GB1013767A - Method and apparatus for purifying liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

1,013,767. Distilling water. AQUA-CHEM Inc. April 4, 1963 [April 18, 1962; Nov. 16, 1962], No. 13376/63. Heading B1B. [Also in Division F4] Pure water is produced from brackish water by spraying it through rotary atomizer 32 into a stream of air flowing up through chamber 17 which is maintained warm by coil 18; some of the water vaporizes into the air, and the moisture-laden air, after passing through demister 28, is blown by fan 29 down into annular chamber 19 where it is cooled by coil 20 so that the water-vapour condenses yielding pure water, which is withdrawn through outlet 26. The air, reaching the bottom of chamber 19, is recirculated to chamber 17. The cylindrical wall 16, between the two chambers, is made of insulating-material. Coils 18 and 20 form part of a circuit which contains a refrigerant, and includes a compressor 41. Coil 20 is maintained at about 100 ‹F. by the vaporization of the liquid refrigerant and the vapours, after being compressed in compressor 41, flow into coil 18 where they condense at about 140 ‹F. The liquid refrigerant then flows back to coil 20 via restriction 42. Brackish water-to-betreated is introduced into well 14 via inlet 27; and some of the water is drawn up from the well into the hollow shaft 31, which drives fan 29 and atomizer 32. The water flows out of the ports 35 in shaft 31, and is atomized by blades 36. Excess water is drained out of well 14 via outlet 44. An apparatus is also described in which the product water is "Pasteurized", i.e. raised to a temperature of 140-212 ‹F., by heat-exchange with hot refrigerant. The feed water is preheated by heat-exchange with (i) the "Pasteurized" product water, and (ii) the air stream in chamber 19; and the rate of flow of the feed-water is automatically controlled by a valve to maintain the temperature of chamber 17 substantially constant. On-off electrical switches are incorporated in the apparatus so that the compressor and the fan are switched on or off in response to the level or temperature of the pure water in the storage tank. The refrigerant cycle may be replaced by an electric circuit having hot junctions disposed in the heating chamber and cold junctions disposed in the cooling chamber. It is also stated that the heating and cooling may be effected by a compression-expansion cycle of the circulating air. An apparatus is described in which the heating coil is supplied with hot gases from a burner, and the circulating air is blown towards the heating coil by a rotary impeller. The moisture-laden air is cooled in heat-exchange with streams of air at ambient temperature.