WO2018182514A1 - Vapeur basse pression d'un condenseur de fluide polaire basée sur la liquéfaction dans l'écoulement d'un liquide non polaire - Google Patents

Vapeur basse pression d'un condenseur de fluide polaire basée sur la liquéfaction dans l'écoulement d'un liquide non polaire Download PDF

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WO2018182514A1
WO2018182514A1 PCT/SG2018/050141 SG2018050141W WO2018182514A1 WO 2018182514 A1 WO2018182514 A1 WO 2018182514A1 SG 2018050141 W SG2018050141 W SG 2018050141W WO 2018182514 A1 WO2018182514 A1 WO 2018182514A1
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polar
vapour
liquid
polar liquid
volatile
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PCT/SG2018/050141
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English (en)
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WO2018182514A9 (fr
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Dmitry Isakov
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Agency For Science, Technology And Research
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Priority to SG11201907484QA priority Critical patent/SG11201907484QA/en
Priority to US16/495,790 priority patent/US20200025421A1/en
Publication of WO2018182514A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018182514A1/fr
Publication of WO2018182514A9 publication Critical patent/WO2018182514A9/fr

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B15/00—Sorption machines, plants or systems, operating continuously, e.g. absorption type
    • F25B15/006—Sorption machines, plants or systems, operating continuously, e.g. absorption type with cascade operation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D5/00—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation
    • B01D5/0027—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation by direct contact between vapours or gases and the cooling medium
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D5/00—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation
    • B01D5/0033—Other features
    • B01D5/0045—Vacuum condensation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D5/00—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation
    • B01D5/0078—Condensation of vapours; Recovering volatile solvents by condensation characterised by auxiliary systems or arrangements
    • B01D5/0087—Recirculating of the cooling medium
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B15/00—Sorption machines, plants or systems, operating continuously, e.g. absorption type
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B23/00—Machines, plants or systems, with a single mode of operation not covered by groups F25B1/00 - F25B21/00, e.g. using selective radiation effect
    • F25B23/006—Machines, plants or systems, with a single mode of operation not covered by groups F25B1/00 - F25B21/00, e.g. using selective radiation effect boiling cooling systems
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B25/00—Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00
    • F25B25/005—Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00 using primary and secondary systems
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B33/00—Boilers; Analysers; Rectifiers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B35/00—Boiler-absorbers, i.e. boilers usable for absorption or adsorption
    • F25B35/02—Boiler-absorbers, i.e. boilers usable for absorption or adsorption using a liquid as sorbent, e.g. brine
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28C—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITHOUT CHEMICAL INTERACTION
    • F28C3/00—Other direct-contact heat-exchange apparatus
    • F28C3/06—Other direct-contact heat-exchange apparatus the heat-exchange media being a liquid and a gas or vapour
    • F28C3/08—Other direct-contact heat-exchange apparatus the heat-exchange media being a liquid and a gas or vapour with change of state, e.g. absorption, evaporation, condensation
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
    • Y02P70/10—Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a method of collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid.
  • the present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid.
  • Liquefaction is a phase change process that converts a solid or gaseous substance into liquid.
  • a type of liquefaction is condensation. Condensation converts a substance in its gas phase into its liquid phase. Typically, a condenser is used for condensation.
  • a condenser is a device that provides the capacity for heat rejection to the environment. This means that the gaseous substance loses heat energy, through the condenser, to the environment to become a liquid. From the perspective of a phase diagram, this means that the phase of the substance starts from a point to the right of the saturated curve (vapour state) and moves to a point left of the saturated curve (liquid phase), as illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • the vapour may reach a condenser in its super-heated state, i.e. a state represented by a point to the right of the saturated curve.
  • the vapour may behave like an ideal gas, exhibiting a property where there is linear dependence between pressure and temperature.
  • the intersection point of the super-heated lines (represented by the broken lines in FIG. 1) and the saturated curve determines the maximum limit for the heat sink temperature of the environment (T en v) that a condenser can use, i.e. the highest temperature of the environment for a condenser to transfer heat out.
  • T en v the maximum limit for the heat sink temperature of the environment
  • T en v the highest temperature of the environment for a condenser to transfer heat out.
  • a saturated state (a point on the saturated curve of FIG. 1) needs to be attained. This, however, may not be sufficient because the molecules have to be close enough for their bonds, e.g. hydrogen bonds, to interact, and latent heat released through recombination
  • Heat rejected in a condenser may include (i) sensible heat of super-heated vapour and (ii) latent heat released through phase transition.
  • the sensible heat from super-heated vapour is proportional to the temperature difference between the vapour temperature and the temperature of the point where the super-heated vapour line intersects the saturated curve (see FIG. 1).
  • the rate of heat rejection is also proportional to the temperature difference.
  • condensers may be categorized into passive and active condensers.
  • Performance of a passive condenser is determined by the temperature of the environment to which heat is rejected. This temperature (T en v) has to be less than the intersection point, as mentioned above and as illustrated in FIG. 1. Even for superheated low pressure vapours, it can be used as long as this temperature requirement is fulfilled.
  • an active condenser may be used.
  • active condensers There are several types of active condensers, which may differ in terms of how they operate, for example, (i) by cold traps, (ii) by vapour compression, (iii) vapour absorption and desorption (absorption-desorption), or (iv) jet ejectors.
  • Cold traps are straightforward but are generally least economical. In cold traps, the cooling fluid is first pre-cooled in a separate system to a temperature well below the intersection point. This means considerable amount of heat needs to be rejected to the environment in an auxiliary system in advance and cold trap is just using this "credit" (see FIG. 2, broken arrow 2).
  • a low pressure vapour is converted to a high pressure vapour by relying on a fluid moving at much higher pressures. In this way, a high pressure vapour can be condensed instead, albeit a considerably larger volume.
  • a limitation with cold traps is that the generation of sub-cooled fluid, or even solid, requires a separate chilling station and makes the whole process inefficient.
  • Compressors tend to be inefficient due to the large volume of vapour that they compress, which consumes high power.
  • absorption/desorption condensers require an external heat source, which is often a bulky system, may not be available and/or require to be constructed. Additionally, the used chemicals may generate acids at elevated water absorption levels, which may rapidly degrade the system.
  • a limitation for jet ejecters is that they require large quantities of high pressure vapour to operate and also large quantities of cooling water for condensation of that high pressure vapour.
  • a method of collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid comprising:
  • the output stream comprises a mixture of the vapour of the polar fluid, the non- volatile non-polar liquid and optionally some of the polar fluid which has condensed from the vapour of the polar fluid.
  • an apparatus for collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid comprising:
  • an enclosed container comprising an initial volume of the non- volatile non-polar liquid
  • a first outlet connected to a pump which reduces pressure above the surface of the non-volatile non-polar liquid
  • a first inlet configured to introduce a first input stream comprising the polar fluid or a super-heated vapour of the polar fluid into the enclosed container, wherein the nonvolatile non-polar liquid is less dense than the polar fluid and is disposed above the polar fluid;
  • a second inlet configured to introduce a second input stream comprising the nonvolatile non-polar liquid into a section of the enclosed container containing the nonvolatile non-polar liquid
  • a second outlet configured to withdraw an output stream from the section containing the non- volatile non-polar liquid, wherein the output stream comprises a mixture of the vapour of the polar fluid, the non- volatile non-polar liquid and optionally some of the polar fluid which has condensed from the vapour of the polar fluid.
  • FIG. 1 shows a typical phase diagram for super-heated high pressure and superheated low pressure vapours. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows the effect of temperature on a super-heated high pressure vapour (top arrow) and a super-heated low pressure vapour (bottom arrow).
  • FIG. 2 shows a phase diagram for active condensers where T en v is more than the intersection point for a super-heated low pressure vapour.
  • Process 1 (broken arrow 1) represents either vapour compression or absorption-desorption.
  • Process 2 (solid arrow 2) represents the use of cold traps.
  • FIG. 3 shows an apparatus that serves as a low pressure vapour condenser, based on liquefaction in a continuous system of mineral oil, according to one embodiment disclosed herein.
  • FIG. 4 shows a phase diagram for the phase changes that occur in the present method and apparatus.
  • Process 1 (broken arrow 1) represents the phase change process for either vapour compression or absorption-desorption.
  • process 2 (solid arrow 2) represents the phase change process that occurs when a cold trap is used.
  • Process 3 (dotted arrow 3) represents the phase change for a low pressure vapour condenser based on liquefaction in a continuous system of mineral oil, i.e. present method and apparatus.
  • FIG. 5 shows a process diagram for a system that includes the present apparatus.
  • the present apparatus operates based on the present method, where both the present apparatus and method are described in at least one of the embodiments disclosed herein.
  • the present disclosure relates to a method of collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid and an apparatus for collecting such a vapour in the non- volatile non-polar liquid.
  • the collection of the vapour includes condensation of the vapour in the non- volatile non-polar liquid.
  • the present method and apparatus circumvent the limitations as described above.
  • the present method and apparatus also prevent condensable vapour of the polar fluid, e.g. water, from entering into a vacuum system, such as a vacuum pump, which can condense within a compression chamber of the vacuum pump and reduce the vacuum efficiency or even shut down the vacuum system.
  • the present method and apparatus further generate cooled polar fluid, which can be used as a coolant.
  • the present method and apparatus capitalize on the following circumstance,
  • Bubbles in boiling liquid e.g. water, contain super-heated vapour.
  • the superheated vapour may be a vapour of a polar fluid. Only the highest energy molecules, according to Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, can form the bubbles. If these molecules are separated from the rest of the liquid, they may be taken as a very hot gas.
  • heat transfer from the bubbles moving in a sub-cooled liquid is highly efficient and can reach more than 10 kW/m 2 due to volumetric heat loss and convective heat transfer.
  • fluid as used herein is a general term covering liquids and gases.
  • gases include vapours.
  • polar refers to a molecule having a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other end.
  • a polar fluid refers to a fluid comprised of molecules having such positive and negative charges positioned as defined.
  • a non-limiting example of a polar fluid may be water.
  • non-polar refers to a molecule that does not have charge redistribution and the ends of the molecules are neutral.
  • a non-polar liquid refers to a liquid comprised of molecules having no charge redistribution and the ends of each of the molecules are neutral.
  • a non-limiting example of a non-polar liquid may be a mineral oil.
  • non-volatile refers to liquid that does not readily evaporate. This includes liquids that do not readily evaporate under vacuum or partial vacuum, where pressures are below atmospheric pressure.
  • a mineral oil that does not vapourize at 3 kPa can be referred to as a non- volatile liquid in the context of the present disclosure.
  • insoluble refers to liquids that remain separated even when they are mixed. For example, oil and water remain as separate liquids even when mixed. That is to say, neither oil nor water disappears into each other after mixing.
  • dissolved means that individual molecules of one substance may exist in another substance without agglomerating into clusters or droplets and without breakdown of the molecules.
  • vapour of a volatile fluid when vapour of a volatile fluid is dissolved in a nonvolatile liquid, it means that the vapour molecules may exist in the non-volatile liquid.
  • oil when it is described that oil contains dissolved water, it means that individual molecules of water may exist in oil. This is to be distinguished from the context where sodium chloride dissolves in water, in which the sodium chloride breaks down into its ions.
  • phase refers to the physical state of a material, e.g. solid, liquid or vapour.
  • a method of collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid comprising: providing in an enclosed container an initial volume of the non- volatile non-polar liquid, maintaining a reduced pressure above the surface of the non- volatile non-polar liquid, introducing a first input stream comprising the polar fluid or a super-heated vapour of the polar fluid into the enclosed container, wherein the non-volatile non-polar liquid is less dense than the polar fluid and is disposed above the polar fluid, introducing a second input stream comprising the non-volatile non-polar liquid into a section of the enclosed container containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid, and withdrawing an output stream from the section containing the non- volatile non-polar liquid, wherein the output stream comprises a mixture of the vapour of the polar fluid, the non-volatile non-polar liquid and optionally some of the polar fluid which has
  • a method of collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid comprising: providing in an enclosed container an initial volume of the polar fluid and an initial volume of the non-volatile non-polar liquid, wherein the non-volatile non-polar liquid is less dense than the polar fluid and is disposed above the polar fluid, maintaining a reduced pressure above the surface of the non- volatile non-polar liquid, introducing a first input stream comprising the polar fluid or a super-heated vapour of the polar fluid into the enclosed container, introducing a second input stream comprising the non-volatile non-polar liquid into a section of the enclosed container containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid, and withdrawing an output stream from the section containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid, wherein the output stream comprises a mixture of the vapour of the polar fluid, the non-volatile non-polar liquid and optionally some of the polar fluid which has conden
  • the polar fluid may be a polar liquid in various embodiments.
  • the present method may start without the initial volume of the polar fluid. That is to say, the present method may start with just the initial volume of the non-volatile non-polar liquid while the polar fluid may then accumulate at the bottom of the enclosed container, away from the initial volume of the non-volatile non-polar liquid, when the process starts.
  • the collection of such vapour may include condensing the vapour in the nonvolatile non-polar liquid.
  • maintaining the reduced pressure may comprise of removing non-condensable gases (e.g. air) such that the pressure (at least the pressure above the surface of the non-volatile non-polar liquid in the enclosed container) goes down to a partial pressure that is below a value corresponding to the boiling temperature of the polar fluid at the required temperature set-point.
  • This set-point refers to the condition where at least some of the polar fluid may be converted into its vapour form.
  • the reduced pressure may be set at a pressure which is sufficiently low to convert at least some of the polar fluid into the vapour of the polar fluid.
  • the pressure may be reduced to a level sufficient to cause boiling in the polar fluid at a required temperature range.
  • the required temperature range may depend on the type of polar fluid, the type of non- volatile non- polar liquid, and/or the conditions of the system in which the present method is utilized.
  • the pressure may be 3 kPa or less. This depends on, for example, the polar fluid and the non-volatile non-polar liquid used.
  • the polar fluid may comprise or may be, for example, water.
  • the polar liquid may comprise or may be, for example, water.
  • the polar fluid may be any polar fluid that is denser than the non-volatile non- polar liquid.
  • the non- volatile non-polar liquid may comprise or may be, for example, hydrocarbon, non-synthetic lubricant, mineral oil and/or vegetable oil.
  • the non-volatile non-polar liquid may be any non-volatile non-polar liquid that has a density lower than the polar liquid or polar fluid.
  • the non-volatile non-polar liquid is immiscible and does not react with the polar fluid.
  • Other suitable non- volatile non-polar liquid that is immiscible and does not react with the polar fluid may be used.
  • the non-volatile non-polar liquid may be mineral oil while the polar fluid may be water.
  • the vapour of the polar fluid to be condensed may be water vapour and the polar fluid then collected is water.
  • the polar fluid and non- volatile non-polar liquid allow for a distinguishable separation of both even when they are in contact with each other.
  • the vapour of the polar fluid e.g. polar liquid
  • the vapour of the polar fluid may comprise or consist of, for example, water vapour.
  • Other vapours of other polar liquids may also be worked on by the present method provided that it is, apart from density difference, immiscible with the non-volatile non-polar liquid. Since the vapour of the polar fluid may be water vapour and the polar fluid may be water, this means that the polar liquid and the vapour are of the same substance.
  • the vapour of the polar fluid may exist as bubbles, for example, in the polar fluid and/or in the non-volatile non- polar liquid.
  • introducing the second input stream may comprise or consist of delivering the non- volatile non-polar liquid from a position which is at a same height as or above the first input stream.
  • the configuration of introducing the non- volatile non-polar liquid at a position which is at a same height as or above the first input stream advantageously allows for and/or maximizes, the heat exchange and/or the distance over which heat transfer occurs, between the hot vapour bubbles of the polar liquid and the non- volatile non-polar liquid, thereby helping to condense and collect more vapour.
  • the first input stream may be introduced into the section containing the polar fluid or the non-volatile non-polar liquid.
  • the method may comprise introducing the second input stream into the section of the enclosed container containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid, which is disposed above the section containing the polar fluid, as the non- volatile non-polar liquid is less dense than the polar fluid. This advantageously prevents the escape of any vapour from the section containing the polar fluid into the vacuum system that maintains the reduced pressure.
  • introducing the second input stream may comprise delivering the non- volatile non-polar liquid with some polar fluid present in the nonvolatile non-polar liquid.
  • the some polar fluid e.g. water
  • the some polar fluid may be present as free water (liquid water), as an emulsion (e.g. oil-water emulsion when the non-volatile non-polar liquid is oil), and/or in a dissolved form (e.g. individual molecules of water in oil when the non-volatile non-polar liquid is oil).
  • the some polar fluid may be, as a non-limiting example, present in less than 100 ppm of the non- volatile non-polar liquid that is delivered.
  • the non-volatile non-polar liquid there may be no polar fluid present in the non-volatile non-polar liquid that is delivered in the second input stream.
  • using a non- volatile non-polar liquid that contains less of the polar fluid and/or less of the vapour of the polar fluid in the second input stream, e.g. at the start enables the non- volatile non-polar liquid to collect and condense more of the vapour. If a non-volatile non-polar liquid that is saturated with dissolved polar fluid is used in the second input stream, e.g. at the start, the amount of collected and condensed vapour may decrease due to less capacity of the non-volatile non-polar liquid to hold the polar fluid or the vapour of the polar fluid.
  • the method may further comprise withdrawing the polar fluid or polar liquid from a height which is below the first input stream.
  • cooled polar liquid e.g. cooled water
  • the method may further comprise cooling the mixture to condense the vapour of the polar fluid. This helps to condense more vapour in the mixture that is withdrawn from the section containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid.
  • a heat exchanger or chimney with sufficient air flow for heat exchange may be used for the cooling.
  • the mixture may be mixed with a non- volatile non-polar liquid having substantially low polar fluid content to condense the vapour of the polar fluid according to some embodiments.
  • the vapour of the polar fluid may exist as bubbles.
  • an apparatus for collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid comprising: an enclosed container comprising an initial volume of the non- volatile non-polar liquid, a first outlet connected to a pump which reduces pressure above the surface of the non- volatile non- polar liquid, a first inlet configured to introduce a first input stream comprising the polar fluid or a super-heated vapour of the polar fluid into the enclosed container, wherein the non- volatile non-polar liquid is less dense than the polar fluid and is disposed above the polar fluid, a second inlet configured to introduce a second input stream comprising the non- volatile non-polar liquid into a section of the enclosed container containing the non- volatile non-polar liquid, and a second outlet configured to withdraw an output stream from the section containing the non- volatile non-polar liquid, wherein the output stream comprises a mixture of the vapour of the polar fluid, the non-volatile non-polar liquid and optionally some of the
  • the present disclosure also provides for an apparatus for collecting vapour of a polar fluid in a non-volatile non-polar liquid, comprising: an enclosed container comprising an initial volume of the polar fluid and an initial volume of the non- volatile non-polar liquid, wherein the non-volatile non-polar liquid is less dense than the polar fluid and is disposed above the polar fluid, a first outlet connected to a pump which reduces pressure above the surface of the non-volatile non-polar liquid, a first inlet configured to introduce a first input stream comprising the polar fluid or a super-heated vapour of the polar fluid into the enclosed container, a second inlet configured to introduce a second input stream comprising the non-volatile non-polar liquid into a section of the enclosed container containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid, and a second outlet configured to withdraw an output stream from the section containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid, wherein the output stream comprises a mixture of the vapour of the polar fluid, the non-vola
  • the present apparatus may start without the initial volume of the polar fluid. That is to say, the present apparatus may start with just the initial volume of the non-volatile non-polar liquid while the polar fluid may then accumulate at the bottom of the enclosed container, away from the initial volume of the non-volatile non-polar liquid, when the process starts.
  • the pump may be a positive displacement pump.
  • the pump used to remove oil with vapour from the vacuum chamber may comprise or may be a positive displacement pump.
  • the pump used to reduce pressure above the surface of the non-volatile non-polar liquid may remove non-condensable gases (e.g. air) such that the pressure (at least the pressure above the surface of the non- volatile non-polar liquid in the enclosed container) goes down to a partial pressure that is below a value corresponding to the boiling temperature of the polar fluid at the required temperature set-point.
  • This set- point refers to the condition where at least some of the polar fluid may be converted into its vapour form.
  • the reduced pressure may be set at a pressure which is sufficiently low to convert at least some of the polar fluid into the vapour of the polar fluid.
  • the pump may reduce pressure to a level sufficient to cause boiling in the polar fluid at a required temperature range.
  • the required temperature range may depend on the type of polar fluid, the type of non- volatile non- polar liquid, and/or the conditions of the system in which the present apparatus is utilized.
  • the pressure may be 3 kPa or less. This depends on, for example, the polar fluid and the non-volatile non-polar liquid used.
  • the first inlet may comprise one end disposed at any height in the enclosed container provided that height is lower than the position at which the second inlet introduces the non- volatile non-polar liquid into the enclosed container. This advantageously allows for and/or maximizes, the heat exchange and/or the distance over which heat transfer occurs, between the hot vapour bubbles of the polar liquid and the non- volatile non-polar liquid, thereby helping to condense and collect more of the polar liquid and/or polar vapour.
  • the first inlet may comprise one end disposed in the section containing the polar fluid or the non-volatile non-polar liquid according to some embodiments.
  • the second inlet of the apparatus may comprise one end disposed at a position in the section containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid which is at a same height as or above the one end of the first inlet that may be disposed in the section containing the non-volatile non-polar liquid. This helps to introduce the non-volatile non-polar liquid into the apparatus from a position over where the polar liquid is introduced into the enclosed container, which reduces chances of polar fluid of being pumped out from the chamber together with the non- volatile non-polar liquid and vapour of the polar fluid. If too much polar fluid in such a mixture of polar fluid, non-volatile non-polar liquid and vapour of the polar fluid is pumped out in the output stream, efficiency of the system may be reduced.
  • the second inlet may be configured to introduce the second input stream comprising the non-volatile non-polar liquid with some polar fluid present in the non-volatile non-polar liquid.
  • the amount of polar fluid present in the non-volatile non-polar liquid that is delivered has been described above. In some instances, there may be no polar fluid present in the non-volatile non-polar liquid that is delivered in the second input stream.
  • the apparatus may have the second outlet comprises one end disposed at a position in the section containing the non- volatile non-polar liquid which is at a same height as or above the one end of the first inlet that may be disposed in the section containing the non- volatile non-polar liquid.
  • the second outlet may be at least five times larger, in terms of the cross-section, than the first inlet as bubbles occupy a considerable volume in the fluid that is pumped out. This allows more vapour and vapour bubbles to be withdrawn from the apparatus.
  • the actuation unit in FIG. 5 is for generating a lower pressure than the pressure above the non- volatile non-polar liquid, which ensures that all bubbles are drawn towards the second outlet.
  • the apparatus may contain other outlets.
  • Such an outlet may be disposed at a position below and away from the one end of the first inlet that may be disposed in the section containing the polar fluid or the non- volatile non-polar liquid or at a height below the one end of the first inlet that may be disposed in the section containing the polar fluid or the non- volatile non-polar liquid, where the cooled polar fluid can then be routed to be used as a coolant.
  • the apparatus may further comprise a heat exchanger which cools the mixture to condense the vapour of the polar fluid. This helps to condense more vapour of the polar fluid in the mixture that is withdrawn from the section containing the non- volatile non-polar liquid.
  • a heat exchanger or chimney with sufficient air flow for heat exchange may be used.
  • the present disclosure provides a method of collecting, including condensing, vapour inside a liquid that is subjected to continuous flow in a process system, the liquid having a low vapour pressure (i.e. non-volatile) and being a non- polar liquid.
  • the collection of the vapour, by condensation, occurs via four transition steps, which include (1) vapour (e.g. vapour of water) transferring sensible heat to the liquid (e.g. oil), (2) bubbles containing vapour collapse and become water in hot oil, (3) dissolved vapour liquefies through heat removal at elevated temperatures, and (4) oil and water are separated due to the difference in polarity between the polar fluid and the non-volatile non-polar liquid.
  • the present method thus converts low grade (i.e. low temperature) waste heat into high grade heat source suitable for efficient heat rejection or heat recovery applications.
  • Various embodiments of the present method and apparatus include a chamber for vacuum boiling of a polar liquid (e.g. water), where low density and hot vapour of the polar fluid may be separated from higher density cold polar fluid.
  • This chamber may be the enclosed container.
  • the hot vapour of the polar fluid travels through a floating layer of non-volatile non-polar liquid (e.g. mineral oil) that has a density lower than the polar fluid (e.g. polar liquid).
  • the vapour of the polar fluid may be collapsed to form water in the oil and withdrawn from the chamber in the form of an oil/water solution together with vapour bubbles that have not collapsed and liquefied hot water.
  • the present method and apparatus may involve a heat exchanger with hot oil/water solution that is enclosed in a chimney structure that allows for cooling with almost zero energy input.
  • the heat exchanger may be designed to target maximum liquefaction of water in oil at existing ambient temperature.
  • the heat exchanger should be connected to an oil/water separator, for example, to complete the vapour condensation cycle and return purified cold oil into the system and/or apparatus.
  • the oil/water separator may include additional cooling device for further separation of oil and water, and/or elimination of particle debris before recycling both the oil and/or water.
  • Example 1 The Present Method and Apparatus
  • the present apparatus was set up as described below, and is illustrated in FIG. 3. The present method was carried out using the present apparatus.
  • a chamber or reservoir was partly filed with water and a mineral oil that is non- polar and has low vapour pressure. Since the mineral oil has low vapour pressure, it does not readily evaporate and is, therefore, a non- volatile non-polar liquid.
  • Other nonvolatile non-polar liquids, and other polar liquids for replacing the water may be used as long as they are immiscible, e.g. mineral oil and water, respectively, and do not react with each other.
  • the non- volatile non-polar liquid and the polar liquid for example, mineral oil and water, respectively, should also differ in density. Due to different densities, the mineral oil floats on water.
  • the hot water inlet was positioned above the oil/water boundary.
  • the incoming hot water separated into water vapour and liquid water.
  • the separation occurs as the water vapour has a density lower than the oil while the liquid water has a density higher than the oil. Accordingly, vapour bubbles with energetic molecules ascend in the oil while cooled polar water descends in the oil.
  • a water drain was introduced or positioned to remove excess water.
  • the removed water may serve as a supply of cold water to the cooling system or for cooling applications.
  • the present method may be compared to that of standard active condensers through a phase diagram as shown in FIG. 4.
  • process 3 (the broken arrow 3) in FIG. 4.
  • the collapse of the bubbles is a form of vapour compression. All the latent heat is effectively transferred to the oil and then rejected at elevated temperature.
  • the present method advantageously differs in that the effective pressure in the bubbles is larger than the pressure in "free vapour” (i.e. vapour not in the form of bubbles) after the bubbles escaped the interface between the non-volatile non-polar liquid and vacuum.
  • processes 1 and 3 may begin with the same vacuum pressure to initiate boiling.
  • the vapour reaches the compressor at the same vacuum pressure. If the compressor produces, for example, compressed vapour with a pressure value that is three times higher than the initial vacuum pressure for boiling, the compression ratio may then be taken as 3.
  • vapour of the present method which exists in the form of bubbles confined in the non-volatile non-polar liquid (e.g. oil), tends to have an internal pressure higher than the initial vacuum pressure for initiating boiling, and this implies that less compression is needed for such vapour bubbles. Hence, a lower compression ratio is required.
  • the ratio between the final and initial pressures may be used to determine the power required of the compressor.
  • Example 3 Further Components of the Present Method and Apparatus
  • the oil/water output have to be considerably larger than the oil input pipe.
  • the oil/water mixture that is withdrawn may contain large volume of bubbles, such oil/water/vapour mixture may have a low viscosity, large volume, and as a result, become destructive for the oil pump.
  • the oil/water/vapour mixture may be a mixture of the vapour of the polar fluid, the non-volatile non-polar liquid and optionally some of the polar fluid which has condensed from the vapour of the polar fluid. Care, therefore, has to be taken in this regard. For example, oil can be first pumped out into a holding chamber where most of the bubbles are allowed to collapse.
  • the present system or apparatus may further comprise a chamber configured to mix the mixture with a non- volatile non-polar liquid having substantially low polar fluid content to condense the vapour of the polar fluid.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Vaporization, Distillation, Condensation, Sublimation, And Cold Traps (AREA)
  • Peptides Or Proteins (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé de collecte, consistant à condenser la vapeur d'un fluide polaire à l'intérieur d'un liquide qui est soumis à un écoulement continu dans un système de traitement, le liquide ayant une faible pression de vapeur (à savoir non volatil) et étant un liquide non polaire. La collecte de la vapeur, par condensation, se produit par le biais de quatre étapes de transition : (1) de la vapeur (par exemple, de la vapeur d'eau) transfère de la chaleur sensible au liquide (par exemple, de l'huile), (2) des bulles contenant de la vapeur éclatent et deviennent de l'eau dans de l'huile chaude, (3) la vapeur dissoute se liquéfie par élimination de la chaleur à des températures élevées et (4) l'huile et l'eau sont séparées en raison de la différence de polarité entre le fluide polaire et le liquide non polaire non volatil. Le procédé de la présente invention convertit la chaleur perdue de faible qualité (à savoir à basse température) en une source de chaleur de haute qualité appropriée pour des applications efficaces de rejet de chaleur ou de récupération de chaleur. La présente invention porte également sur un appareil destiné à collecter la vapeur d'un fluide polaire dans un liquide non polaire non volatil.
PCT/SG2018/050141 2017-03-27 2018-03-27 Vapeur basse pression d'un condenseur de fluide polaire basée sur la liquéfaction dans l'écoulement d'un liquide non polaire WO2018182514A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

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SG11201907484QA SG11201907484QA (en) 2017-03-27 2018-03-27 Low pressure vapour of polar fluid condenser based on liquefaction in running non-polar liquid
US16/495,790 US20200025421A1 (en) 2017-03-27 2018-03-27 Low pressure vapour of polar fluid condenser based on liquefaction in running non-polar liquid

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SG10201702478Q 2017-03-27

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US20230321560A1 (en) * 2022-04-08 2023-10-12 James Jeffrey Harris Submerged, condensing, direct contact, phase shifting heat transfer process

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB843978A (en) * 1957-01-31 1960-08-10 Koppers Co Inc Improvements in or relating to the separation of an absorbed liquid component from an absorption liquid
US3968835A (en) * 1973-07-18 1976-07-13 Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Heat exchanger for oil deodorizing plant
JPH11351684A (ja) * 1998-06-15 1999-12-24 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 二次冷媒冷凍サイクル装置
CN103143229A (zh) * 2013-03-07 2013-06-12 西安交通大学 一种基于分子相溶性的有机可燃气体提纯装置及方法
JP2015087051A (ja) * 2013-10-30 2015-05-07 三菱重工業株式会社 直接接触熱交換器を備えた冷媒システム

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB843978A (en) * 1957-01-31 1960-08-10 Koppers Co Inc Improvements in or relating to the separation of an absorbed liquid component from an absorption liquid
US3968835A (en) * 1973-07-18 1976-07-13 Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Heat exchanger for oil deodorizing plant
JPH11351684A (ja) * 1998-06-15 1999-12-24 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 二次冷媒冷凍サイクル装置
CN103143229A (zh) * 2013-03-07 2013-06-12 西安交通大学 一种基于分子相溶性的有机可燃气体提纯装置及方法
JP2015087051A (ja) * 2013-10-30 2015-05-07 三菱重工業株式会社 直接接触熱交換器を備えた冷媒システム

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US20200025421A1 (en) 2020-01-23
WO2018182514A9 (fr) 2019-07-04

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