CN113003823A

CN113003823A - Separation process and reactor

Info

Publication number: CN113003823A
Application number: CN201911326268.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J.翟; B.颜; X.许
Original assignee: BL Technologies Inc
Current assignee: BL Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2019-12-20
Publication date: 2021-06-22

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to separation processes and reactors. The present disclosure provides a method for converting CaSO₄Precipitating CaSO in supersaturated solution₄Methods and systems of (1). The precipitate may form gypsum particles having an average diameter of about 25 μm. Precipitation can be controlled to reduce or avoid fouling. The disclosure also provides wherein CaSO can be removed₄Methods and systems for fouling.

Description

Separation process and reactor

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a process and reactor for removing calcium sulfate from wastewater.

Background

The following paragraphs do not constitute an admission that anything discussed therein is prior art or part of the knowledge of one skilled in the art.

Various industrial processes, such as desalination, coal mining drainage, flue gas desulfurization, and lime neutralization of sour wastewater, produce an aqueous effluent that includes calcium sulfate. Calcium sulfate may undesirably precipitate to form scale on the surfaces of the processing equipment, thereby interfering with operating efficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

The following description is intended to introduce the reader to this specification, but not to limit the invention in any way. One or more inventions may reside in combinations or subcombinations of apparatus elements or method steps described below or elsewhere herein. The inventors do not disclaim or disclaim their rights to any one or more of the inventions disclosed in this specification merely by not describing such one or more other inventions in the claims.

The formation of calcium sulfate scale, which can lead to the formation of sodium sulfate, can be mitigated by adding lime and sodium carbonate to the calcium sulfate-containing effluent. However, it is desirable to develop methods and processing equipment that reduce or avoid lime softening, sodium sulfate production, or both. Such a process and processing equipment can result in cost savings as compared to conventional lime softening processes. It has proven difficult to remove calcium sulfate from its supersaturated solution using conventional coagulation/flocculation processes and equipment, because high concentrations of sulfate often result in scaling on equipment surfaces.

The present disclosure discloses various methods and devices that may be operated separately or combined into larger systems or devices. As noted above, larger systems or devices according to the present disclosure may be subcombinations of the disclosed methods and devices.

The present disclosure provides a precipitation method comprising reacting CaSO₄Is received into a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), wherein the stages of the reactor are vertically stacked, wherein the internal outflow from one stage substantially corresponds to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage; flowing the solution vertically upward through a multi-stage CSTR to produce a gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution; and transferring the gypsum seed grain mixture in aqueous solution to a separator.

Since the outflow of one stage corresponds to the inlet of the subsequent stage, the surface area of this vertical multistage CSTR is smaller than other comparable reactors, which comprise additional fluid conduits connecting the different stages of the reactor. Flowing the solution vertically upward through such a vertical multistage CSTR results in less fouling than in an otherwise comparable reactor.

The present disclosure also provides a method comprising contacting a CaSO₄-vibrating a portion of the precipitation reactor or a portion of the liquid conduit connected to the feed inlet of the reactor, wherein fouling is present on at least a part of the vibrated portion. The vibrated section is at least partially made of or at least partially coated with a low friction material. The vibration is sufficient to dislodge at least some of the scale from at least some of the low friction material.

The present disclosure also provides a precipitation reactor comprising a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), wherein the stages of the reactor are connected in series, wherein the internal outflow from one stage substantially corresponds to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage. For example, the stages of the reactor may be vertically stacked, with the internal flow outlet from one stage substantially corresponding to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage. The precipitation reactor and CaSO₄Is in fluid communication with the separator to provide a gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution to the separator.

The present disclosure also provides a precipitation reactor or a liquid conduit connected to the feed inlet of the reactor, wherein the reactor or liquid conduit is at least partially made of or at least partially coated with a low friction material. The low friction material is located to be exposed to CaSO₄Of the supersaturated solution.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary solid/liquid separator according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a graph showing the concentration (% by volume) of the seed particles in the precipitation reactor and the precipitation tank used in the solid-liquid separation method according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a graph illustrating turbidity of an effluent stream from a solid-liquid separation process according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary precipitation reactor according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary apparatus according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a graph illustrating a size distribution of particles produced in a method according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a graph showing the size distribution of particles produced in the comparative method.

Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of an exemplary precipitation reactor according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a schematic representation of another exemplary precipitation reactor according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a process flow diagram of an example apparatus according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Seed Slurry Technology (SST) can be used in wastewater concentration processes such as membrane filtration, electrodialysis, or thermal crystallization. When water is concentrated, SST reduces supersaturated components (e.g., CaSO)₄) Scaling of (2). However, CaSO₄May precipitate and/or harden, thereby clogging one or more water treatment systems (e.g., tanks, pipes, and pumps) during the water concentration process or the downstream filtration process.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of separation, comprising: receiving a gypsum seed fines mixture in an aqueous solution from a reactor; adding an anionic flocculant and optionally a coagulant to the aqueous solution; aggregating the gypsum seed fines and the flocculant into a floe; separating the mixture into a turbidity-reduced effluent and a flocculated gypsum slurry; and exposing a portion of the flocculated gypsum slurry to shear stress sufficient to convert the flocculated gypsum seeds into non-flocculated gypsum seed fines and transferring the fines into a reactor. The aqueous solution from the reactor may be directly received into the deposition tank.

In the context of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the phrases "receiving from [ X ] and" receiving from [ X ] a "refer to both direct and indirect reception. For example, if reactor Z is disclosed as "receiving fluid a from reactor X," it is to be understood that reactor Z may be (i) directly coupled to reactor X such that fluid a is received directly from reactor Z; or (ii) indirectly coupled to reactor X such that process equipment Y receives fluid a from reactor X and reactor Z receives fluid a from equipment Y.

As described above, the separation process controls the gypsum seed in (i) a flocculated portion that can be separated into a turbidity-reduced effluent and a flocculated gypsum slurry and (ii) a flocculation portion that can be returned to the reactor and used to precipitate additional calcium sulfate (e.g., from CaSO)₄Supersaturated solution) of gypsum seeds.

The anionic flocculant may be a polyacrylamide flocculant. The anionic flocculant may be a low charge density, high molecular weight polymeric flocculant. Anionic flocculants may exhibit reduced flocculation activity when exposed to high shear or excessive agitation. An example of a suitable anionic flocculant is PolyFloc^TMThe AP 1100. The flocculant may be added before the aqueous solution is received into the separator, allowing for thorough mixing of the flocculant into the solution before it enters the separator.

The coagulant may be a trivalent metal salt based coagulant, such as an iron or aluminum based coagulant. Specific examples of such coagulants include: FeCl₃、Fe₂(SO₄)₃Iron polysulfate or polyaluminium chloride. A coagulant may be added: (a) in the feed stream to the reactor; (b) into the aqueous solution in the reactor; (c) for example, to the aqueous solution received from the reactor prior to addition of the anionic flocculant; or (d) any combination thereof. The coagulant may be added in an amount sufficient to precipitate at least a portion of any scale inhibitor present in the aqueous solution received from the reactor. For example, a sufficient amount of FeCl may be added₃So that the concentration in the deposition bath is at least 10 ppm. In some specific examples, FeCl₃Is at least 30 ppm.

The floc may be stirred in the settling tank to prevent the gypsum slurry from hardening. For example, the floe may be agitated with a paddle at 50rpm or less, where the diameter of the paddle is from about 1/2 to about 3/4 of the diameter of the settling tank. The bed height of the settled floe may be about 1/5 to about 1/3 of the height of the settling tank. The local concentration of settled gypsum seed floe at the bottom of the settling tank can be from about 8 to about 25 weight percent.

The slurry comprising flocs of gypsum seeds produced according to the method has a reduced tendency to harden and can be dispersed and transferred. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the authors of the present disclosure hypothesize that the coagulants and flocculants used to flocculate the gypsum seeds act as lubricants and wetting agents to inhibit hardening of the gypsum seeds.

The reduced turbidity effluent produced according to the process can be a clear effluent having a turbidity of less than 3NTU (nephelometric turbidity units), or from about 3 to about 5 NTU. When the turbidity of the clarified effluent is less than 3NTU, the method may further comprise subjecting the clarified effluent to nanofiltration without prior ultrafiltration. The effluent with reduced turbidity can be treated with a lamella clarifier (also known as an inclined plate settler), for example when the turbidity is greater than 3 NTU.

Gypsum seeds can be returned to the reactor and used to precipitate additional calcium sulfate. However, flocculated gypsum seeds do not precipitate calcium sulfate as effectively because anionic flocs inhibit such precipitation. The flocculated gypsum seeds are converted to non-flocculated gypsum seed fines by exposing the flocculated material to shear stress.

The bottom of the settling tank may be fluidly connected to the reactor, and a pump may be disposed therebetween to transfer the concentrated gypsum seed floe from the settling tank into the reactor. The pump may be a centrifugal pump with an open impeller, for example operating at a rate of at least 500 rpm. Such a pump can provide sufficient shear to convert the flocculated gypsum seeds into non-flocculated fines. Such pumps also are more tolerant of concentrated slurry than closed impeller pumps, thereby reducing the likelihood of pile formation within the pump. The method may include flushing the pump with fresh water whenever the pump is stopped to reduce the likelihood that gypsum seeds will settle and harden within the pump.

For example, if the pump does not provide shear, the shear stress may be provided by a mechanical stirrer arranged between the deposition tank and the reactor. The mechanical stirrer may be, for example: at the inlet of the reactor, at the outlet of the deposition tank, or in close proximity to the pump.

A sufficient amount of gypsum seed crystals may be returned to the reactor to maintain the concentration of gypsum seed fines in the reactor in the range of about 0.5 wt.% to about 10 wt.%, for example in the range of about 1 wt.% to about 7 wt.%.

The method can further comprise maintaining the aqueous solution in the reactor at a pH of about 4 to about 10, such as a pH of about 6 to about 8, such as a pH of about 6.5 to about 7.

The reactor may be operated under conditions to produce gypsum seed fines having an average diameter of from about 20 μm to about 40 μm, for example about 25 μm. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the authors of the present disclosure believe that particles of this size have CaSO that makes surface assist₄Precipitation for the removal of CaSO from supersaturated solutions thereof₄Particularly effective surface/volume ratios. The authors have also found that when particles of this size are flocculated with an anionic polymeric flocculant, the desired moisture content is maintained even after a period of removal from the aqueous solution. The time period may be, for example, one, two or three months. In the context of the present disclosure, the ideal moisture content will be understood to prevent CaSO₄Hardening to enable the flocculated particles to disperse to the moisture content of the water after a period of time.

The present disclosure also provides a solid/liquid separator. The separator comprises a settling tank, a fluid inlet in the settling tank for receiving a gypsum seed fines mixture in an aqueous solution from a precipitation reactor; a first fluid outlet in the settling tank for discharging an effluent of reduced turbidity; a second fluid outlet in the settling tank for discharging the flocculated gypsum slurry, and optionally an agitator. The second fluid outlet may be located in the bottom third of the settler. The settling tank may also be referred to as a settling tank or clarifier. The settling tank may receive fluid directly from the precipitation reactor.

In one example, the separator comprises a cylindrical settling tank having a height to diameter ratio of about 1:1 to about 8:1, preferably about 2:1 to 5: 1; an agitator having blades with a diameter of about 3/4 to about 5/6 of the diameter of the tank, wherein the blades are located about 1 to about 10cm, preferably about 2 to about 5cm, above the bottom of the tank. The agitator may be operated at a rate of about 10 to about 40 rpm. The separator constructed and operated under these conditions can maintain a stable suspension of floe slurry at a concentration of about 15 wt% to about 35 wt%, with a well-defined boundary between the suspension of floe slurry and the supernatant.

The separator further comprises a source of anionic flocculant in fluid communication with the settling tank, a liquid conduit connecting the second fluid outlet to the inlet in the reactor, and an applicator of shear stress arranged in the liquid conduit connecting the second fluid outlet to the inlet in the reactor.

The source of anionic flocculant may be in fluid communication with a liquid conduit connecting the reactor to a fluid inlet in the settling tank. The anionic flocculant may be a polyacrylamide flocculant.

The applicator of shear stress may be a centrifugal pump with an open impeller or a mechanical stirrer. The mechanical stirrer may be, for example: at the inlet of the reactor, at the outlet of the deposition tank, or in close proximity to the pump.

The solid/liquid separator may be configured to discharge the turbidity-reduced effluent from the first fluid outlet to the nanofiltration unit without first passing the effluent through ultrafiltration process equipment. For example, the effluent may be transferred directly to a sand filtration pretreatment unit of a nanofiltration unit.

The present disclosure also provides an apparatus comprising the above solid/liquid separator, and a precipitation reactor, such as the precipitation reactor described below. The precipitation reactor comprises a fluid outlet for discharging the gypsum seed fines mixture in the aqueous solution, and the apparatus comprises a liquid conduit connecting the fluid outlet of the reactor and the fluid inlet of the settling tank. A liquid conduit connecting the second fluid outlet to the reactor fluidly connects the second fluid outlet to a fluid inlet in the reactor.

The apparatus may additionally compriseOne or more of the following: a source of gypsum crystals in fluid communication with the reactor; one or more sources of one or more coagulants; a pH sensor for measuring the pH of the liquid in the reactor; or for receiving CaSO, e.g. from a membrane separation unit₄A fluid inlet for the supersaturated aqueous solution.

The one or more sources of one or more coagulants may each independently be in fluid communication with (a) a reactor, (b) a liquid conduit connecting a fluid outlet of the reactor and a fluid inlet of the settling tank, or (c) both. Each coagulant may independently be a trivalent metal salt-based coagulant, such as an iron or aluminum-based coagulant, e.g., FeCl₃、FeSO₄Iron polysulfate or polyaluminium chloride. As discussed above, the coagulant may be added in an amount sufficient to precipitate at least a portion of any scale control agent present in the aqueous solution received from the reactor.

Fig. 1 shows a process flow diagram of an exemplary solid/liquid separator (110) according to the present disclosure in combination with a precipitation reactor (112). The precipitation reactor (112) provides an aqueous mixture (114) of gypsum seed particles which is received into a settling tank (116). A coagulant (118) is added to the reactor (112). A pH adjusting agent (120) may be added to the reactor (112) to bring or maintain the pH at a value of about 4 to about 10. An anionic flocculant (122) is added to the mixture in a fluid conduit connecting the reactor (112) with the settling tank (116). The settling tank (116) produces a flocculated gypsum slurry (124) and a turbidity-reduced effluent (126). A portion of the flocculated gypsum slurry (124) is exposed to an applicator of shear stress, illustrated as a centrifugal pump (128), and recycled to the reactor (116) as non-flocculated gypsum seed fines (130).

Example 1

A pilot plant using the process shown in figure 1 was set up to treat concentrated waste streams from coal-to-chemical production processes. The concentrated reject stream is from a reverse osmosis treatment of coal chemical wastewater. Typical water quality is shown in table 1.

TABLE 1

The waste stream is first concentrated by a factor of at least 3 to provide CaSO₄A supersaturated solution. The resulting supersaturated solution is fed to a precipitation reactor. On entering the precipitation reactor, the pH of the stream is adjusted to 6.5-7 and 30ppm FeCl is added again at the same location based on the volume of the influent₃The amount of (c). Gypsum seed crystals are dispersed in the reactor and supersaturated CaSO₄And precipitating out. The concentration of gypsum seeds is maintained between 2-5% (v/v) by recovering the seed slurry from the settling tank.

In the outlet pipe of the precipitation reactor, an additional 10ppm FeCl was added₃In order to adjust the surface properties of the seed. A pump is used to transfer the effluent to a downstream settling tank. Flocculant was added to the effluent in an amount of 0.5ppm immediately prior to pumping.

Flocs are formed in the settling tank and settle. The height of the concentrated slurry never increased to 1/4 above the height of the tank under the slow agitation of the mechanical paddle. The supernatant from the top of the deposition tank is sent to a downstream membrane processing unit. Some of the slurry from the bottom of the settling tank is pumped back to the settling reactor through an open impeller operating at about 800RPM, which provides sufficient shear stress to reduce the flocculating activity of the flocculant.

About 1-2% of the recycled slurry is discharged into the blowdown stream. This amount in the blowdown stream is set based on the mass balance of the overall system. The removal of gypsum seeds from the system in the blowdown stream avoids potential seed aging problems. However, the recycled seed crystals maintain the ability to reduce the supersaturation level of the influent waste stream based on the desaturation properties of the recycled gypsum seed crystals in the precipitation reactor. Calculating CaSO in influent waste stream₄113% to 140% of the saturation level and the CaSO measured in the effluent of the precipitation tank₄From 100% to 110% of the saturation level (see table 2).

	11 month and 30 days	12 month and 4 days	12 month and 7 days	12 month and 10 days
					Inlet port	140.20％	123.50％	113.30％	136.40％
An outlet	96.20％	103.90％	103.50％	100.80％

TABLE 2

The concentration of gypsum seeds in the precipitation reactor and the settling tank was followed. The results are shown in fig. 2. The test was run for 500 hours and the concentration of gypsum seed in the settling tank was as high as 30% vol/vol. No pump or pipe is clogged with gypsum slurry. Other comparable systems, which use a closed impeller rather than an open impeller, cannot run for the same length of time due to the pump being clogged with concentrated gypsum slurry.

It was found that the flocculated gypsum seeds rapidly dispersed into water even after several weeks of drying. It has also been found that the flocculated gypsum seeds can be stored for months without hardening. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the authors of the present disclosure believe that the gypsum seed particles, which retain moisture and are readily dispersible, have a reduced tendency to form scale in the pipe, and the polyacrylamide flocculant added to the influent of the settling tank surrounds the gypsum seeds and provides these desirable properties. The polyacrylamide flocculant can act as a wetting agent in the seed and accelerate the dispersion of the gypsum seed when added to water.

The chemical composition of the resulting gypsum seeds was analyzed using X-ray fluorescence. Except for CaSO₄(main component 95% by weight), SrSO₄Also co-precipitated from solution (2 wt%). This indicates that other sparingly soluble ions can be removed simultaneously in this process, further reducing the risk of fouling in downstream membrane filtration. The remaining component being 1% by weight of Fe (OH)₃And 2% by weight of Na₂SO₄。

The supernatant stream from the settling tank was yellowish and contributed to the turbidity reading even without any particles. Thus, turbidity during the pilot run was not tracked. However, in another test zone where the coal mine drainage was treated in the same manner, the supernatant was colorless and the turbidity of the effluent was followed. As shown in FIG. 3, the turbidity measured throughout the cycle was 3NTU or less. This water quality may be suitable for downstream membranes. For example, water with <3NTU can be fed directly to the nanofiltration membrane process without first passing the water through an ultrafiltration unit, e.g., where colloids in water are not a big problem.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a seed-assisted precipitation process that can be carried out at ambient temperature, e.g., from about 18 to about 25 ℃. The process may exclude lime softening, for example by excluding the addition of calcium hydroxide. The method comprises mixing CaSO₄The supersaturated aqueous solution is received into a multistage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR); and adding a coagulant to (a) the feed stream to the multi-stage CSTR, or (b) the multi-stage CSTR. The process further includes flowing the solution through a multi-stage CSTR and operating the seed assisted precipitation and the multi-stage CSTR under shear conditions to produce gypsum seed fines having an average diameter of from about 20 μm to about 40 μm. The gypsum seed fines are transferred to the separator as a mixture of gypsum seed fines in an aqueous solution.

The present disclosure also provides a precipitation reactor. The precipitation reactor comprises a multistage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR). The precipitation reactor and CaSO₄Is in fluid communication with a source of supersaturated aqueous solution. The precipitation reactor includes at least one pitched blade paddle disposed in at least one stage of the multi-stage CSTR. The size of the paddle and the size of the container in which it is disposed are selected to produce gypsum seed fines having an average diameter of from about 20 μm to about 40 μm. A coagulant source is in fluid communication with the precipitation reactor. The precipitation reactor may be in fluid communication with a source of gypsum seed fines. The precipitation reactor may be in fluid communication with the separator to provide the gypsum seed fines mixture in the aqueous solution to the separator. As mentioned above, the separator may be a separator according to the invention.

Coagulant is used to neutralize the amount of the commonly present CaSO₄In a supersaturated solution of a sufficient amount of anti-fouling agent to make the CaSO₄Precipitated on the gypsum seed particles. The coagulant may be a trivalent metal salt based coagulant, such as an iron or aluminum based coagulant. Specific examples of such coagulants include: FeCl₃、Fe₂(SO₄)₃Iron polysulfate or polyaluminium chloride. FeCl may be added at the inlet of the reactor₃To result in a concentration of 30 to 50 ppm.

The seed assisted precipitation and multistage CSTR are operated under shear conditions to produce the desired gypsum seed fines. In a particular example of such shear conditions, each CSTR may independently have a height (H) and a diameter (D), wherein the H: D ratio is from about 1:1 to about 2:1, for example from about 1:1 to about 1.5: 1. Agitation in each CSTR may be independently performed with inclined blades at a speed of about 50rpm to about 200rpm, such as about 120rpm to about 150 rpm; wherein each paddle independently has a width (D), wherein the ratio of D: D is from about 1:3 to about 1: 2. The flow rates and sizes of the CSTRs can be provided such that the residence time in each CSTR is independently from about 2 minutes to about 10 minutes, for example from about 2.5 to about 5 minutes. Operating under these conditions can reduce the saturation level of gypsum from about 200% (supersaturation) to less than about 120%, for example, about 100% (saturation), thereby reducing the risk of fouling in downstream processes and equipment. The pitched blade paddle with the larger blades may operate at a lower rpm than the pitched blade paddle with the smaller blades.

Smaller D: D ratios have an increased shearing effect, while larger D: D ratios have an increased mixing effect. The shearing and mixing controls the size of the gypsum seeds. The vigorous agitation associated with the increased shear breaks up the larger particles and produces smaller particles. Enhancing mixing to enhance supersaturated CaSO₄Crystallization of the solution and results in larger particles within the same crystallization time. A D: D ratio of from about 1:3 to about 1:2 provides an acceptable balance between shearing and mixing.

The concentration of gypsum seeds can be controlled by removing the gypsum seeds from the reactor and by optionally adding gypsum seeds to the reactor. The gypsum seeds may be added by recycling the removed gypsum seeds back to the reactor. Higher concentrations of gypsum seeds result in faster crystallization rates, but also increase the operating load of any recycle unit. Higher concentrations also increase the risk of fouling downstream of the reactor. The process may be operated under conditions that result in a seed concentration in the reactor in the range of from about 0.5 wt.% to about 10 wt.%, for example from about 1 wt.% to about 7 wt.%.

The multi-stage CSTR may comprise at least two, for example at least three stages. The total residence time in the multistage CSTR may be from about 8 to about 40 minutes. The authors of the present disclosure have determined that the precipitation rate in a multi-stage CSTR is faster than the precipitation rate in a single stage CSTR of equivalent total volume.

Fig. 4 shows a process flow diagram of an exemplary precipitation reactor according to the present invention. In the apparatus (210), the multi-stage CSTR (212) consists of three stages (212a, 212b, and 212 c). Multistage CSTR (212) converts CaSO₄The supersaturated solution (214) is received into the first stage (212 a). A coagulant (216) is added to the feed stream to the first stage (212 a). An optional pH adjuster (not shown) may be added. All three stages include pitched blades (218a, 218b, 218 c). All three stages and their respective paddles are sized to meet the H: D and D: D ratios described above. The final stage produces a mixture (220) of gypsum fines. The multi-stage CSTR (212) includes a feed (222) for gypsum seed particles.

The three stages (212a, 212b and 212c) may be positioned to flow liquid from one stage to the next by gravity. For example, the three stages may be positioned such that the first stage (212a) is higher than the second stage (212b), e.g., about 10cm, and liquid flows by gravity from the first stage (212a) into the second stage (212 b); and the second stage (212b) is higher than the third stage (212c), for example by about 10cm, and liquid flows from the second stage (212b) into the third stage (212c) by gravity.

Gypsum seed fines produced by this process can be used in the separation process described above. The precipitation reactor may be used in an apparatus in combination with the separator described above.

Fig. 5 shows a process flow diagram of an example apparatus according to the present disclosure. The apparatus (310) comprises the above-described precipitation reactor (210) and a solid/liquid separator (110). The mixture (220) produced by the last stage (212c) of the CSTR corresponds to the mixture (114) received by the solid/liquid separator (110). The pitched blade paddles are not shown. The flocculant (122) is optional.

Example 2

A pilot plant using the process shown in figure 5 was set up but without any addition of a flocculant to the settling tank to treat CaSO produced by the nanofiltration process for treating coal mine drainage₄A supersaturated solution of (a). The pilot process used a multi-stage CSTR consisting of three precipitation reactors. The concentration of gypsum seeds in each reactor was about 3 to 5 wt%. The reactor was stirred using a mechanical stirrer at a stirring speed of about 100 to about 140 rpm. The width of the metal paddles of the agitator in the reactor is about half the diameter of the reactor. The height of the reactor was 1000mm, the diameter was 600mm, and the diameter of the circle formed by the paddles was 300 mm. This corresponds to an H: D ratio of 5: 3; the ratio of D to D is 1: 2. The total residence time in the series of three reactors is from 30 to 40 minutes. The average diameter of the gypsum seeds in the reactor was about 25 μm.

The gypsum seeds were transferred to a solid-liquid separator having a height of 1200mm and a diameter of 600mm (H: D ratio of 2: 1). The agitator has blades with a diameter of about 500mm and operates at about 20RPM to about 40 RPM. The larger gypsum seed floc obtained from the bottom of the solid-liquid separator was sheared and recycled and dispersed into the first reaction tank under vigorous agitation by a transfer pump comprising an open impeller operated at about 800 RPM.

Stabilizers, also known as antifouling agents, are added to the supersaturated effluent produced by the nanofiltration process to reduce or avoid fouling. FeCl in an amount of 30 to 50ppm₃Added as a coagulant to the influent of a multistage CSTR to accelerate supersaturated CaSO₄Destabilization of (2).

The size distribution of the gypsum seeds produced in this test was measured. The size distribution of the gypsum seeds produced in the comparative method was also measured. This comparative process used only one of the stages of the CSTR deposition cell described above and was run with a 30 to 40 minute residence time, but was otherwise identical to the pilot plant described above. As described above, exemplary methods according to the present disclosure produce particles having an average size of about 25 μm. The comparative method produced particles with an average size of about 80 μm. The size distribution is shown in figures 6 and 7 respectively.

The quality of the influent and effluent streams of the CSTR were analyzed and CaSO was calculated using the following equation₄Saturation of (2):

the compositions of the influent and effluent streams are shown in table 3, and CaSO was calculated for four different time points₄The level of supersaturation. It has been determined that the average supersaturation level is reduced from about 200% at the influent stream to about 120% at the effluent stream.

	Ca	Fe	K	Mg	Na	Si	Sr	SO4	Cl
										Tank influent	1250	2.3	68.4	639	6490	10.8	12.7	18750	16.5
Trough outflow	435	2.4	63.2	630	6300	10.4	8.6	16180	49.4

TABLE 3

It has been determined that the average supersaturation level for the influent and effluent streams of the comparative reactor is reduced from about 230% at the influent stream to about 190% at the effluent stream. A supersaturation level of about 190% was observed to result in fouling downstream of the comparative reactor.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a precipitation method is provided. The method comprises mixing CaSO₄Is received into a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) wherein the stages of the reactor are vertically stacked with the internal outflow from one stage substantially corresponding to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage. The process comprises flowing the solution vertically upward through a multi-stage CSTR to produce a gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution; and transferring the gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution to a separator.

The present disclosure also provides a precipitation reactor comprising a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), wherein the stages of the reactor are in series, wherein the internal outflow from one stage corresponds to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage. The precipitation reactor and CaSO₄Is in fluid communication with the separator to provide a gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution to the separator. The separator may be a separator as described above. Supersaturated CaSO₄The source of the solution may be a membrane separation unit.

The stages of the reactor are preferably vertically stacked. CaSO₄The source of supersaturated aqueous solution may provide the solution at a static pressure sufficient to drive the solution vertically upward through the various stages of the CSTR.

The outflow opening and the feed opening may be connected by a short fluid conduit or may not be connected by a fluid conduit. When not connected by a fluid conduit, the outflow and inflow may refer to the same aperture between two adjacent stages. Because the effluent of one stage substantially corresponds to the influent of a subsequent stage, the disclosed precipitation method reduces or avoids CaSO in fluid conduits, e.g., tubes, connecting different stages of the reactor₄And (4) precipitating.

The multi-stage CSTR may be operated under conditions to produce gypsum seed fines having an average diameter of from about 20 μm to about 40 μm. Exemplary conditions are discussed above.

The reactor may comprise three stages, wherein the second stage of the reactor is directly at the top of the first stage of the reactor, the third stage of the reactor is directly at the top of the second stage of the reactor, the outflow of the first stage of the reactor corresponds to the feed opening of the second stage of the reactor, and the outflow of the second stage of the reactor corresponds to the feed opening of the third stage of the reactor.

The orifices may be sized to prevent or reduce back mixing as fluid from one stage flows down through the inlet into the lower stage. Preventing or reducing back-mixing through the inlet can be achieved when the diameter of the inlet is about 5% to about 10% of the diameter of the reactor stage.

In the vertical multistage CSTR, each stage can be stirred using an agitator on the same single stirring shaft.

The reactor can include a source of gypsum crystals in fluid communication with the reactor, for example, in fluid communication with the first stage of the reactor. The reactor may include a coagulant source in fluid communication with the reactor, for example, in fluid communication with the first stage of the reactor.

Fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary precipitation reactor according to the present disclosure. In the precipitation reactor (410), vertical multistage CSTR

(412) Consisting of three stages (412a, 412b, and 412 c). Vertical multistage CSTR (412) will CaSO₄Is received into the bottom, first stage (412 a). A coagulant (416) is added to the feed stream of the first stage (412 a). An optional pH adjuster (not shown) may be added. All three stages include pitched blades (418a, 418b, 418c) on the same agitator shaft. All three stages and their respective paddles are sized to meet the H: D and D: D ratios described above. The final stage produces a gypsum fines mixture (420). The first stage (412a) is in fluid communication with a gypsum seed fines source (422). The outlet of the first stage corresponds to the inlet (424a) of the second stage. The outlet of the second stage corresponds to the inlet (424b) of the third stage.

Fig. 9 illustrates another exemplary precipitation reactor according to the present disclosure. Reactor (510) is similar to the reactor shown in fig. 8, except that the three stages do not share a common stirring shaft. Vertical reactor (512) will still be CaSO₄The supersaturated solution (514) is received into the bottom, first stage (512 a). A coagulant (516) is added to the feed stream to the first stage. An optional pH adjuster (not shown) may be added. All three stages include pitched blade paddles (518a, 518b, 518 c). The paddles may be stirred at the same or different rates. All three stages and their respective paddles are sized to meet the H: D and D: D ratios described above. The final stage produces a gypsum fines mixture (520). The first stage (512a) is in fluid communication with a source (522) of gypsum seed fines. The outlet of the first stage corresponds to the inlet (524a) of the second stage. The outlet of the second stage corresponds to the inlet (524b) of the third stage.

Gypsum seed fines produced by the precipitation process or in the precipitation reactor may be used in the separation process or reactor described above. For example, a method is provided that includes contacting CaSO₄Is received into a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) in which the stages are vertically stacked with the internal outflow from one stage corresponding to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage for seed-assisted precipitation. A coagulant is added to (a) the feed stream to the multi-stage CSTR, or (b) the multi-stage CSTR. The solution flows vertically upward through the multi-stage CSTR. The seed assisted precipitation and multi-stage CSTR are operated under shear conditions to produce gypsum seed fines having an average diameter of from about 20 μm to about 40 μm. The fines are transferred to a separator and an anionic flocculant is added to either (a) the feed stream to the separator or (b) the separator. The gypsum seed fines and flocculant are allowed to aggregate into floes. The flocculated mixture is separated into a turbidity-reduced effluent and a flocculated gypsum slurry. A portion of the flocculated gypsum slurry is exposed to shear stress sufficient to convert the flocculated gypsum seeds into non-flocculated gypsum seed fines. At least a portion of the fines are transferred back to the multi-stage CSTR.

In an example of a combined precipitation reactor and solid/liquid separator, an apparatus comprises a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), wherein the CSTRThe stages of the reactor are connected in series, with the internal flow outlet from one stage corresponding to the internal feed inlet of the subsequent downstream stage. Precipitation reactor and CaSO₄Is in fluid communication with a source of supersaturated aqueous solution. At least one pitched blade paddle is disposed in at least one stage, wherein the size of the paddle and the size of the vessel in which it is disposed are selected to produce gypsum seed particles having an average diameter of from about 20 μm to about 40 μm. The apparatus further includes a coagulant source in fluid communication with the multi-stage CSTR; and a settling tank in fluid communication with the multi-stage CSTR for receiving the gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution from the multi-stage CSTR. The settling tank comprising a first fluid outlet for discharging the effluent having reduced turbidity; and a second fluid outlet for discharging the flocculated gypsum slurry. The apparatus includes a source of anionic flocculant in fluid communication with the settling tank. A liquid conduit connecting the second fluid outlet to the multi-stage CSTR; and an applicator of shear stress is disposed in the liquid conduit.

As noted above, the stages of a multi-stage CSTR can be stacked vertically. The features of the precipitation reactor and the solid/liquid separator are discussed in more detail above.

Fig. 10 shows a process flow diagram of an example apparatus according to the present disclosure. The apparatus (610) comprises the precipitation reactor (410) and the solid/liquid separator (110) described above. The mixture (420) produced by the CSTR (412) corresponds to the mixture (114) received by the solid/liquid separator (110). The gypsum seed fines (130) produced by the open centrifugal pump (128) correspond to the gypsum seed (422) received by the CSTR (412). The flocculant (122) is optional.

Example 3

A pilot plant using the reactor shown in FIG. 8 was set up to treat CaSO produced by a nanofiltration process for treating coal mine drainage₄A supersaturated solution of (a).

The vertical CSTR comprises three stages. The height to diameter H: D ratio of each stage is about 1: 1. The width (D) of the paddle is such that the ratio D: D is about 1: 3. In this pilot plant, CaSO₄The supersaturated solution (saturation 200%) was received into the bottom, first stage, at a flow rate of 500L/h. Adding 20-35 wt% gypsum crystal seed at flow rate of 100L/hAnd (4) fine particles. A sufficient amount of FeCl₃Added to the feed stream to the first stage to produce a concentration of 30-40 ppm. The pitched blade paddle stirred at a rate of about 110 rpm. The final stage produces a mixture of gypsum fines. As shown in table 4, the gypsum seed concentration for each of the three stages was measured to be about 3 to about 9 wt%. The precipitation was operated to give a total residence time of about 28 minutes.

TABLE 4

The effluent of the nanofiltration process comprises an anti-fouling agent to reduce or avoid fouling. The nanofiltration effluent was supersaturated at about 140% of the saturation level with calcium at about 1800ppm (as CaCO)₃Record). The effluent produced by the final stage of the vertical multistage CSTR reached about 100% of saturation level with calcium at about 1200ppm (as CaCO)₃Records) as shown in table 5.

TABLE 5

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of removing scale from: (a) process equipment, e.g. CaSO₄A precipitation reactor, a solid/liquid separator or a fluid conduit, or (b) a part of a process equipment. The method includes vibrating or deforming the process equipment or a portion of the process equipment to dislodge at least some of the fouling. The vibrated process equipment or portions thereof are at least partially made of or coated with a low friction and optionally hydrophobic material. Fouling is present on at least some of the low friction materials.

The present disclosure also provides a process device or a part of a process device, wherein the process device or the part thereof is at least partially made of or at least partially coated with a low friction and preferably hydrophobic material. The low friction material is exposed to CaSO₄Of the supersaturated solution. The low friction material may be in a state of being sufficiently vibrated orDeforming to dislodge locations of at least some scale present on the low friction material.

The part of the process equipment that can be vibrated or deformed can be a side wall, a baffle, a liquid conduit within the reactor, or a stirring blade.

The low friction material may be Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) or Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

The vibration may be at a frequency of about 0.1 to 10Hz, and/or may include moving the low friction material at an amplitude of about 1 to about 5 mm.

Any of the process equipment discussed above may be made of or coated with a low friction material and at least some of the fouling may be removed by vibrating at least a portion of the equipment. When the apparatus is a reactor (e.g., a precipitation reactor or a solid-liquid separation reactor), the reactor may include a slag notch, and dislodged fouls may be removed from the reactor through the slag notch.

In the previous description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details were set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required. Thus, what has been described is intended merely to illustrate the application of the described embodiments and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

Since the above description provides embodiments, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations to the specific embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art. Thus, the scope of the claims should not be limited by the particular embodiments set forth herein, but should be construed in a manner generally consistent with the specification.

Claims

1. A precipitation method comprising:

mixing CaSO₄Is received into a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), wherein the stages of the reactor are vertically stacked with the internal outflow from one stage corresponding to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage;

flowing the solution vertically upward through a multi-stage CSTR to produce a gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution;

transferring the gypsum seed fines mixture in the aqueous solution to a separator.

2. A precipitation process according to claim 1, wherein the flow of the mixture vertically upwards through the reactor is from the CaSO received₄Is driven by the hydrostatic pressure of the supersaturated aqueous solution.

3. A precipitation process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said CaSO₄Is provided by a membrane separation unit.

4. A precipitation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

adding gypsum seeds to the first stage of the reactor, and

the seed assisted precipitation and multi-stage CSTR are operated under shear conditions to produce gypsum seed fines having an average diameter of about 20 μm to about 40 μm.

5. A precipitation process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the aqueous solution transferred to the separator is a saturated or unsaturated solution.

6. The precipitation process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the process further comprises adding a coagulant (a) to the feed stream of the multi-stage CSTR, or (b) to the multi-stage CSTR.

7. A precipitation process according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the process comprises flowing the solution through three stages, wherein:

the second stage of the reactor is directly at the top of the first stage of the reactor,

the third stage of the reactor is directly on top of the second stage of the reactor,

the outflow opening of the first stage of the reactor corresponds to the feed opening of the second stage of the reactor, and

the outflow opening of the second stage of the reactor corresponds to the feed opening of the third stage of the reactor.

8. A precipitation process according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein (a) the flow rate of the solution through the reactor and (b) the volume of each stage results in a residence time in each stage of the CSTR which is independently from about 2 to about 10 minutes.

9. The precipitation process according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the total residence time in the multistage CSTR is from about 8 minutes to about 30 minutes.

10. A method, comprising:

make a part of CaSO₄Vibrating a portion of a precipitation reactor or a liquid conduit connected to the reactor feed, wherein the portion being vibrated is at least partially made of or at least partially coated with a low friction and optionally hydrophobic material, wherein scale is present on at least a portion of the portion being vibrated, and wherein the vibration is sufficient to dislodge at least some scale from at least some of the low friction material.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the low friction material is Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein: the vibration is at a frequency of about 0.1 to about 10 Hz; the vibration moves the low friction material at an amplitude of about 1 to about 5 mm; or both.

13. The method of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein a portion of the precipitation reactor is a sidewall, a baffle, a liquid conduit within a reactor, or an agitating blade.

14. The method of any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the vibrating is performed manually.

15. A precipitation reactor, comprising:

a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) in which the stages of the reactor are vertically stacked with the internal outflow from one stage corresponding to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage,

wherein the precipitation reactor is connected with CaSO₄Is in fluid communication with the separator to provide a gypsum seed fines mixture in aqueous solution to the separator.

16. The precipitation reactor of claim 15, wherein the CaSO₄Is provided at a static pressure sufficient to drive the solution vertically upward through the stages of the CSTR.

17. The precipitation reactor of claim 15 or 16, wherein the CaSO₄The source of the supersaturated aqueous solution of (a) is a membrane separation unit.

18. The precipitation reactor of any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising a source of gypsum crystals in fluid communication with the reactor.

19. The precipitation reactor according to any one of claims 15 to 18, further comprising a coagulant source in fluid communication with the reactor.

20. The precipitation reactor according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the reactor comprises three stages, wherein:

bottom level feed inlet and CaSO₄Is in fluid communication with a source of supersaturated aqueous solution,

the outflow opening of the bottom stage corresponds to the feed opening of the middle stage;

the outflow opening of the middle stage corresponds to the feed opening of the top stage; and is

The outflow port of the top stage is in fluid communication with the separator.

21. The precipitation reactor according to any one of claims 15 to 20, further comprising one or more paddles arranged in at least one stage.

22. The precipitation reactor according to claim 21, wherein the reactor comprises paddles arranged in each stage, the plurality of paddles preferably having a common stirring shaft.

23. A precipitation reactor, comprising:

a multi-stage Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), wherein the stages of the reactor are connected in series, wherein the internal outflow from one stage corresponds to the internal feed inlet of a subsequent downstream stage;

wherein the precipitation reactor is in fluid communication with a source of supersaturated solution and with the separator to provide a mixture of precipitated particles to the separator.

24. A precipitation reactor or a liquid conduit connected to the feed inlet of the reactor, wherein the reactor or liquid conduit is at least partially made of or at least partially coated with a low friction material, wherein the low friction material is at a temperature that would be exposed to CaSO₄Of the supersaturated solution.

25. The reactor of claim 24, wherein the low friction material is Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

26. The reactor of claim 24 or 25 wherein the reactor has at least some fouling present on the low friction material, and wherein the low friction material is in a position that can be vibrated or deformed sufficiently to dislodge at least some fouling present on the low friction material.

27. The reactor of any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the low friction material is coated on or constitutes at least a portion of: side walls, baffles, liquid conduits or stirring blades within the reactor.