SE542251C2

SE542251C2 - Condensation method and device comprising a rain condenser

Info

Publication number: SE542251C2
Application number: SE1750832A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Kari Munukka
Original assignee: Climeon Ab
Priority date: 2017-06-28
Filing date: 2017-06-28
Publication date: 2020-03-24
Also published as: SE1750832A1; WO2019004910A1

Description

CONDENSATION METHOD AND DEVICE COMPRISING A RAIN CONDENSER Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a method and a device for converting at least one gas composition or a mixture of gases into a liquid through condensation after passage through an expansion device such as a turbine. More specifically, the invention may be used for condensation of the gaseous expanded working medium in a thermodynamic cycle.

Background of the Invention and prior art

[0002] Gas treatment including washing, extraction of undesirable components, absorption, condensation of one or more components, both in flow-through and deadend configuration, is a standard unit operation in the oil, gas, and chemical industry, see e.g. "Grundoperationen chemischer Verfahrenstechnik", 8.ed., Vauck/Muller, ISBN3-527-28031-6, or Perry's Chemical Engineer's Handbook, ISBN 0-07-049479-7, section 18.41. Among the many techniques available for such gas treatment is the wide-spread counter-flow contacting falling liquid droplets with a gas stream flowing upwards. Falling droplets may form in a spray created in special nozzles where e.g. a liquid jet impinges on a small pin thereby creating a cone which subsequently breaks up into droplets of e.g. 10-500 micrometre size, alternatively the liquid is passed over a packed bed such as a multitude of e.g. Raschig rings.

[0003] Relevant disclosures in the field are US 2010/0236242, Kasra Farsad et al, "Systems and methods for processing of C02", US 4,991,780, R. Kannan et al, "Duocone spray nozzle", Krzysztof Karkoszka, Licentiate Thesis 2005, KTH Stockholm, "Theoretical investigation of water vapour condensation in presence of noncondensable gases", US 7,654,509, S. Freitas et al, "Desuperheater spray nozzle", US 8,579,213, S. Myers et al, "Single circuit multiple spray cone pressure atomizers", Minoru Takahashi, "Study on vapor condensation heat transfer to liquid spray", 7thinternational conference on nuclear engineering, Tokyo, Japan, April 19-23, 1999 (1CONE-7481) , US 2005/0056 711, Th . Mee, "Multiple spray apparatus", and industrial disclosures, e.g. web site descriptions on e.g. jet spray deaerators, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. A further relevant publication is GB 1 357 783 by Carrier Drysys Limited, incorporated herein by reference, which teaches gas treatment in a flow-through apparatus by jetting a liquid through peripheral openings. The liquid forms circular or arcuate curtains directed towards the side of the casing, and the gas to be treated is flowing through said curtains. Gas absorption or phase change to liquid is not mentioned.

[0004] WO 2016/068778 discloses a method and apparatus for contacting a gas composition with a liquid composition for condensing the gas composition or components thereof, incorporated herein by reference. The apparatus comprises a device having a plurality of spaced apart slots or impaction pin spray nozzles to create spray clouds of the liquid composition. In practice, the solution proposed by WO 2016/068778 consumes a high amount of energy, has a complicated structure making it expensive to manufacture and it is difficult to achieve the required droplet size.

[0005] J.M. Moult et al, "Single rain tray type condensers", Proceedings of The South African Sugar Technologists' Association, June 1979 discloses the use of a single tray rain type condenser in the sugar industry. The rain condenser is a perforated "shower" plate disposed at the top of the tank to create fine liquid droplets. The gas is then fed underneath the plate to be condensed. The rain condenser is normally used "pressure-free", where only the height of the liquid pillar above the perforated plate constitutes the driving pressure.

[0006] Other known solutions involve using heat exchangers to condense the working medium. The advantage is that no tank is needed. However, large heat exchangers are required and the risk of creating a high counter pressure increases.

[0007] The engineer who has the task of providing an efficient process is confronted with a number of challenges which are well highlighted among others in Farsad's and Mee's disclosures: a] fill the gas space with as many liquid [droplets or other dispersed forms] as possible, b] provide a large surface at low energy consumption, c] balance available surface with speed of absorption, extraction, washing etc., d] use available volume efficiently, e] prevent losses, e.g. by small droplets condensing to larger droplets, or by liquid at high speed hitting a wall of the container, f) prevent adverse interference with the gas stream, g) manage temperature increases, e.g. caused by absorption or condensation enthalpies, and h) provide cooling or warming of gas and/or liquid streams as the case may be. Some of these challenges are mutually exclusive, and technical solutions are often compromises, see e.g. both Farad and Mee suggesting multiple spray sections.

Summary of invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and device for overcoming all or some of the disadvantages and problems described above in connection with the state of the art.

[0009] This object is achieved by the present invention, wherein in a first aspect there is provided A method for converting at least one gas composition into a liquid through direct contact condensation in a thermodynamic cycle, comprising the steps: - providing a perforated plate comprising a plurality of holes through which a liquid composition can pass the plate; - positioning the perforated plate in a top section of a vessel into which a stream of the gas composition is arranged to enter; pumping the liquid composition into the top section of the vessel above the - perforated plate and letting the liquid composition pass through the holes, thereby forming a plurality of liquid sprays comprising the liquid composition; - feeding the gas composition into the vessel below the perforated plate such that the gas composition contacts the liquid sprays; and - adjusting the flow rate of the liquid composition to achieve complete, immediate condensation of the gas composition.

[0010] In one embodiment, the method is used to condense the working fluid of a Rankine Cycle after its passage through an expansion device such as a turbine. The expanded gas is contacted with a plurality of falling liquid sprays or droplets which in turn is created by passing a liquid composition through a perforated plate. The construction has similarity with a shower, and the objectives in designing an effective shower are a) to minimize the energy consumption for creating a large surface of streams or droplets, b] minimize the space requirement and c] to enable maximum contact between the incoming gas composition and the liquid composition.

[0011] By means of the method according to the present invention, ideal condensation of the gas composition may be achieved wherein all the liquid molecules of the liquid composition are used to cool and condense all the gas molecules of the gas composition, i.e. substantially no pressure differential between the gas pressure in the vessel and the vapour pressure corresponding to the liquid temperature at the bottom of the vessel. A certain, negligible pressure differential may occur due to noncondensed gas in the vessel, such as e.g. non-condensable gases [air etc.]. Hence, the method according to the present invention achieves a phase conversion of the gaseous working medium without generating a counter pressure in the turbine.

[0012] In an advantageous embodiment, the method further comprises the steps: - collecting the liquid composition pumped through the perforated plate after having passed through the holes and after having absorbed or condensed the gas composition entering the vessel; - treating the collected liquid composition by heat transfer with a cold source or hot source and/or by extraction; and recirculating the liquid composition to the top section of the vessel.

[0013] Apart from non-condensable gases which may be present due to leakage in small concentrations in the gas mixture, all gas or gaseous working fluid is converted to liquid. This requires some cooling. During the condensation of gas at the surface of the liquid streams or droplets, energy, more exactly, condensation enthalpy is liberated creating a temperature increase of the liquid. In order to maintain a certain average temperature level in the condensation device, the liquid stream is pumped into a heat exchanger which transfers heat to a cold source.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the steps: - splitting the collected liquid composition into separate streams; - redirecting a first stream of the collected liquid composition for heat transfer with a cold source, and recirculating the cooled first stream to the top section of the vessel; and - redirecting a second stream of the collected liquid composition for heat transfer with a hot source.

[0015] In an alternative embodiment, the method further comprises the step: - redirecting a portion of the second stream of the collected liquid composition into a third stream and passing the third stream through the top section of the vessel to be cooled.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the third stream of the collected liquid composition is used for cooling other components in the thermodynamic closed-loop cycle, e.g. a pump or a unit for removal of non-condensable gases.

[0017] By further splitting the liquid stream, one stream can be fed to the condenser and the other (typically 1%-5%) stream can feed a smaller unit for removal of non-condensable gases, e.g. as described in WO 2015/152796 (Removal of non-condensable gases from a closed-loop process), assigned to Climeon AB and incorporated herein by reference. In this case, it is particularly advantageous to pass said stream feeding the unit for removal of non-condensable gases e.g. in a pipe or heat exchanger construction through the top section of the condenser, thereby maintaining the lowest possible temperature at the top section of the condenser.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the first stream comprises 80%-99.9% of the collected liquid composition and the second stream comprises 0.1%-20%, preferably 1%-10%, more preferably 3%-8%, most preferably 4%-5%, of the collected liquid composition. The liquid stream exiting the heat exchanger is partly fed to the evaporation section of the process, and the remaining part is fed back to the top of the condensation device in order to form said plurality of liquid streams or droplets.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises feeding the gas composition tangentially into the vessel. The gas may enter the reactor from any side of the condenser device. It is advantageous to let the gas enter just below the top section of the condenser, and it is preferred to let the gas enter tangentially, i.e. not parallel to the z-axis of the condenser, in order to achieve a spiral or swirling trajectory of the gas. The gas inlet may be horizontally, i.e. at 90 degree relative to the z-axis of the condenser, or up to 15 degrees off said horizontal mode.

[0020] In a further preferred embodiment, the method is used for ideally complete absorption or condensation of a working fluid in a Rankine cycle, including Organic Rankine Cycles, Kalina cycle, Carbon Carrier cycle and other thermodynamic cycles for energy production, and heat pumps, wherein said working fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, hydrocarbons such as methanol and ethanol and isopropanol, ketones such as acetone and MEK, toluene, paraffin, amines or ammonia, amines or ammonia in combination with C02, refrigerants such as R-134a, R-245fa, Solvokane, as well as mixtures of solvents and mixtures with nano-sized or micronsized solid absorbents.

[0021] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a condensation device for a thermodynamic cycle adapted to convert a gas composition into a liquid through direct contact condensation, the condensation device comprising: - a vessel having a liquid composition inlet, a liquid composition outlet and a gas composition inlet, the liquid composition inlet being arranged in a top section of the vessel and the liquid composition outlet being arranged in a bottom section of the vessel; - a first pump arranged to evacuate the liquid composition from the vessel through the liquid composition outlet; - a perforated plate arranged in the top section of the vessel to delimit a space in fluid communication with the liquid composition inlet and located above the gas composition inlet, and comprising a plurality of holes through which the liquid composition may pass to create a plurality of spray clouds comprising the liquid composition.

[0022] The condensation device according to the present invention is compact, simple and less expensive to manufacture and overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a large surface area of liquid sprays or droplets to enable maximum contact between the incoming gas composition and the liquid composition whilst minimising energy consumption and space requirement.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the condensation device further comprises a cold source heat exchanger, wherein the liquid composition outlet is connected to the liquid composition inlet by means of a first conduit via the cold source heat exchanger. By transferring away the heat absorbed by the liquid composition during condensation of the gas composition, the temperature of the liquid composition is maintained at a desired average level for optimal condensation.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the top section of the vessel is dome shaped. The dome shape decreases the height and bulk of the vessel whilst maintaining a certain volume of the space above the perforated plate to ensure a compact design.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the bottom section of the vessel has a conical shape converging towards the liquid composition outlet. The converging, conical shape ensures that the liquid composition is directed towards the liquid composition outlet. Thus, the liquid level in the condenser may be kept as low as possible in order to maximize the gas space and space for condensation. However, a certain height of the liquid level is important in order to guarantee that no gas enters the pump or that no liquid is gasified due to low local pressures, i.e. prevent cavitation.

[0026] The liquid level is maintained and controlled. During operation of the device, a dynamic and complicated equilibrium between gas flow, liquid flow, liquid level, and heat removal by cooling needs to be managed. This is done automatically.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the condensation device further comprises a supporting member arranged adjacent the perforated plate, such as above or below the perforated plate.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the supporting member is arranged above the perforated plate and further comprising a porous material arranged between the supporting member and the perforated plate. Preferably, the supporting member comprises a grating.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the condensation device further comprises a vortex breaker arranged in or near the liquid composition outlet, the vortex breaker including one or more of radial vanes, baffles, and/or curved plates. Apart from maintaining a certain liquid level, vortex breakers are employed to ascertain that no gas enters the pump.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the condensation device further comprises a diffuser arranged at the gas composition inlet. The diffuser is provided to decelerate the gas composition exiting the turbine in a controlled manner, transforming the kinetic energy to potential energy in the form of increased static pressure. The diffuser aids in minimising build-up of counter pressure in the vessel, which otherwise would have a negative impact on the turbine power.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the perforated plate has a perforation percentage (i.e. the ratio between the total area of the holes and the surface area of the plate) in the range of 1%-40%, preferably 5%-30%, most preferably 10%-20%. The number of holes per unit area determines the flow resistance to a degree and therefore the pressure differential between the top and the main section of the vessel.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the holes in the perforated plate have a diameter in the range 0.01-5 mm, preferably 0.2-0.8 mm, most preferably 0.4-0.6 mm.

[0033] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for energy production using a working fluid in a thermodynamic cycle comprising an evaporator, a turbine, a generator, and a condensation device according to the second aspect.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a unit for removal of non-condensable gases, wherein the liquid composition outlet is connected to an inlet of the unit for removal of non-condensable gases in a third conduit via a second pump, and an outlet of the unit for removal of non-condensable gases is connected to the vessel.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the third conduit is arranged to pass through the top section of the vessel to permit heat transfer between the liquid composition in the third conduit and the liquid composition in the top section of the vessel.

[0036] This invention is particularly useful for Rankine cycles employing one or more of the following working fluids exhibiting boiling points at 100 kPa (bar) of below 105 °C, such as water, ethanol, acetone, isopropanol, toluene, paraffin, refrigerants, and others.

Brief description of drawings

[0037] The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of thermodynamic cycle for energy production; Fig. 2 shows a perspective cutaway view of a condensation device according to one aspect of the present invention; and Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a perforated plate used in a condensation device according to one aspect of the present invention.

Detailed description of embodiments

[0038] In the following, a detailed description of a method and device for converting a gas composition into a liquid in accordance with the present invention is provided.

[0039] Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a thermodynamic closed-loop cycle 1 illustrating the principle underlying the present invention. On the left-hand side of Fig. 1, a hot source heat exchanger 2, also called evaporator, is located. The working fluid is heated to vaporization by an incoming hot source (HS), e.g. waste heat from industrial processes. The hot gaseous working fluid is then passed to a turbine 3 which drives a generator 4 for production of electrical energy. The expanded hot working fluid, still in gaseous form, is then fed into a condensation device to be converted back to liquid form before being recirculated to the hot source heat exchanger 2 to complete the closed-loop cycle 1, as shown on the left-hand side of Fig. 1.

[0040] The condensation device comprises a vessel 10 or container 10 having a generally cylindrical shape and being filled with a liquid composition substantially identical to the working fluid. As shown at the bottom of Fig. 1, the liquid composition is collected after being evacuated through a bottom section 12 of the vessel 10 by means of a first pump 17, indicated by reference Q, and separated into two streams Ql, Q2, wherein a first, bigger stream Q1 is fed through a first conduit 6a to a cold source heat exchanger 5 to be cooled before being led back to a top section 11 of the vessel 10, as shown on the right-hand side of Fig. 1, and a second, smaller stream Q2 is recirculated through a second conduit 6b to the hot source heat exchanger 2. A second pump 22 may be provided to circulate the second stream Q2 in the second conduit 6b back to the hot source heat exchanger 2. The first stream Q1 may comprise 80%-99.9% of the collected liquid composition Q and the second stream Q2 may comprise 0.1%-20%, preferably 1%-10%, more preferably 3%-8%, most preferably 4%-5%, of the collected liquid composition Q. The cold source (CS) may be a cold sink, and the heat energy given off by the second stream Q2 may be used in different applications.

[0041] From the top section 11 of the vessel 10, the cooled liquid composition is allowed to pass through a spray condenser in the form of a perforated plate 20 having a plurality of holes 24, to create a drizzle of liquid sprays. The resulting multitude of fine liquid droplets provides a large surface area for contacting the impinging molecules of the gas composition to enhance and accelerate condensation thereof.

[0042] In Fig. 2, a cutaway view of the condensation device is shown. The perforated plate 20 is arranged in a top section 11 of the vessel 10, thus creating a space 18 above the perforated plate 20. The liquid composition is led into the space 18 through an inlet 14 in the vessel 10. In the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 2, the liquid composition inlet 14 is provided in the form of a conduit entering a side wall 13 of the vessel 10 and terminating in a central large opening 23 in the perforated plate 20. Of course, the liquid composition inlet 14 may also be arranged in any other suitable position in fluid communication with the space 18 above the perforated plate 20 in the top section 11 of the vessel 10.

[0043] The perforated plate 20 may be relatively thin [about 0.5 mm thickness] in order to produce fine sprays of the liquid composition passing through the holes 24. In operation, a certain level of the liquid composition above the perforated plate 20 is required to produce a uniform flow. As a result, the weight, or the pressure of the liquid composition in the space 18 above the perforated plate 20 may cause the perforated plate 20 to buckle or deform. To prevent deformation of the perforated plate 20, a supporting member 21 such as a grating may be arranged adjacent the perforated plate 20, either below as shown in Fig. 2 or above (not shown). The grating comprises openings bigger than the holes 24 in the perforated plate 20 so as not to adversely affect the formation of liquid sprays.

[0044] In the case of a supporting member 21 arranged above the perforated plate 20, a porous material may be arranged between the supporting member 21 and the perforated plate 20 to ensure that the liquid composition is guided to reach all the holes 24 in the perforated plate 20. With this solution, the supporting member 21 will not cover any of the holes 24 in the perforated plate 20. Alternatively, the perforated plate 20 may be of a stiffer and/or thicker material and being either perforated with holes or porous, or a "sandwich" solution wherein two or more plates may be used, with the upper plate being thicker and having larger holes.

[0045] Arranged slightly below the perforated plate 20 in the side wall 13 of the vessel 10 is an inlet 14 for the gas composition. The gas composition inlet 16 is positioned so as to maximise contact between the spray of liquid composition and the gas composition entering the vessel 10. The gas composition inlet 16 may be arranged at an angle (i.e. non-perpendicular) to the side wall 13 of the vessel 10 to create a tangential flow of the gas composition along the side wall 13. Furthermore, the gas composition inlet 16 may comprise a diffuser (not shown) to decelerate the gas composition exiting the turbine in a controlled manner, transforming the kinetic energy to potential energy in the form of increased static pressure. The diffuser aids in minimising build-up of counter pressure in the vessel 10, which otherwise would have a negative impact on the turbine power.

[0046] In the bottom section 12 of the vessel 10, a liquid composition outlet 15 is provided for evacuating the liquid composition from the vessel 10, using e.g. a first pump 17 (not shown in Fig. 2). The first pump 17 is preferably arranged directly below the liquid composition outlet 15 so as to minimise the required liquid level in the vessel 10 and to reduce the risk of cavitation. A vortex breaker 19 may be provided at or near the liquid composition outlet 15, e.g. a pair of plates or sheets arranged in the form of a vertical cross, or curved to conform to the shape of the bottom section 12 of the vessel 10 and partially covering the liquid composition outlet 15. As may be seen in Fig. 2, the shape of the bottom section 12 of the vessel 10 is somewhat conical and converging towards the liquid composition outlet 15 to direct the liquid composition towards the outlet 15.

[0047] In Fig. 3, the perforated plate 20 is illustrated in a perspective view. As may be seen, the plate comprises a plurality of holes 24 having a diameter in the range 0.01-5 mm. Smaller holes give finer liquid sprays, but have the disadvantage of becoming clogged up and are also more difficult to manufacture. In an operational setting, it has been found that holes of about 0.5 mm diameter create an optimal size and spray of liquid droplets as well as providing sufficient flow of liquid composition through the holes 24 to achieve rapid condensation of the incoming gas composition. The perforation percentage of the plate, i.e. the ratio between the total area of the holes 24 and the surface area of the plate, is selected from the range 1%-40%, preferably 5%-20%. The perforation percentage (i.e. the number of holes 24) and diameter of the holes 24 may be selected within the specified ranges to find the optimal values in order to obtain an optimal flow rate of the liquid composition and achieve immediate complete condensation of the incoming gas composition. In the context of the present invention, the term 'immediate' should be interpreted as spanning a short time period after the introduction of each gas molecule of the gas composition into the condensation vessel 10, e.g. an average vapour residence time of maximum 1 s, preferably 0.1 s.

[0048] In one exemplary embodiment, a vessel 10 having a height of 1200 mm and volume of 0.5 m<3>was used, with the temperature of the gas composition being about 50°C and the temperature of the liquid composition being about 20°C, the holes 24 of the perforated plate 20 were 0.5 mm in diameter and the perforation percentage was about 19%. With adjusted parameters for the flow of the gas composition and the liquid composition, and gas density, an average gas residence time in the vessel was calculated to be about 10 ms, which corresponds to complete, immediate condensation of the gas composition with a drive pressure of about 70 mbar (given by the height of the liquid column above the perforated plate) and a zero or negligible pressure differential (about 20 mbar) between the gas pressure in the vessel 10 and the vapour pressure corresponding to the liquid temperature at the bottom of the vessel 10. If the pressure differential should rise to about 200 mbar, the average gas residence time in the vessel increases to about 0.1 s.

[0049] Reverting to Fig. 1, there is also provided a unit for removal of non-condensable gases 30, also called an air trap unit [ATU], as described above. Non-condensable gases, such as air, may unintentionally enter the apparatus for energy production using a working fluid in a thermodynamic cycle due to small leaks. Said unit for removal of non-condensable gases 30 comprises a secondary condensation vessel 10 in fluid communication with the vessel 10 of the condensation device via a number of inlets and outlets, valves, and corresponding conduits. A pair of first inlets and outlets connects the ATU 30 with the vessel 10 directly, and is arranged to guide gaseous medium from the vessel 10 to the ATU 30 and guide liquid medium from the ATU 30 to the vessel 10.

Furthermore, a second inlet 14 to the ATU 30 is connected to the liquid composition outlet 15 of the vessel 10 via a third conduit 6c. The third conduit 6c is split off from the second conduit 6b and is passed through the top section 11 of the vessel 10. Hence, a portion of the second stream Q2, constituting a third stream Q3, passing through the third conduit 6c may be cooled by heat transfer with the liquid composition in the space 18 in the top section 11 before being guided to the ATU 30. The third stream Q3 may comprise 1%-5% of the collected liquid composition Q. Finally, a second outlet 15 from the ATU 30 is provided to evacuate non-condensable gases separated from the liquid composition out of the ATU 30.

Claims

1. A method for converting at least one gas composition into a liquid through direct contact condensation in a thermodynamic cycle, comprising the steps: - providing a perforated plate (20) comprising a plurality of holes (24) through which a liquid composition can pass the plate (20); - positioning the perforated plate (20) in a top section (11) of a vessel (10) into which a stream of the gas composition is arranged to enter; - pumping the liquid composition into the top section of the vessel (10) above the perforated plate (20) and letting the liquid composition pass through the holes (24), thereby forming a plurality of liquid sprays comprising the liquid composition; - feeding the gas composition into the vessel (10) below the perforated plate (20) such that the gas composition contacts the liquid sprays; and - adjusting the flow rate of the liquid composition to achieve complete, immediate condensation of the gas composition.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps: - collecting the liquid composition pumped through the perforated plate (20) after having passed through the holes (24) and after having absorbed or condensed the gas composition entering the vessel (10); - treating the collected liquid composition (Q) by heat transfer with a cold source (4) or hot source (2) and/or by extraction; and - recirculating the liquid composition to the top section of the vessel (10).

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps: splitting the collected liquid composition (Q) into separate streams (Q1, Q2); - redirecting a first stream (Q1) of the collected liquid composition (Q) for heat transfer (5) with a cold source (CS), and recirculating the cooled first stream (Q1) to the top section (11) of the vessel (10); and - redirecting a second stream (Q2) of the collected liquid composition (Q) for heat transfer (2) with a hot source (HS).

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step: - redirecting a portion of the second stream (Q2) of the collected liquid composition (Q) into a third stream (Q3) and passing the third stream (Q3) through the top section of the vessel (10) to be cooled.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the third stream (Q3) of the collected liquid composition (Q) is used for cooling other components in the thermodynamic closed-loop cycle, e.g. a pump (17, 22) or a unit for removal of non-condensable gases (30).

6. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, wherein the first stream (Q1) comprises 80%-99.9% of the collected liquid composition (Q) and the second stream (Q2) comprises 0.1%-20%, preferably 1%-10%, more preferably 3%-8%, most preferably 4%-5%, of the collected liquid composition (Q).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising feeding the gas composition tangentially into the vessel (10).

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, used for ideally complete absorption or condensation of a working fluid in a Rankine cycle, including Organic Rankine Cycles, Kalina cycle, Carbon Carrier cycle and other thermodynamic cycles for energy production, and heat pumps, wherein said working fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, hydrocarbons such as methanol and ethanol and isopropanol, ketones such as acetone and MEK, toluene, paraffin, amines or ammonia, amines or ammonia in combination with C02, refrigerants such as R-134a, R-245fa, Solvokane, as well as mixtures of solvents and mixtures with nano-sized or micronsized solid absorbents.

9. A condensation device for a thermodynamic cycle adapted to convert a gas composition into a liquid through direct contact condensation, the condensation device comprising: - a vessel (10) having a liquid composition inlet (14), a liquid composition outlet (15) and a gas composition inlet (16), the liquid composition inlet (14) being arranged in a top section (11) of the vessel (10) and the liquid composition outlet (15) being arranged in a bottom section (12) of the vessel (10); - a first pump (17) arranged to evacuate the liquid composition from the vessel (10) through the liquid composition outlet (15); - a perforated plate (20) arranged in the top section (11) of the vessel (10) to delimit a space (18) in fluid communication with the liquid composition inlet (14) and located above the gas composition inlet (16), and comprising a plurality of holes (24) through which the liquid composition may pass to create a plurality of spray clouds comprising the liquid composition.

10. The condensation device according to claim 9, further comprising a cold source heat exchanger (5), wherein the liquid composition outlet (12) is connected to the liquid composition inlet (11) by means of a first conduit (6a) via the cold source heat exchanger (4).

11. The condensation device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the top section (11) of the vessel (10) is dome shaped.

12. The condensation device according to any one of claims 9-11, wherein the bottom section (12) of the vessel (10) has a conical shape converging towards the liquid composition outlet (15).

13. The condensation device according to any one of claims 9-12, further comprising a supporting member (21) arranged adjacent the perforated plate (20).

14. The condensation device according to claim 13, wherein the supporting member (21) is arranged above the perforated plate (20) and further comprising a porous material arranged between the supporting member (21) and the perforated plate (20).

15. The condensation device according to any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein the supporting member (21) comprises a grating.

16. The condensation device according to any one of claims 9-15, further comprising a vortex breaker (19) arranged in or near the liquid composition outlet (15), the vortex breaker (19) including one or more of radial vanes, baffles, and/or curved plates.

17. The condensation device according to any one of claims 9-16, further comprising a diffuser arranged at the gas composition inlet (16).

18. The condensation device according to any one of claims 9-17, wherein the perforated plate (20) has a perforation percentage in the range of 1%-40%, preferably 5%-20%.

19. The condensation device according to any one of claims 9-18, wherein the holes (24) in the perforated plate (20) have a diameter in the range 0.01-5 mm, preferably 0.2-0. 8 mm, most preferably 0.4-0.6 mm.

20. An apparatus for energy production using a working fluid in a thermodynamic cycle comprising an evaporator (2), a turbine (3), a generator (4) and a condensation device according to any one of claims 9-19.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a unit for removal of non-condensable gases (30), wherein the liquid composition outlet (15) is connected to an inlet of the unit for removal of non-condensable gases (30) in a third conduit (6c) via a second pump (22), and an outlet of the unit for removal of non-condensable gases (30) is connected to the vessel (10).

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the third conduit (6c) is arranged to pass through the top section (11) of the vessel (10) to permit heat transfer between the liquid composition in the third conduit (6c) and the liquid composition in the top section (11) of the vessel (10).