5 vary, and thus, can be discharged as droplets. The inside of the processing tank 2 is maintained at the saturated vapor pressure by gaseous DME. Therefore, the , , ejected droplets are discharged as liquid from the bottom of the processing tank 2 without being vaporized. The degree of opening of the valve 13 provided at the downstream of the processing tank 2 needs to be adjusted so that the flow rate at the valve 13 can be equal to the flow rate at the valve 11. If the flow rates differ, for example, when the flow rate at the valve 13 is greater than the flow rate at the valve 11, the pressure of the inside of the processing tank 2 is lowered to cause DME
droplets to vaporize. As a result, contact of the spent activated carbon with DME being in the form of liquid, which is required to regenerate the activated carbon, cannot be achieved. On the other hand, if the flow rate at the valve 13 is less than the flow rate at the valve 11, the gaseous DME of the inside of the processing tank 2 is liquefied and stored. As a result, the amount of DME to be circulating in the inside of the activated carbon regeneration apparatus becomes insufficient.
The present invention can be implemented using a fixed sprayer as the sprayer 20. More preferably, however, using a rotatable sprayer improves uniformity in the spraying amount of droplets to be applied to the spent activated carbon, making it possible to reduce the time needed to regenerate the activated carbon. The inside of the processing tank 2 requires chemical resistance. Thus, although an external force such as a motor can be used for the rotational driving force, providing a sprayer with a structure to rotate using a fluid force generated at the spraying may greatly reduce the number of parts of the apparatus required for the rotation, and may decrease the frequency of occurrence of failures. In order to rotate the sprayer using the fluid force, it may be sufficient to cause the center of gravity of piping constituting the sprayer to be the axis of rotation, and to provide ejection outlets in the vicinity of at least both ends of the piping in the direction of point-symmetrically with respect to the axis of rotation. More specifically, it may be preferable to provide the sprayer so that the ejection outlets may be in the directions substantially perpendicular to the piping, and more preferably the rejection outlets may be in the directions between the vertically downward direction and a substantially horizontal direction.
Furthermore, when the spent activated carbon is taken out, closing the valve 11 and continuing the operation of the compressor 5 may confine most of DME in the cycle into the accumulator 6. As a result, after the recovery of DME, closing the valve 13 and then opening the processing tank 2 makes it possible to reduce the amount of leakage of DME to the outside.
The cooler 34 used for cooling DME is designed to remove the amount of increased energy within a DME cycle caused by the operation of the compressor 5, and thus, may be a small-sized cooler. Note that the illustrated pressure and temperature merely show qualitative changes, and the present invention is not limited to these values of pressure and temperature.
(Second Embodiment) Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention that uses a pump, not a compressor, for circulation of DME, the pump being capable of reducing initial and running costs. The phase change cycle of DME
in the present embodiment is substantially equal to that in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 except for what is specifically described in the following. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant for exchanging latent heat of DME is connected.
On the side of DME cycle, liquefied DME is fed from a pump 1, and then led to a valve 11 via an accumulator 6. The liquefied DME that has passed through the valve 11 is sprayed by a sprayer as droplets in the inside of a processing tank 2 that is filled with gaseous DME of the saturated vapor pressure, comes into contact with the spent activated carbon, dissolves impurities contained in the spent activated carbon, and is discharged from the bottom of the processing tank 2. The discharged liquefied DME including the impurities passes through a valve 13 as liquid, and is fed to the low temperature-side flow passage of a heat exchanger 3. At the heat exchanger 3, the fed liquefied DME receives latent heat of evaporation from a refrigerant flowing in a high temperature-side flow passage 36 and is vaporized, while the impurities contained in the spent activated carbon are separated as deposit 31. The vaporized DME, that is, the gaseous DME, is led to the high temperature-side flow passage of a heat exchanger 4. The vaporized DME transmits latent heat of condensation to the refrigerant flowing in a low temperature-side flow passage 37 of the heat exchanger 4, and turns into the liquefied DME to be fed from the pump 1 again for circulation.
On the other hand, on the side of refrigeration cycle where the refrigerant flows, a gaseous refrigerant is heated and pressurized by a compressor 5, cooled at a cooler 34, and then fed to the high temperature-side flow passage 36 of the heat exchanger 3. At the heat exchanger 3, the gaseous refrigerant is liquefied by transmitting the latent heat of condensation of the gaseous refrigerant to DME. The liquefied refrigerant is depressurized at an expansion valve 21, and thus, partially vaporized to become a two-phase flow of the refrigerant along with lowering a temperature of the refrigerant. The refrigerant that has become the two-phase flow is fed to the low temperature-side flow passage 37 of the heat exchanger 4, and then, receives latent heat of condensation from the gaseous DME in the high temperature-side flow passage. As a result, the refrigerant in the two-phase flow cycle is all vaporized.
The vaporized refrigerant is again compressed at the compressor 5 to be circulated.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a phase change cycle of DME can be achieved at low cost, by using an existent refrigerant, a compressor for the refrigerant, and an inexpensive pump for DME, without using the compressor for the gaseous DME.
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher, the solid-liquid separator comprising: a cooler configured to liquefy the substance, wherein, when the separator is in use, the substance is in a in high-pressure gas state when received by the cooler; a pump configured to feed the liquefied substance; an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance; a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator; a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve; a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank; a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank; and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied substance from a liquid mixture flowed out ak 02897553 2016-10-31 4a from the processing tank, wherein an upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
Further embodiments provide a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher. The solid-liquid separator includes a compressor configured to compress the substance, a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that has a high temperature and a high pressure after being compressed, an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance, a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator, a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve, a processing tank configured to contain the mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank, a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank, and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the substance from a liquid ak 02897553 2016-10-31 4h mixture flowed out from the processing tank. An upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
A further embodiment provides a solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher. The solid-liquid separator includes a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that is a high-pressure gas, a pump configured to feed the liquefied substance, an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance, a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator, a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve, a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank, a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank, and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank. An upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
Furthermore, the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heat exchanger configured to use, as latent heat required to vaporize the substance, latent heat generated when the substance is liquefied.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, a heat exchanger that vaporizes the liquefied substance and another heat exchanger that liquefies the gaseous substance are connected in each other with a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the substance is dimethyl ether.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mixture comprises a spent adsorbent that has been used for water treatment.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mixture comprises spent activated carbon that has been used for water treatment.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sprayer comprises piping that is disposed horizontally, and is connected to an upstream flow passage with a connecting pipe being rotatable at upper part of the center of gravity of the piping. The piping has at least two ejection outlets, the ejection outlets being provided point-symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the connecting pipe. The ejection outlets are provided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the piping, at positions between the vertically downward direction and the horizontal direction, causing the sprayer to be rotated by a fluid force of a fluid ejected from the ejection outlets.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a solid-liquid separator can be provided which uses a liquefied substance that has been liquefied by pressurizing the substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure to reach equal to or higher than the saturated vapor pressure, so as to separate a solid-liquid mixture. With the solid-liquid separator, by spraying droplets of the liquefied substance vertically from above onto the mixture in a processing tank filled with the gas of the substance of the saturated vapor pressure, the liquid within the mixture is extracted by the generated droplets, making it possible to reduce the amount of the liquefied substance in the processing tank, and to decrease running costs and improve safety.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an exemplary internal structure of a processing tank included in the solid-liquid separator according to the embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 3 is another exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to separate a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids respectively independently. Specifically, the solid-liquid separator according to an embodiment is applicable to various types of solid-liquid separation, such as dehydration of a sludge generated by water treatment, purification of oil-contaminated soil, and dehydration and deoiling for planktons.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to desorb, with high efficiency, adsorbed impurities from a spent adsorbent that has been used for water treatment. Thus, an activated carbon regeneration apparatus, as an example, that regenerates spent activated carbon will be described below as an embodiment of the present invention.
Examples of substances usable in the present embodiments include ethylmethyl ether, formaldehyde, ketene, and acetaldehyde. Dimethyl ether (hereinafter, referred to as DME) having a boiling point of about -24 C and a saturated vapor pressure at 24 C of about 0.58 MPa is easy to handle, and thus can keep running cost low.
Therefore, DME will be described as an example in an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Examples of embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(First Embodiment) A configuration of an activated carbon regeneration apparatus, to which the present invention is applicable, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Fig. 2 illustrates the internal structure of a processing tank 2 illustrated in Fig. 1.
An embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 provides a configuration in which DME circulates in the apparatus while undergoing a phase change, by using a compressor 5 and cooler 34. The inside of the flow passages and devices is maintained at the saturated vapor pressure of DME.
Gaseous DME is initially pressurized and heated by the compressor 5. The pressurized gaseous DME is cooled by a cooler 34, and then fed to a high temperature-side flow passage 33 of a heat exchanger 7.
The gaseous DME in the high temperature-side flow passage 33 is cooled while the latent heat caused by liquefaction is transmitted to a low temperature-side flow passage, and the total amount of gaseous DME is liquefied and discharged as liquefied DME. The liquefied DME is led to a valve 11 via an accumulator 6. The flow rate of the liquefied DME is adjusted at the valve 11, and the liquefied DME is fed to the processing tank 2 filled with the gaseous DME. An upper portion of the inside of the processing tank 2 includes a sprayer 20 having a structure that is horizontally rotatable about a vertical axis. The liquefied DME is sprayed from the rotating sprayer 20, as droplets, to the inside of the processing tank 2. A filter 45 is provided at the bottom of the processing tank 2 to prevent a solid from flowing out, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Spent activated carbon 50 to be processed is contained above the filter 45. The droplets ejected from the sprayer 20 fall by gravity, come into contact with the spent activated carbon, and flow downward while desorbing water and organic matters that have adhered to or been adsorbed to the spent activated carbon. Then, the droplets are discharged from a lower portion of the processing tank 2 to be led to a valve 13.
The liquefied DME including impurities is depressurized when passing through the valve 13, partially vaporized to become a two-phase flow with a lower temperature, and then led to the low temperature-side flow passage of the heat exchanger 7. The DME
including impurities receives as much energy as the latent heat of evaporation at the heat exchanger 7, and is vaporized continuously. On the other hand, when the amount of the impurities exceeds the solubility to DME
that has been concentrated and residing in the low temperature-side flow passage, the impurities are precipitated as deposit 31.
The vaporized DME, that is, gaseous DME, is again fed from the compressor 5 to circulate. Thus, the present embodiment is a phase change cycle of DME.
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, causing DME to circulate in this cycle can achieve an improved desorption rate for the activated carbon, while desorption is performed by contact with the droplets of the liquefied DME at the inside of the processing tank 2, making it possible to reduce the amount of use of DME, leading to lower running cost and higher safety. Latent heat of evaporation and latent heat of condensation, exchanged at the heat exchanger 7, are substantially equal in quantity and thus can be heat exchanged with a slight temperature difference. Therefore, a large-scale heat or cooling source that can handle the latent heat is not required.
The principle of how to spray the droplets of the liquefied DME into the processing tank 2 while filling the inside of the processing tank 2 with the gaseous DME
will be described below. The upstream pressure can be constantly maintained at the saturated vapor pressure or higher with the valve 11. With the liquefied DME being retained in the accumulator 6, DME discharged from the sprayer 20 can constantly be kept in the state of liquid even when the operation conditions of the compressor 5 vary, and thus, can be discharged as droplets. The inside of the processing tank 2 is maintained at the saturated vapor pressure by gaseous DME. Therefore, the , , ejected droplets are discharged as liquid from the bottom of the processing tank 2 without being vaporized. The degree of opening of the valve 13 provided at the downstream of the processing tank 2 needs to be adjusted so that the flow rate at the valve 13 can be equal to the flow rate at the valve 11. If the flow rates differ, for example, when the flow rate at the valve 13 is greater than the flow rate at the valve 11, the pressure of the inside of the processing tank 2 is lowered to cause DME
droplets to vaporize. As a result, contact of the spent activated carbon with DME being in the form of liquid, which is required to regenerate the activated carbon, cannot be achieved. On the other hand, if the flow rate at the valve 13 is less than the flow rate at the valve 11, the gaseous DME of the inside of the processing tank 2 is liquefied and stored. As a result, the amount of DME to be circulating in the inside of the activated carbon regeneration apparatus becomes insufficient.
The present invention can be implemented using a fixed sprayer as the sprayer 20. More preferably, however, using a rotatable sprayer improves uniformity in the spraying amount of droplets to be applied to the spent activated carbon, making it possible to reduce the time needed to regenerate the activated carbon. The inside of the processing tank 2 requires chemical resistance. Thus, although an external force such as a motor can be used for the rotational driving force, providing a sprayer with a structure to rotate using a fluid force generated at the spraying may greatly reduce the number of parts of the apparatus required for the rotation, and may decrease the frequency of occurrence of failures. In order to rotate the sprayer using the fluid force, it may be sufficient to cause the center of gravity of piping constituting the sprayer to be the axis of rotation, and to provide ejection outlets in the vicinity of at least both ends of the piping in the direction of point-symmetrically with respect to the axis of rotation. More specifically, it may be preferable to provide the sprayer so that the ejection outlets may be in the directions substantially perpendicular to the piping, and more preferably the rejection outlets may be in the directions between the vertically downward direction and a substantially horizontal direction.
Furthermore, when the spent activated carbon is taken out, closing the valve 11 and continuing the operation of the compressor 5 may confine most of DME in the cycle into the accumulator 6. As a result, after the recovery of DME, closing the valve 13 and then opening the processing tank 2 makes it possible to reduce the amount of leakage of DME to the outside.
The cooler 34 used for cooling DME is designed to remove the amount of increased energy within a DME cycle caused by the operation of the compressor 5, and thus, may be a small-sized cooler. Note that the illustrated pressure and temperature merely show qualitative changes, and the present invention is not limited to these values of pressure and temperature.
(Second Embodiment) Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention that uses a pump, not a compressor, for circulation of DME, the pump being capable of reducing initial and running costs. The phase change cycle of DME
in the present embodiment is substantially equal to that in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 except for what is specifically described in the following. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant for exchanging latent heat of DME is connected.
On the side of DME cycle, liquefied DME is fed from a pump 1, and then led to a valve 11 via an accumulator 6. The liquefied DME that has passed through the valve 11 is sprayed by a sprayer as droplets in the inside of a processing tank 2 that is filled with gaseous DME of the saturated vapor pressure, comes into contact with the spent activated carbon, dissolves impurities contained in the spent activated carbon, and is discharged from the bottom of the processing tank 2. The discharged liquefied DME including the impurities passes through a valve 13 as liquid, and is fed to the low temperature-side flow passage of a heat exchanger 3. At the heat exchanger 3, the fed liquefied DME receives latent heat of evaporation from a refrigerant flowing in a high temperature-side flow passage 36 and is vaporized, while the impurities contained in the spent activated carbon are separated as deposit 31. The vaporized DME, that is, the gaseous DME, is led to the high temperature-side flow passage of a heat exchanger 4. The vaporized DME transmits latent heat of condensation to the refrigerant flowing in a low temperature-side flow passage 37 of the heat exchanger 4, and turns into the liquefied DME to be fed from the pump 1 again for circulation.
On the other hand, on the side of refrigeration cycle where the refrigerant flows, a gaseous refrigerant is heated and pressurized by a compressor 5, cooled at a cooler 34, and then fed to the high temperature-side flow passage 36 of the heat exchanger 3. At the heat exchanger 3, the gaseous refrigerant is liquefied by transmitting the latent heat of condensation of the gaseous refrigerant to DME. The liquefied refrigerant is depressurized at an expansion valve 21, and thus, partially vaporized to become a two-phase flow of the refrigerant along with lowering a temperature of the refrigerant. The refrigerant that has become the two-phase flow is fed to the low temperature-side flow passage 37 of the heat exchanger 4, and then, receives latent heat of condensation from the gaseous DME in the high temperature-side flow passage. As a result, the refrigerant in the two-phase flow cycle is all vaporized.
The vaporized refrigerant is again compressed at the compressor 5 to be circulated.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a phase change cycle of DME can be achieved at low cost, by using an existent refrigerant, a compressor for the refrigerant, and an inexpensive pump for DME, without using the compressor for the gaseous DME.
Claims (8)
1. A solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher, the solid-liquid separator comprising:
a compressor configured to receive the substance in a gaseous phase and to pressurize and heat the substance into a pressurized gaseous state;
a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that has a high temperature and a high pressure after being compressed;
an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance;
a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator;
a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve;
a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank;
a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank; and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank, wherein an upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the vaporized substance in the gaseous state.
a compressor configured to receive the substance in a gaseous phase and to pressurize and heat the substance into a pressurized gaseous state;
a cooler configured to liquefy the substance that has a high temperature and a high pressure after being compressed;
an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance;
a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator;
a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve;
a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank;
a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank; and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank, wherein an upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the vaporized substance in the gaseous state.
2. A solid-liquid separator that separates a solid-liquid mixture into solids and liquids by using a substance that is a gas at ambient temperature and becomes a liquid at a saturated vapor pressure or higher, the solid-liquid separator comprising:
a cooler configured to liquefy the substance, wherein, when the separator is in use, the substance is in a in high-pressure gas state when received by the cooler;
a pump configured to feed the liquefied substance;
an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance;
a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator;
a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve;
a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank;
a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank; and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank, wherein an upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
a cooler configured to liquefy the substance, wherein, when the separator is in use, the substance is in a in high-pressure gas state when received by the cooler;
a pump configured to feed the liquefied substance;
an accumulator configured to store the liquefied substance;
a valve configured to regulate the flow rate of the liquefied substance at the downstream of the accumulator;
a sprayer configured to spray the liquefied substance as droplets at the downstream of the valve;
a processing tank configured to contain the solid-liquid mixture and including the sprayer at an upper portion of the inside of the processing tank;
a filter configured to prevent the solid from flowing out of the processing tank; and a vaporizer configured to vaporize the liquefied substance from a liquid mixture flowed out from the processing tank, wherein an upper space of the inside of the processing tank is filled with the substance in the gaseous state.
3. The solid-liquid separator according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a heat exchanger configured to use, as latent heat required to vaporize the substance, latent heat generated when the substance is liquefied.
4. The solid-liquid separator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a heat exchanger that vaporizes the substance and another heat exchanger that liquefies the substance are connected with a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant.
5. The solid-liquid separator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separator is adapted to use dimethyl ether as the substance for the separation.
6. The solid-liquid separator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separator is adapted to separate a mixture comprising a spent adsorbent that has been used for water treatment.
7. The solid-liquid separator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separator is adapted to separate a mixture comprising spent activated carbon that has been used for water treatment.
8. The solid-liquid separator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sprayer comprises piping that is disposed horizontally, the sprayer is connected to an upstream flow passage with a connecting pipe being rotatable at an upper part of the center of gravity of the piping, the piping has at least two ejection outlets, the ejection outlets are provided point-symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the connecting pipe, and the ejection outlets are provided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the piping, at positions between the vertically downward direction and the horizontal direction, causing the sprayer to be rotated by a fluid force of a fluid ejected from the ejection outlets.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2014-195983 | 2014-09-26 | ||
| JP2014195983A JP6373701B2 (en) | 2014-09-26 | 2014-09-26 | Solid-liquid separator |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2897553A1 CA2897553A1 (en) | 2016-03-26 |
| CA2897553C true CA2897553C (en) | 2017-03-21 |
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ID=55539903
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2897553A Active CA2897553C (en) | 2014-09-26 | 2015-07-15 | Solid-liquid separator |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JP6373701B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2897553C (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11364452B2 (en) | 2017-11-13 | 2022-06-21 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Extraction device and method for same |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP7174539B2 (en) | 2018-05-31 | 2022-11-17 | 株式会社日立製作所 | extractor |
| JP6879343B2 (en) * | 2019-08-22 | 2021-06-02 | 昭和電工マテリアルズ株式会社 | Extractor and extraction method |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5228266B2 (en) * | 1973-08-10 | 1977-07-26 | ||
| JPS62204813A (en) * | 1986-03-05 | 1987-09-09 | Miura Eng Internatl Kk | Filter |
| BR0215426A (en) * | 2002-01-08 | 2004-12-14 | Extratics Internat Ltd | Process for solvent extraction of oils in an oil-containing material and solvent extraction apparatus |
| JP2008093552A (en) * | 2006-10-11 | 2008-04-24 | Daido Steel Co Ltd | Moving-bed filtration apparatus |
| US8048304B2 (en) * | 2007-12-27 | 2011-11-01 | Dynasep Llc | Solvent extraction and recovery |
| JP5927700B2 (en) * | 2012-06-22 | 2016-06-01 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Water treatment system |
| WO2015033455A1 (en) * | 2013-09-09 | 2015-03-12 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Adsorbent-regenerating device |
-
2014
- 2014-09-26 JP JP2014195983A patent/JP6373701B2/en active Active
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2015
- 2015-07-15 CA CA2897553A patent/CA2897553C/en active Active
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11364452B2 (en) | 2017-11-13 | 2022-06-21 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Extraction device and method for same |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JP2016064380A (en) | 2016-04-28 |
| JP6373701B2 (en) | 2018-08-15 |
| CA2897553A1 (en) | 2016-03-26 |
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