Apparatus for sustained thermal separation of multicomponent substances

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the sustained thermal separation of a substance delivered to a treatment chamber in a container. Besides the container, the apparatus comprises a heating device with an external heat source and a rotary mechanism with an external rotary drive. The heating device and the rotary drive both have their respective operating input power P hd and P rm When operated at op is the evaporation temperature T of at least one liquid that is part of the substance e The volume V near the inner surface of the container is equal to or higher than p It is configured to be acquired within.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates primarily to an apparatus for the sustained thermal separation of multi-component materials flowing into a treatment chamber.

[0002] The apparatus is particularly suitable for utilizing waste heat as a major indirect energy contributor for the thermal separation of waste and by-products, which involves removing fluids from materials by heating. [Background technology]

[0003] A variety of substances, including both solid materials and vaporizable liquids, can be thermally separated by heating the substances to a temperature above the vaporization temperature of the liquid.

[0004] As a result of the heating, the liquid changes phase from liquid to gas phase, while the solid is dried. Equipment for such thermal separation processes is well known in the art and is commonly referred to as a "thermal desorption unit" (TDU) or dryer. During the thermal treatment, the liquid is usually condensed back to the liquid phase as a post-treatment or additional treatment step.

[0005] TDUs are used to treat many different materials that contain one or more evaporable liquids, such as waste and by-products from food production, municipal sludge, waste from refining processes or drilling, and a variety of other materials. The predominant thermal isolation techniques commercially available on the market today can be broadly divided into two categories. -Indirect heating thermal separation -Friction-based thermal isolation

[0006] Most existing TDU technologies are based on indirect heating: an external heat source heats the outer wall of the container, and the heat is transferred via the inner surface of the container onto the material to be heated.

[0007] The external heat source can in principle be anything capable of heating the substance to the temperature required to evaporate the relevant liquid in the substance inside the container. The most used heating sources are steam, hot oil, flame, heated gas or exhaust, and electricity (cable, element, induction, etc.).

[0008] One example of an apparatus for drying materials using an indirect method is disclosed in Patent Publication No. GB1575576A. This publication particularly relates to the treatment of a mixture of wellbore drilling cuttings and drilling fluid to remove volatile materials from the drilling cuttings, and includes a heater for heating the cuttings in a heating chamber and vaporizing the volatile materials therein. Heating of the cuttings may involve an external electrical resistance element or may use a heat transfer fluid, which is in turn heated by an electrically energized auxiliary heat exchanger.

[0009] Other relevant published documents disclosing relevant prior art indirect solutions for separating waste materials are US 5,375,343 A, which discloses an evaporator for drying sludge, and US 3,808,701 A, which discloses an apparatus for drying fluid materials.

[0010] The evaporator in US 5,375,343 essentially includes a hollow, cylindrical, externally driven rotor equipped with vanes extending the length of the evaporator. The device assumes gradual heating along the evaporator. Furthermore, the device in US 3,808,701 includes a horizontally arranged cylindrical conduit and a rotor rotating internally within the conduit. The rotor supports vane-like elements operatively associated with the inner wall of the conduit, which serve to wipe, circulate, crush, and scrape the flowing material.

[0011] All existing indirect (continuous) methods have an internal transport mechanism where the mass will be slowly heated over time (and distance). The temperature will rise to approximately 100 degrees Celsius, and therefore, this will take some time (and distance) because all the energy required for water evaporation will be transferred to the waste. If the material also contains liquids with higher evaporation temperatures, such as oil, most of such liquids will not evaporate before subsequent further heating of the material. In such situations, the internal transport mechanism is often 10 to 20 meters long, and it can take up to 20 minutes before all the liquid in the waste is evaporated.

[0012] The main challenge of existing indirect methods is the heat transfer from the inside surface of the container into the material to be heated. From the start, the material or materials are "wet solids." Water, and possibly other liquids such as oil, are integral parts and not "loose." The material will be influenced by gravity and will be located at or near the lower area (i.e., bottom) of the vessel / container. As the solids are heated, they will dry out and, as a result, the heat transfer rate will quickly decrease. The heat transfer rate from the steel to the liquid containing the material will initially be higher, but the heat transfer will slowly reach a level equal to or similar to the heat transfer between the inside wall of the container and the dried solids in the material. Generally, for a typical drilling waste composition, i.e., oil, water, and mineral solids, a heat transfer rate of approximately 75 W / m in an indirect solution is required. 2 Achieving an average heat transfer better than K is regarded as difficult. One challenge relates to the fact that solids will build up an isolating layer on the heated surface, thereby reducing heat transfer efficiency. For protein containing solids, this is particularly challenging, as such solids have properties that make them highly affected by heat, leading to unnecessary degradation of potentially valuable solids.

[0013] Friction-based thermal separation, on the other hand, is based on a very different principle from indirect thermal separation: the transfer of kinetic energy derived from a rotating drive to thermal energy (heat) through friction. In these friction-based processes, no internal surfaces of the material containing chamber are heated from the outside. Instead, in stark contrast to indirect solutions, the entire heat transfer surface, i.e., the solidified surface of all dried particles in the waste, is entirely located within the process chamber. This solidified surface area is much larger than the corresponding heat transfer surface of indirect solutions, thereby making internal transport mechanisms irrelevant.

[0014] Friction-based solutions rely entirely on rotational energy and therefore do not utilize residual heat sources or other external indirect heat sources.

[0015] Also, energy losses in friction-based solutions are usually significant. For example, when a diesel engine is used to generate the required rotational energy and / or electrical power coming from a diesel generator, losses of around 2 / 3 are typical.

[0016] The following patent publications disclose relevant examples of known friction-based dryers:

[0017] US4869810 (A) discloses a method for separating underwater oil and other evaporable liquids from drilling muds, and for separating bleaching earth, sludge from oil tanks, oil shale, or the like, in which the mud is evaporated at a lower temperature than with conventional evaporation due to the fact that the capillary forces binding the separate fragments in the pores of the mud are destroyed in the friction evaporator.

[0018] WO02092187 (A1) discloses a method for separating oil, water, and other components that can be evaporated from an oil-containing material by evaporation. Evaporation is achieved at temperatures below the atmospheric boiling point of the component due to the use of a gas phase established by the evaporation of the second component. Also included is a means for drying a fluid-containing material, comprising a processing chamber and a rotor mounted within the processing chamber. The rotor comprises several fixed rotor arms that cannot swing, and the inner surface of the processing chamber is smooth.

[0019] The operation of all known friction-based dryers relies on the extensive use of rotational energy, thus limiting the use of alternative energy sources such as surplus energy.

[0020] A common drawback with any of the known thermal techniques (both indirect and friction-based methods) is the consumption of large amounts of energy, both of which result in high operating and / or investment costs.

[0021] For that reason, cheaper, less efficient solutions such as landfilling or incineration are often chosen. These cheaper solutions are often problematic due to their environmental hazards and waste of potentially valuable resources.

[0022] In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method that solves, or at least alleviates, one or more of the aforementioned problems associated with the use of prior art solutions.

[0023] A particular object of the present invention is to provide a method that allows the use of smaller equipment.

[0024] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method that provides more efficient separation of multi-component materials fed into the apparatus.

[0025] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method that provides more effective mixing of multi-component materials fed into the apparatus.

[0026] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for generating more favorable energy consumption during drying by utilizing waste heat sources. Utilizing unused (overflow) waste / surplus heat can significantly reduce operational costs.

[0027] Additionally or alternatively, the present invention aims to provide a method that allows for the efficient utilization of other surplus energy sources, including components separated in the present process, that have calorific value, such as oil or dried biomass. Examples of such waste materials are waste oil, waste solvents, refuse-derived fuels, carpet and textile waste, plastic or mixed plastic waste, automobile shredder residue, and meat and bone meal (MBM).

[0028] Excess heat and / or heat-generating components from the waste can be used for thermal separation on-site, for example, on an oil drilling platform.

[0029] Additionally, excess heat and / or heat-generating components from the waste can partially or completely substitute for other energy contributors.

[0030] Some existing solutions are capable of utilizing excess heat as the primary energy supply for thermal isolation. However, these solutions have limited heat transfer capacity and would necessarily require large heating surfaces and long internal transport mechanisms. As a result, they are bulky with higher energy losses, and the relatively larger heating surfaces need to be protected / insulated to both avoid heat loss and reduce hazards. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0031] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe further characteristics of the invention.

[0032] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a separation device suitable for sustained thermal separation of a substance being fed into a treatment chamber, the substance being heated to a temperature above a vaporization temperature T e It comprises two or more components that can be evaporated at

[0033] The separating device has a length l c and a container having a container wall with an inner surface and an outer surface enclosing a treatment chamber having a height H and a width W. c and height H, respectively, the average length l across the extension of the chamber perpendicular to and along the length of the chamber. c Note that the average height / width H,W is defined as:

[0034] The container further includes a substance inlet for delivering the substance into the treatment chamber, a first outlet for discharging a non-evaporated portion of the substance, such as solid particles, from the treatment chamber, a second outlet for discharging an evaporated portion of the substance, such as gas and / or vapor, from the treatment chamber, and a rotary mechanism.

[0035] The rotary mechanism is adapted to rotate at least partially through the length l of the treatment chamber. cThe mixing device includes a rotatable shaft arranged within the treatment chamber along the L direction (hereinafter abbreviated as the L direction), and a mixing device fixed to the rotatable shaft and extending perpendicularly therefrom. The rotatable shaft is preferably aligned with the central axis C of the treatment chamber (midpoint between the height H and width W) along the L direction. Furthermore, the rotatable shaft preferably extends through the center point of at least one of the end portions of the container along the L direction, with at least one of the ends of the rotatable shaft located outside the outer surface of the container. Furthermore, the radially outermost portion of the mixing device preferably includes multiple radially separated mixing protrusions. These mixing protrusions may be in the form of, for example, a single radially protruding rod distributed both axially and radially, and / or axially oriented rods arranged within the radially protruding portion of the mixing device disk.

[0036] The separation apparatus further comprises a rotary drive operatively connected to or near the end of the rotatable shaft, and a heating device arranged outside the treatment chamber, e.g., at the outer surface and / or at the inner surface within the vessel wall, for delivering thermal energy through the inner surface to a region extending between the outer radial boundary of the mixing device and the length l of the treatment chamber. c The minimum peripheral volume V within the treatment chamber that is enclosed between the inner surface along p The method is configured to transmit the

[0037] It should be noted that the term "radial" is hereinafter defined as the direction within the vessel that is oriented perpendicular to the L direction.

[0038] The rotary drive may be at least one of an electric motor, a combustion engine, and a turbine.

[0039] Minimum peripheral volume V p The definition of V is to be interpreted as the volume between the inner wall of the container and the outside of the outer boundary of the mixing device (in all spatial directions). Therefore, any free space between the structures of the mixing device is included in the minimum peripheral volume V. pFor example, if a container has an internal length l of 1 metre, c and inner diameter d c The outermost structure of the mixing device fixed to the rotatable shaft has an average radial distance of 0.95 meters (d md ) and an average of 0.90 meters (l md ) if extended, the minimum peripheral volume V p is as follows: [ka]

[0040] In the formula, d c = 1 meter, l c = 1 meter, d md = 0.95 meters, and l md =0.90 meters.

[0041] The mixing device comprises a plurality of rotary discs fixed with an axial offset relative to a rotatable axis with a preferred radially symmetric orientation about the axis of rotation, and a plurality of elongated bodies interconnecting the plurality of rotary discs. The volume between the inner wall of the vessel and the outer boundary of the rotary discs is defined herein as the maximum peripheral volume.

[0042] The heating device and the rotary drive are both connected to each other via their respective operating input power P hd and P rm When operated at op is the evaporation temperature T e A minimum peripheral volume V equal to or greater than p at least a portion of, preferably the entire minimum peripheral volume V p It is configured to be acquired within.

[0043] By using this particular configuration, the separation device has a heat transfer coefficient that is significantly higher than the average heat transfer coefficient of the material initially fed into the treatment chamber, T eThe vaporizable component is allowed to evaporate into a vapor cloud at the

[0044] It may also be envisaged that the rotatable shaft may also be connected to more than one rotary drive unit, such as for example two electric motors, an electric motor and a combustion engine, etc.

[0045] In an exemplary configuration, the radial diameter d of the mixing device md and the radial diameter of the treatment chamber, d c The ratio between these is 0.8 to 1.0.

[0046] Additionally, the plurality of radially separated mixing protrusions may be spaced apart over the axial length l of the mixing device. md The number of mixing protrusions in each set is defined as the number of axially nearest mixing protrusions in a perfect circle around the rotatable shaft when viewed along the direction of the rotatable shaft at an axial position directly in front of the set.

[0047] As mentioned above, the mixing device may further comprise a plurality of elongated bodies interconnecting the plurality of rotary discs.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment with a set of at least eight radially separated mixing protrusions, the rotary drive is configured to generate a peripheral rotation speed in excess of 5 meters per second to avoid significant effects of gravity, and more preferably to generate a peripheral rotation speed of 20 meters per second or higher to ensure intense mixing and near instantaneous heating and evaporation at the inner surface. p is measured at the outside of the mixing device, preferably at the outermost radial boundary. Thus, if the mixing device comprises radially protruding elements, the outermost radial boundary may be the disturbance means. Alternatively, or in addition, such boundary may be an elongated body of the mixing device.

[0049] At peripheral rotational speeds of 20 meters per second or higher, the turbulent flow characteristics are such that the minimum peripheral volume V p When the goal is to create turbulent flow characteristics, the primary purpose of the mixing device is not to convert kinetic energy into frictional heat, but primarily to reach and maintain a turbulent vapor cloud that is heated inside the treatment chamber via the inner surface of the container by an external heat source, and (concurrently) ensure continuous heat transfer from the vapor cloud onto the inflowing material by stirring the material inside the treatment chamber so that solids contained in the inflowing material are continuously suspended within the generated vapor cloud. The number of radially separated mixing lobes required in each set may be determined according to the following relationship: # mp =C(d md / v p,min ) where C is a constant greater than or equal to 12π, mp is the number of radially separated mixing lobes in each set, and d md [m] is the radial diameter of the mixing device in each set, and v p,min [m / s] is the minimum peripheral rotational speed at the location on each of the mixing protrusions closest to the inner surface.

[0050] As mentioned above, the minimum peripheral rotation speed v p,min is the minimum peripheral volume V during operation. p is set to ensure that there is no or insignificant effect of gravity on the material within, e.g. md =1.1m and v p,min If =5m / sec, # mp should be at least 8.

[0051] Minimum peripheral volume V pIn an even more preferred embodiment, the constant C may be set equal to or higher than 45π, for example, 60π or 80π, when determining the number of mixing protrusions in each set, to ensure that the non-evaporated and evaporated portions of the material in the nozzle achieve turbulent flow characteristics during operation. Intense, nearly instantaneous heating of the inner surface is thus achieved. For example, d md =1.1m and v p,min = 25m / sec, # mp should be at least 6, with C equal to 45π.

[0052] Minimum peripheral rotation speed v p,min and the number of radially separated mixing lobes in each set # mp and the radial diameter of the mixing device, d md Note that the above relationship between ρ and ρ does not take into account the mixing / impingement effect due to the force from each mixing protrusion set by its velocity.

[0053] The radially separated mixing protrusions may comprise a plurality of radially protruding elements distributed with an offset along the L direction. The term "radially protruding element" is defined herein as an element, preferably an elongated element such as a rod, that is oriented with a significant radial component. The radial component preferably comprises more than 50%, e.g., 100%, of the total length of the element.

[0054] A plurality of radially projecting elements, such as rods, may be connected to a plurality of elongate bodies, most preferably displaceably connected, for example, by the use of threads.

[0055] Additionally, the plurality of radially protruding elements may be arranged radially symmetrically around the rotatable axis.

[0056] At least one of the plurality of radially protruding elements may include, at or near its end closest to the inner surface, a disrupting means or structure designed to improve mixing of the materials. The disrupting means may take the form of, for example, a sharp edge, a disk, a hammer shape, an airfoil, etc. At least the latter two exemplary shapes should be oriented with a head or leading edge pointing toward the direction of rotation of the rotating mechanism.

[0057] The heating device must have a minimum peripheral volume V p At least part of the operating temperature T op The remaining portion of the total heat energy is therefore generated by the rotational movement of the rotary mechanism.

[0058] In one exemplary configuration of the separation device, the treatment chamber has an inner radial diameter d c (or, if not constant, the mean inner radial diameter d c ) and has a cylindrical shape with a length l c and inner radial diameter d c The ratio between (l c / d c ) is equal to or less than 4.0, even more preferably equal to or less than 2.5, even more preferably equal to or less than 2.0, even more preferably equal to or less than 1.5, for example, 1.

[0059] In addition to or as an alternative to the above exemplary configurations, the mixing device may be arranged and designed so that it does not contribute to the net transport of material along the L direction from the inlet to the outlet. For example, the shape of the disturbance means and / or elongate body may be such that no amount of material is pushed along the L direction, or that only an insignificant amount of material is pushed along the L direction.

[0060] In another exemplary configuration, at least one of the rotary disks exhibits at least one through-opening for allowing the evaporated portion of the substance to flow therethrough during operation. At least one of the through-openings may be designed radially symmetrically around the axis of rotation. Also, at least one through-opening may be arranged in the radial half of each rotary disk located closest to the rotatable axis.

[0061] In a specific configuration, the rotary disk located nearest the end of the container with the substance inlet is small, i.e., does not have any through openings, while the remaining disks exhibit such openings, thereby ensuring that no or only a small amount of non-evaporated portion of the substance is allowed to flow out of the container at the second outlet.

[0062] The container is further disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface, thereby enlarging the surface area of ​​the treatment chamber and minimizing the minimum peripheral volume V p The treatment chamber may further include a plurality of inner support members that increase the generation of turbulence of the material within the treatment chamber. Each of the inner support members protrudes radially into the treatment chamber. The support members are preferably distributed with an offset around the circumference of the inner surface, particularly on the inner wall oriented along the L direction.

[0063] In yet another exemplary configuration, the heating device further includes an enclosure arranged around the container such that a gap is created between the outer surface of the container wall and the inner surface of the enclosure. The enclosures each include a heat inlet and a heat outlet for feeding heated fluid into the gap and discharging the heated fluid out of the gap. At least a portion of the gap may also include a plurality of outer fins extending in a direction perpendicular to the L direction, thereby increasing the surface area of ​​the outer wall and allowing heat to be transferred more efficiently into the container wall. An outer support member may be fixed to the outer surface of the container wall and / or on the inner surface of the enclosure.

[0064] The heated fluid that travels through the gap via the thermal inlet and the thermal outlet may be at least one of water vapor, hot steam, melt, heated liquid, excess exhaust from the generator, and excess exhaust from the engine, turbine, and / or incinerator.

[0065] Alternatively or additionally, the heating device may comprise at least one heating element, for example at least one electric heating element, arranged in the vessel wall, for example in the form of a heating rod inserted in a heating channel extending along the L direction. Such heating rods may be distributed with an offset around the vessel.

[0066] Alternatively, or in addition, the heating device may comprise electric heating elements, microwave heaters, and / or induction heaters arranged around the exterior surface of the container.

[0067] The separator further comprises a flow rate S i a delivery device for delivering the flow of material into the treatment chamber at, a purifier for purifying the evaporated portion of the material discharged from the second outlet during operation, and a solids discharge tank for collecting the non-evaporated portion discharged from the first outlet during operation.

[0068] flow rate S i can be measured as the flow rate in kg / hour when averaged over a suitable period, for example, 1 minute, or 10 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 1 hour, or 3 hours.

[0069] When thermal energy is derived from surplus sources, the present invention may allow for substitution of other energy inputs, thereby significantly reducing operating energy costs and / or causing a substantial reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.

[0070] The conceptual idea of ​​the present invention is to generate sufficient heat transfer from an external heat source onto the material to be evaporated inside a closed container so that evaporation occurs instantaneously or nearly instantaneously, in sharp contrast to traditional indirect methods where evaporation occurs more slowly.

[0071] Such instantaneous or near-instantaneous evaporation is achieved by the separation apparatus of the present invention because heat from an external heat source is not transferred primarily to solids within the material (e.g., waste), but instead to a "vapor cloud" containing evaporated liquid and the (already) dried solid particles. If the material injected into the vessel contains moisture, the "vapor cloud" will typically contain a large amount of water vapor.

[0072] Heat is then transferred from this heated vapor cloud onto the inflowing material being mixed by the mixing device. To ensure high heat transfer, this mixing should advantageously be very intense, to the point where the components making up the vapor cloud experience turbulent flow characteristics, with high internal velocities accompanied by rapid acceleration / direction changes.

[0073] As described above, intense mixing / turbulence is achieved by inserting a rotary mechanism into the treatment chamber. One purpose of the rotary mechanism is to ensure optimal mixing and, together with the heating system described above, to ensure optimal heat exchange from the vessel wall onto the various components of the vapor cloud during vapor cloud generation. Thus, instantaneous or near-instantaneous evaporation of vaporizable components within the substance is achieved.

[0074] As a result, in at least one preferred embodiment, the vessel contains a vapor cloud with optimal heat transfer capability both from the interior walls and onto the inflowing material at all times during operation.

[0075] The solid particles move around the container due to centrifugal force (i.e., the minimum peripheral volume V mentioned above). p However, the continuous evaporation of evaporable components such as water generates strong internal forces in all internal directions, which alsop To ensure a high proportion of evaporated liquid in

[0076] By creating and maintaining intense mixing / turbulence against the interior walls of the vessel, the interior surfaces are kept clean. This cleaning process further assists in achieving sustained optimal heat transfer capacity during operation. Due to the mixing, solid particles will not be able to build up a layer on the interior surfaces because these surfaces are continually "washed" by the vapor cloud containing both evaporated liquid and solid particles. The intense mixing also counteracts gravity, further ensuring that the entire interior surface is available for heat transfer.

[0077] As a result of the instantaneous evaporation and intense mixing / turbulence, the separator can operate sustainably without internal transport mechanisms that would slowly heat the material.

[0078] According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the container may be arranged in a generally horizontal position, however, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the container may also be arranged in a generally vertical position, or any position between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position.

[0079] The combination of the heating device and rotary mechanism creates a thermal desorption unit that will ensure significantly more efficient heat transfer than known indirect thermal solutions. The mixing device will disperse and agitate the material through its rotation, thereby providing a "vapor cloud effect" inside the treatment chamber.

[0080] The intense mixing of the "vapor cloud" inside the treatment chamber will bring primarily water vapor and other evaporated liquids, but also waste solids and particles, into contact with the interior surfaces of the treatment chamber for a very short period of time, after which the vapors and particles will migrate out of contact with the interior surfaces and be continually replaced by other new vapors and particles. In at least one embodiment of the invention, heat transfer from the interior surface of the treatment chamber occurs as follows.

[0081] The mixing device generates intense mixing (preferably turbulence) within the material components present in the treatment chamber, thereby providing (in addition to the heating device) a vapor cloud, which may include vapors (e.g., water vapor and vapor from other vaporized liquids such as oil) and solids / particles.

[0082] This intense mixing against the inner surface provides high heat transfer from the inner surface and to the vapor cloud.

[0083] - Heat (thermal energy) exchanged from the inner surfaces of the treatment chamber will be instantly or nearly instantly dispersed throughout the vapor cloud due to the intense mixing.

[0084] As noted above, the intense mixing, in combination with the solids and particles within the vapor cloud, will keep the heated surfaces clean at all times, thereby improving heat transfer from the interior surfaces of the treatment chamber and into the vapor cloud. The powerful agitation of the vapor cloud will ensure that all or nearly all of the material present inside the treatment chamber contains dried solids and vapors with nearly identical compositions (i.e., ratios between different components) and temperatures.

[0085] Furthermore, at least the inner surface along the L direction is heated and in contact with the vapor cloud. It is therefore avoided that only the bottom area of ​​the container is active in transferring heat to the substance, as would be the case in other known indirect methods. Because heat will be transferred to the vapor cloud, and because the vapor cloud resulting from mixing will be in contact with the entire heated surface of the treatment chamber, a larger effective heating surface is therefore obtained compared to prior art solutions.

[0086] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for thermally sustained separation of a substance flowing into a treatment chamber, preferably through the use of a separation device.

[0087] The separating device has a length l cThe present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a treatment chamber having a container wall with an inner surface enclosing a treatment chamber having a height H and a width W, the containers each having at least one substance inlet, at least one first outlet for a non-vaporizable component, and at least one second outlet for a vaporizable component, the heating device being arranged outside the treatment chamber, e.g., at the outer surface, and / or within the container wall, and the rotary mechanism being arranged to rotate the treatment chamber over a length l of the treatment chamber. c The rotary mechanism further comprises a rotatable shaft arranged within the treatment chamber, oriented along the L direction (hereinafter referred to as the L direction). The rotary mechanism further comprises a rotatable shaft arranged within the treatment chamber, oriented along the L direction, at a significant distance, preferably from the central axis C of the treatment chamber. TC and a mixing device fixed to the rotatable shaft so as to extend over at least 80%, and even more preferably at least 90%, of the linear distance between the central axis C and the inner wall. The radially outermost portion of the mixing device, e.g., up to 20% of the radial extent of the mixing device, or up to 10% of the radial extent of the mixing device, includes an axially offset set of radially separated mixing protrusions that enable intensive mixing of at least a portion of the material, preferably all of the vaporized material, at the inner surface. TC is defined as the axis oriented along the L direction and positioned midway between the average width W and average height H of the treatment chamber.

[0088] In one embodiment, the mixing protrusions may be in the form of rods that protrude radially from the outermost boundary of the remainder of the mixing device and are distributed at intervals along at least 80% of the length of the rotatable shaft.

[0089] In another embodiment, the protrusions extend continuously across the length of the mixing device parallel to the rotatable axis, for example, such protrusions may be axial rods arranged between radially protruding portions of the mixing device disc. The method comprises the following steps (in any sequence):

[0090] A. Heating the inner surface by use of a heating device, and transmitting thermal energy from the heating device through the inner surface, preferably within a minimum peripheral volume V of the treatment chamber that is confined between the mixing device (including the mixing protrusion) and the inner surface when the rotary mechanism of step B is set in operation. p a step of transferring onto the vapor cloud, if any, whereby thermal energy is transferred to the vapor cloud generated therein (see step D below); B. By use of a rotary drive operatively fixed to the rotatable shaft, the rotary mechanism is rotated at a minimum peripheral rotational speed (v) of 5 meters per second, measured at the radially outer boundary of the mixing device (i.e., the radially outer boundary of the mixing protrusion). p,min ) exceeding the peripheral rotation speed (v p ) rotation step, C. Using a feeding device, preferably an automatic feeding device, feeding the substance through at least one substance inlet into the treatment chamber, wherein the substance has a vaporization temperature T e comprising two or more components that are vaporizable at high temperatures (e.g., below 200°C), and D. - the input power of the heating device; - a flow of material into the treatment chamber, i.e., through at least one of the at least one material inlet; and - the input power of the rotary drive; an output flow of a non-evaporated portion of the substance emitted from the at least one first outlet; and At least one of the minimum peripheral volume V p The total heat transfer energy into at least a portion of the vaporization temperature T e Operating temperature T exceeds op wherein the heating device adjusts the heating temperature to provide a minimum peripheral volume V p wherein the amount of heat energy transferred in the portion constitutes more than 60%, preferably at least 65%, more preferably at least 70%, e.g., 75%, of the total transferred heat energy.

[0091] The total transferred heat energy combined with the intense mixing produces a vapor cloud that includes a mixture of vaporized portions, i.e., components in a fluid state (gas or liquid), and non-vaporized portions, such as dry solids.

[0092] The result is the minimum peripheral volume V p , i.e., near instantaneous heating and evaporation on or near the interior surface.

[0093] The outermost radial portion of the mixing device preferably comprises a plurality of radially separated mixing protrusions.

[0094] Additionally, the plurality of radially separated mixing protrusions may be spaced apart over the axial length l of the mixing device. md The number of mixing protrusions in each set is defined as the number of axially nearest mixing protrusions in a perfect circle around the rotatable axis when viewed along the direction of the rotatable axis at an axial position directly in front of the set. Also, the minimum peripheral rotation speed of the rotary mechanism, v p,min is further defined as follows: v p,min =C(d md / # mp ) During the ceremony, C is a constant greater than or equal to 12π, # mp is the number of radially separated mixing lobes in each set.

[0095] d md [m] is the radial diameter of the mixing device (i.e., including the mixing protrusions).

[0096] The radially separated mixing protrusions may be aligned with a plurality of axial planes, for example, having a radial offset from one another, all of which are aligned with the central axis C. TC It intersects with.

[0097] If the mixing protrusions in each set are in the form of radial rods and the rods are not substantially axially displaced relative to one another, maximum mixing of the non-vaporized and vaporized portions of the material at the inner surface occurs at or near one radial plane within the treatment chamber. In such a configuration, the mixing device comprises multiple such radial disks of mixing protrusions. If the mixing protrusions are in the form of axial rods that form the radially outermost portion of the mixing device, only a single set may be present.

[0098] In a preferred configuration, the mixing protrusions of each set are aligned with five radially separated axial planes, i.e., the central axis C TC When viewed along the mixed device length l, they are set directly behind each other. md There are a total of 100 mixed lobes across the board, with 10 mixed lobes in each set (# mp In a particular configuration with axial offset radial planes (=10), there will be nine more sets aligned in axially offset radial planes.

[0099] In another embodiment of the invention, each or some of the mixing protrusions in each set may be axially offset. Thus, the axial length l of the mixing device md Rather than having maximum mixing in distinct radial planes along the inner surface, maximum mixing occurs in one or more swept areas around the circumference of the inner surface.

[0100] In one version of the latter embodiment, the mixing protrusions are spaced apart from each other by an axial length l of the mixing device. md It is continuously axially displaced across the entire surface.

[0101] In certain embodiments, the input power of the rotary drive and / or the input power of the heating device is controlled by the output flow emitted from the at least one first outlet.

[0102] Minimum peripheral volume V pThe definition of V is to be interpreted as the volume between the inner wall of the vessel and the outside of the outer boundary of the mixing device (in all spatial directions). Hence, any free space of a radially separated mixing protrusion is limited to a minimum peripheral volume V p For example, if a container has an internal length l c and its inner diameter d c and a mixing device fixed to a rotatable shaft, the mixing device extending radially by an average of 0.95 meters and axially by an average of 0.90 meters, both of which are 1 meter. md Extends, diameter d md If the minimum peripheral volume V p is as follows: [ka] In the formula, d c = 1 meter, l c = 1 meter, d md = 0.95 meters, and l md =0.90 meters.

[0103] Therefore, in this embodiment, V p constitutes approximately 20% of the total internal volume of the container.

[0104] A peripheral rotation speed of approximately 5 m / s with 8 mixing lobes and a diameter of 1.1 m, or alternatively, a minimum peripheral rotation speed v as defined above. p,min A peripheral rotation speed v that is equal to or exceeds p By maintaining a surface area of ​​approximately 1000 mm, it is ensured that all or most of the interior surface is available for heat transfer since the effects of gravity are avoided or nearly avoided. Furthermore, the interior surface is kept clean or nearly clean, thereby keeping heat transfer significantly higher than with existing indirect solutions.

[0105] For example, for a mixing device with a diameter of 1.1 meters and sets of eight mixing lobes arranged at its radially outermost portion (the mixing lobes in each set being aligned with one another in a common axial plane), the above relationship (v p,min=C(d md / # mp ) the minimum peripheral rotation speed v of the mixing device p,min is approximately 5 meters per second (m / s). On the inner surface, the peripheral rotational velocity v p is the centripetal force F on the material c Such a centripetal force F c The basic formula is as follows: F c =2mv p 2 / d md During the ceremony, m [kg] is the mass affected at the outermost end of the mixing protrusion, v p [m / s] is the peripheral rotation speed.

[0106] d md [m] is the diameter of the mixing device. Furthermore, the dominant gravity F g becomes: F g =mg During the ceremony, g[m / sec 2 ] is the gravitational constant = 9.8.

[0107] m [kg] is the affected mass as mentioned above. Centripetal force F c and gravity F g The ratio between is therefore: [ka]

[0108] Centripetal force F c is the peripheral rotation speed v p Since it is proportional to the square of , a velocity of 5 m / s or higher and a mixing device diameter d of approximately 1.1 meters md However, the ratio F is almost 5. c / F g , i.e., giving a value significantly higher than 1.

[0109] Therefore, to avoid undesired effects from gravity during separation, the peripheral rotation speed v p can be as low as 5 m / s (with such a configuration).

[0110] Additionally, there are sets of 8 mixing protrusions per radial plane / swept area (# mp = 8) and a mixing device diameter of 2 meters (d md = 2) the mixing device with a minimum peripheral rotation speed v of 9.4 m / s p,min Similar results can be seen in mp =13 and d md = 3.25 m. Therefore, the minimum speed required to avoid significant effects of gravity during operation is obtained with the mixing device diameter (d md ), or by varying the number of mixed lobes (# mp ), or any combination thereof.

[0111] It should be noted that the term "radial" hereafter refers to a direction perpendicular to the L direction.

[0112] In favorable operation, the peripheral rotational speed of the rotary mechanism, v p is the minimum surrounding volume (in the form of a vapor cloud) V p Some or all of the evaporated or vaporized components / portions of any material within the gas are conditioned to acquire a movement pattern characterized by turbulent flow characteristics, i.e., internal conditions of chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity (as opposed to laminar flow).

[0113] The presence of such turbulent flow characteristics can be detected by measuring the temperature difference ΔT between the vessel wall and the vapor cloud. If a significant decrease in ΔT is measured and / or a minimum ΔT is found, for example, down to about 50 K, the amount of fluid flow directed toward the inner wall is high, indicative of a turbulent velocity pattern.

[0114] Minimum peripheral volume V pTo generate a highly turbulent flow within the rotor, the peripheral rotation speed of the rotary mechanism is v p However, the minimum peripheral rotation speed v p,min may be set to a speed exceeding v p,min =C(d md / # mp ), and C ≥ 45π

[0115] That is, this is at least 3.75 times the speed criteria stated above to avoid significant influence from gravity effects during operation.

[0116] The same exemplary configuration as above, i.e., a mixing device with a set of eight mixing protrusions arranged at its radially outermost portion and a diameter d of 1.1 meters. md When using a mixing device with a minimum peripheral rotation speed v p,min is approximately 19.4 m / sec in this advantageous operation. To ensure even higher turbulence and heat transfer efficiency, more favorable operation requires a minimum peripheral rotational speed v p,min It has. v p,min =C(d md / # mp ) where C≧60π, or better yet, C≧80π.

[0117] By using the above example configuration, v p,min would be approximately 25.9 m / s or 34.5 m / s, respectively. The peripheral rotational velocity v p An increase in ρ results in a desired increase in heat transfer efficiency.

[0118] 24 mixed lobes (# mp = 24) and a mixing device diameter d of 1.1 m mdUsing a 11.5 m / s vortex, the same intense mixing (producing turbulent flow characteristics) can be obtained at velocities in excess of 11.5 m / s. However, because higher velocities contribute not only to an increased number of sweeps across the mixing volume but also to more violent material impingement (the "winding effect"), heat transfer efficiency will be reduced compared to the same number of passes but at higher peripheral velocities.

[0119] These embodiments are based on the length l of the mixing device. md Note that we assume a set of blending protrusions aligned in a common axial plane along

[0120] Other possible minimum peripheral rotational speeds v for this particular configuration p,min may be greater than 20 m / s, greater than 25 m / s, or greater than 30 m / s. The peripheral rotational speed v ensures intense mixing for the turbulent flow characteristics for this configuration. p A particular example of this may be 40 m / sec.

[0121] If the solids in the material have a low specific gravity (SG) (e.g., from biomass) compared to materials with a higher SG (e.g., solids in drilling waste), turbulent flow characteristics will be achieved at lower peripheral rotational speeds.

[0122] Minimum peripheral rotation speed v p,min and the number of radially separated mixing lobes # mp and the radial diameter of the mixing device, d md Note that the above relationship between C and d does not take into account the mixing effect due to the force from each mixing protrusion set by its velocity. md , and # mp For each specific configuration of,,v,greater than zero. p,min There will be a lower threshold of

[0123] Furthermore, if a set of mixing lobes deviates significantly from axial alignment (i.e., intersects a common axial plane), the relationship set forth above may be adjusted by adjusting the following coefficient f mp can be corrected by v p,min =f mp C(d md / # mp )

[0124] where adjustment coefficient f mp is a phenomenological coefficient that depends on the degree of deviation from axial alignment along the length of the mixing device. A low degree of axial alignment results in a high f mp For example, the length of the mixing device, l md uniformly distributed in both the radial and axial directions along the md =1.1, v p.min =34.5 m / s, and # mp If the state is 100, f mp =12.5.

[0125] In an exemplary configuration of the separation device, the rotatable axis of the rotary mechanism is aligned with the central axis C of the chamber. TC are aligned in a consistent manner.

[0126] In another exemplary configuration, the rotatable axis extends through a center point of at least one end wall of the container.

[0127] In yet another exemplary configuration, the treatment chamber has a radial diameter d c (or, if not constant, the mean radial diameter d c ) and has a cylindrical shape with a length l c and radial diameter d c The ratio between (L / d c ) is equal to or less than 4.0, more preferably equal to or less than 2.5, even more preferably equal to or less than 2.0, even more preferably equal to or less than 1.5, for example, 1.

[0128] In addition to or as an alternative to the above exemplary configurations, the mixing device may be arranged and designed so that it does not contribute to the net transport of material along the L direction from the inlet to the outlet. For example, the shape of the disturbance means and / or elongate body may be such that no amount of material is pushed along the L direction, or that only an insignificant amount of material is pushed along the L direction.

[0129] In yet another exemplary configuration, the mixing device includes a plurality of rotary disks fixed with an axial offset relative to a rotatable shaft with a preferred radially symmetric orientation about the rotation axis, and a plurality of elongated bodies interconnecting the plurality of rotary disks. At least one of the plurality of rotary disks may exhibit at least one through-opening for allowing an evaporated portion of the substance to flow therethrough during operation. At least one of these through-openings may be designed radially symmetrically about the rotation axis. Also, the at least one through-opening may be arranged in the radial half of each rotary disk located closest to the rotatable shaft. In this particular configuration, the maximum peripheral volume may be defined as the volume between the inner wall of the container and the outer boundary of the rotary disk.

[0130] In yet another exemplary configuration, the rotary disk located closest to the end of the container with the material inlet (i.e., the end opposite the second outlet 5) is small, i.e., does not have any through openings, while the remaining disks have such openings. This ensures that non-evaporated portions of the treatment chamber, such as dried material present on the inner surface due to centrifugal force, are not guided into the mixing device, i.e., the section of the chamber where gas or gaseous components constitute the predominant proportion of the material. Therefore, if the rotary disk at the end is not closed, there is a possibility that the non-evaporated portion will be guided through the openings in the disk into the flow of the evaporated portion of the material near the rotatable axis. Such a flow of the non-evaporated portion increases the risk of undesired release of the non-evaporated portion from the second outlet.

[0131] In yet another exemplary configuration, the container is further disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface, thereby increasing the surface area of ​​the treatment chamber and minimizing the minimum peripheral volume V p The treatment chamber may also include a plurality of inner auxiliary members that increase the generation of turbulence of the material within the treatment chamber. Each of the inner auxiliary members protrudes radially into the treatment chamber. The plurality of auxiliary members are preferably distributed with an offset around the circumference of the inner surface, particularly on the inner wall oriented along the L direction. However, the plurality of auxiliary members may also be arranged along the circumference of the inner surface perpendicular to the L direction and distributed with an offset along the L direction.

[0132] In yet another exemplary configuration, the heating device includes an enclosure arranged around the container such that a gap is created between the outer surface of the container wall and the inner surface of the enclosure. The enclosure includes a thermal inlet for delivering a heated fluid into the gap and a thermal outlet for discharging a cooled fluid out of the gap for the purpose of transferring heat through the container wall to the treatment chamber. At least a portion of the gap may also include a plurality of protruding elements, such as fins, to increase the surface area of ​​the outer wall and allow heat to be transferred more efficiently into the container wall. The protruding elements / fins are fixed to the outer surface of the container wall and possibly also to the inner surface of the enclosure. Furthermore, the fins may extend in the L direction.

[0133] The heated fluid that travels through the gap via the thermal inlet and the thermal outlet may be at least one of steam, hot steam, melt, heated liquid, or exhaust from an engine, turbine, or incinerator.

[0134] Alternatively or additionally, the heating device may comprise at least one heating element, for example at least one electric heating element, arranged in the vessel wall, for example in the form of a heating rod inserted in a channel extending along the L direction. Such heating rods may be distributed with an offset around the circumference of the vessel.

[0135] Alternatively, or in addition, the heating device may comprise an electric heating system, a microwave heating system, and / or an induction heating system arranged around the exterior surface of the container.

[0136] The separator further comprises a flow rate S i a delivery device for delivering the flow of material into the treatment chamber at, a clarifier for removing fine solids from the evaporated portion of the material that is discharged from the second outlet during operation, and a solids discharge system for discharging and collecting the non-evaporated portion that is discharged from the first outlet during operation.

[0137] flow rate S i may be measured as the mass flow rate in kg / hr when averaged over a suitable period, for example 1 minute, or 10 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 1 hour, or 3 hours.

[0138] Referring to step D, the input power to the heating device and / or the input power to the rotary drive may be set to a constant level, and the flow rate S i is the minimum peripheral volume V p Operating temperature T within at least a portion of op is achieved and adjusted to be maintained.

[0139] Alternatively, the flow rate S i may be set to a constant rate, while the input power to the heating device and / or the input power to the rotary drive is set to a minimum peripheral volume V p Operating temperature T within at least a portion of op is achieved and adjusted to be maintained.

[0140] In yet another exemplary configuration, the separation apparatus further includes a temperature sensor, a control system in signal communication with the temperature sensor, a feeding device, a heating device, and / or a rotary drive arranged such that the temperature in and / or at the treatment chamber can be measured directly or indirectly. The temperature can be described, for example, at the inner surface of the treatment chamber, at the second outlet, at the first outlet, within the vessel wall, and / or anywhere on the outer surface of the vessel wall. The temperature measured in or at the treatment chamber will be defined herein as the substance temperature.

[0141] The control system regulates the flow rate S based on the material temperature measured by the temperature sensor. i The temperature measurement device is configured to automatically adjust at least one of the input power to the thermal device and the input power to the rotary drive motor. The temperature measurement may be performed at time intervals, continuously, or a combination thereof. The location of such measurement may be inside the treatment chamber, in the treatment chamber, or adjacent thereto, for example, at or near the first output, and / or anywhere at or near the substance input. For example, step D may include the following partial steps: - measuring the temperature of the substance by use of a temperature sensor; - new flow rate S as a function of material temperature n transmitting the material temperature to a control system which recalculates the temperature;

[0142] - by transmitting a signal to the feeding device, a new flow rate S n For flow rate S i A step of adjusting.

[0143] These partial steps are typically performed while keeping the input power of the heating device and the input power of the rotary drive constant or nearly constant at set operating parameters.

[0144] When thermal energy is derived from surplus sources, the present invention may allow for the substitution or reduction of other energy inputs, such as electricity, thereby significantly reducing overall energy costs and / or consumption and / or causing a substantial reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.

[0145] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a separation device suitable for sustained thermal separation of a substance being fed into a treatment chamber, the substance being heated to a temperature above a vaporization temperature T e It comprises two or more components that can be evaporated at

[0146] The separating device has a length l c and a height H of the treatment chamber, the treatment chamber having a vessel wall with an inner surface and an outer surface. c and height H, respectively, the average length l across the extension of the chamber perpendicular to and along the length of the chamber. c and the mean height H.

[0147] The container further includes a substance inlet for delivering the substance into the treatment chamber, a first outlet for discharging a non-evaporated portion of the substance, such as solid particles, from the treatment chamber, a second outlet for discharging an evaporated portion of the substance, such as gas and / or vapor, from the treatment chamber, and a rotary mechanism.

[0148] The rotary mechanism is adapted to rotate at least partially through the length l of the treatment chamber. c The rotatable shaft is preferably aligned along the central axis C of the treatment chamber along the L direction. TC (an intermediate position between the height H and the width W). Furthermore, the rotatable shaft preferably extends through the center point of at least one of the end portions of the container along the L direction, and at least one of the ends of the rotatable shaft is located outside the outer surface of the container.

[0149] The separation apparatus further comprises a rotary drive operatively connected to or near the end of the rotatable shaft, and a heating device arranged outside the treatment chamber, e.g., at the outer surface and / or at the inner surface within the vessel wall. The heating device is configured to deliver thermal energy through the inner surface to a minimum peripheral volume V within the treatment chamber. p The method is configured to transmit the

[0150] Minimum peripheral volume V p The definition of is the same as that of the first aspect.

[0151] The rotary drive may be at least one of an electric motor, a combustion engine, and a turbine.

[0152] The mixing device comprises a plurality of rotary discs fixed with an axial offset relative to a rotatable shaft with a preferred radially symmetric orientation about the rotational axis, and a plurality of elongated bodies interconnecting the plurality of rotary discs.

[0153] The heating device and the rotary drive are both connected to each other via their respective operating input power P hd and P rm When operated at op is the evaporation temperature T e A minimum peripheral volume V equal to or greater than p at least a portion of, preferably the entire minimum peripheral volume V p It is configured to be acquired within.

[0154] By using this particular configuration, the separation device has a heat transfer rate that is significantly higher than the average transfer rate of the material initially fed into the treatment chamber, T e The vaporizable component is allowed to evaporate into a vapor cloud at the

[0155] It may also be envisaged that the rotatable shaft may also be connected to more than one rotary drive unit, such as for example two electric motors, an electric motor and a combustion engine, etc.

[0156] The mixing device may further comprise a plurality of radially protruding elements distributed with an offset along the L direction. The term "radially protruding element" is defined herein as an element, preferably an elongated element such as a rod, that is oriented with a significant radial component. The radial component preferably comprises more than 50%, e.g., 100%, of the total length of the element.

[0157] A plurality of radially projecting elements, such as rods, may be connected to a plurality of elongate bodies, most preferably displaceably connected, for example, by the use of threads.

[0158] Additionally, the plurality of radially protruding elements may be arranged radially symmetrically around the rotatable axis.

[0159] At least one of the plurality of radially protruding elements may include, at or near its end closest to the inner surface, a disrupting means or structure designed to improve mixing of the materials. The disrupting means may take the form of, for example, a sharp edge, a disk, a hammer shape, an airfoil, etc. At least the latter two exemplary shapes should be oriented with a head or leading edge pointing toward the direction of rotation of the rotating mechanism.

[0160] In a preferred embodiment, the rotary drive is configured to generate a peripheral rotation speed exceeding 5 meters per second, more preferably 20 meters per second or higher. The peripheral rotation speed is measured at the outside of the mixing device, preferably at the outermost radial boundary. Thus, if the mixing device comprises radially protruding elements, the outermost radial boundary may be the disturbance means. Alternatively, or in addition, such boundary may be an elongated body of the mixing device.

[0161] At peripheral rotational speeds of 20 meters per second or higher, the turbulent flow characteristics are such that the minimum peripheral volume V p When the goal is to create turbulent flow characteristics, the primary purpose of the mixing device is not to convert kinetic energy into frictional heat, but to reach and maintain a turbulent vapor cloud inside the treatment chamber, and (concurrently) ensure continuous heat transfer from the vapor cloud onto the inflowing material by agitating the material inside the treatment chamber so that solids contained in the inflowing material are continuously suspended within the generated vapor cloud.

[0162] The heating device must have a minimum peripheral volume V p At least part of the operating temperature T op The remaining portion of the total heat energy is therefore generated by the rotational movement of the rotary mechanism.

[0163] In one exemplary configuration of the separation device, the treatment chamber has a radial diameter d c (or, if not constant, the mean radial diameter d c ) and has a cylindrical shape with a length l c and radial diameter d c The ratio between (l c / d c ) is equal to or less than 4.0, even more preferably equal to or less than 2.5, even more preferably equal to or less than 2.0, even more preferably equal to or less than 1.5, for example, 1. This configuration is considered advantageous due to reduced cost and greater compactness, and the separation device has a minimum peripheral volume V p Because instantaneous or near-instantaneous heating and evaporation is possible within the chamber, there is no need to exceed a certain chamber length to complete the separation process.

[0164] In addition to or as an alternative to the above exemplary configurations, the mixing device may be arranged and designed so that it does not contribute to the net transport of material along the L direction from the inlet to the outlet. For example, the shape of the disturbance means and / or elongate body may be such that no amount of material is pushed along the L direction, or that only an insignificant amount of material is pushed along the L direction.

[0165] In another exemplary configuration, at least one of the rotary disks exhibits at least one through-opening for allowing the evaporated portion of the substance to flow therethrough during operation. At least one of the through-openings may be designed radially symmetrically around the axis of rotation. Also, at least one through-opening may be arranged in the radial half of each rotary disk located closest to the rotatable axis.

[0166] In a specific configuration, the rotary disk located nearest the end of the container with the substance inlet is small, i.e., does not have any through openings, while the remaining disks exhibit such openings, thereby ensuring that no or only a small amount of non-evaporated portion of the substance is allowed to flow out of the container at the second outlet.

[0167] The container is further disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface, thereby enlarging the surface area of ​​the treatment chamber and minimizing the minimum peripheral volume V p The treatment chamber may further include a plurality of inner support members that increase the generation of turbulence of the material within the treatment chamber. Each of the inner support members protrudes radially into the treatment chamber. The support members are preferably distributed with an offset around the circumference of the inner surface, particularly on the inner wall oriented along the L direction.

[0168] In yet another exemplary configuration, the heating device further includes an enclosure arranged around the container such that a gap is created between the outer surface of the container wall and the inner surface of the enclosure. The enclosures each include a heat inlet and a heat outlet for feeding heated fluid into the gap and discharging the heated fluid out of the gap. At least a portion of the gap may also include a plurality of outer fins extending in a direction perpendicular to the L direction, thereby increasing the surface area of ​​the outer wall and allowing heat to be transferred more efficiently into the container wall. An outer support member may be fixed to the outer surface of the container wall and / or on the inner surface of the enclosure.

[0169] The heated fluid that travels through the gap via the thermal inlet and the thermal outlet may be at least one of water vapor, hot steam, melt, heated liquid, excess exhaust from the generator, and excess exhaust from the engine, turbine, and / or incinerator.

[0170] Alternatively or additionally, the heating device may comprise at least one heating element, for example at least one electric heating element, arranged in the vessel wall, for example in the form of a heating rod inserted in a heating channel extending along the L direction. Such heating rods may be distributed with an offset around the vessel.

[0171] Alternatively, or in addition, the heating device may comprise electric heating elements, microwave heaters, and / or induction heaters arranged around the exterior surface of the container.

[0172] The separator further comprises a flow rate S i a delivery device for delivering the flow of material into the treatment chamber at, a purifier for purifying the evaporated portion of the material discharged from the second outlet during operation, and a solids discharge tank for collecting the non-evaporated portion discharged from the first outlet during operation.

[0173] flow rate S ican be measured as the flow rate in kg / hour when averaged over a suitable period, for example, 1 minute, or 10 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 1 hour, or 3 hours.

[0174] When thermal energy is derived from surplus sources, the present invention may allow for substitution of other energy inputs, thereby significantly reducing operating energy costs and / or causing a substantial reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.

[0175] The conceptual idea of ​​the present invention is to generate sufficient heat transfer from an external heat source onto the material to be evaporated inside a closed container so that evaporation occurs instantaneously or nearly instantaneously, in sharp contrast to traditional indirect methods where evaporation occurs more slowly.

[0176] Such instantaneous or near-instantaneous evaporation is achieved by the separation apparatus of the present invention because heat from an external heat source is not transferred primarily to solids within the material (e.g., waste), but instead to a "vapor cloud" containing evaporated liquid and the (already) dried solid particles. If the material injected into the vessel contains moisture, the "vapor cloud" will typically contain a large amount of water vapor.

[0177] Heat is then transferred from this heated vapor cloud onto the inflowing material being mixed by the mixing device. To ensure high heat transfer, this mixing should advantageously be very intense, to the point where the components making up the vapor cloud experience turbulent flow characteristics, with high internal velocities accompanied by rapid acceleration / direction changes.

[0178] As described above, intense mixing / turbulence is achieved by inserting a rotary mechanism into the treatment chamber. One purpose of the rotary mechanism is to ensure optimal mixing and, together with the heating system described above, to ensure optimal heat exchange from the vessel wall onto the various components of the vapor cloud during vapor cloud generation. Thus, instantaneous or near-instantaneous evaporation of vaporizable components within the substance is achieved.

[0179] As a result, in at least one preferred embodiment, the vessel contains a vapor cloud with optimal heat transfer capability both from the interior walls and onto the inflowing material at all times during operation.

[0180] The solid particles move around the container due to centrifugal force (i.e., the minimum peripheral volume V mentioned above). p However, the continuous evaporation of evaporable components such as water generates strong internal forces in all internal directions, which also p To ensure a high proportion of evaporated liquid in

[0181] By creating and maintaining intense mixing / turbulence against the interior walls of the vessel, the interior surfaces are kept clean. This cleaning process further assists in achieving sustained optimal heat transfer capacity during operation. Due to the mixing, solid particles will not be able to build up a layer on the interior surfaces because these surfaces are continually "washed" by the vapor cloud containing both evaporated liquid and solid particles. The intense mixing also counteracts gravity, further ensuring that the entire interior surface is available for heat transfer.

[0182] As a result of the instantaneous evaporation and intense mixing / turbulence, the separator can operate sustainably without internal transport mechanisms that would slowly heat the material.

[0183] According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the container may be arranged in a generally horizontal position, however, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the container may also be arranged in a generally vertical position, or any position between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position.

[0184] The combination of the heating device and rotary mechanism creates a thermal desorption unit that will ensure significantly more efficient heat transfer than known indirect thermal solutions. The mixing device will disperse and agitate the material through its rotation, thereby providing a "vapor cloud effect" inside the treatment chamber.

[0185] The intense mixing of the "vapor cloud" inside the treatment chamber will bring primarily water vapor and other evaporated liquids, but also waste solids and particles, into contact with the interior surfaces of the treatment chamber for a very short period of time, after which the vapors and particles will migrate out of contact with the interior surfaces and be continually replaced by other new vapors and particles. In at least one embodiment of the invention, heat transfer from the interior surface of the treatment chamber occurs as follows.

[0186] A mixing device generates intense mixing (preferably turbulence) within the material components present in the treatment chamber, thereby providing (in addition to the heating device) a vapor cloud, which may include vapors (e.g., water vapor and vapors from other vaporized liquids such as oil) and solids / particles.

[0187] This intense mixing against the inner surface provides high heat transfer from the inner surface and to the vapor cloud.

[0188] - Heat (thermal energy) exchanged from the inner surfaces of the treatment chamber will be instantly or nearly instantly dispersed throughout the vapor cloud due to the intense mixing.

[0189] As noted above, the intense mixing, in combination with the solids and particles within the vapor cloud, will keep the heated surfaces clean at all times, thereby improving heat transfer from the interior surfaces of the treatment chamber and into the vapor cloud. The powerful agitation of the vapor cloud will ensure that all or nearly all of the material present inside the treatment chamber contains dried solids and vapors with nearly identical compositions (i.e., ratios between different components) and temperatures.

[0190] Furthermore, at least the inner surface along the L direction is heated and in contact with the vapor cloud. It is therefore avoided that only the bottom area of ​​the container is active in transferring heat to the substance, as would be the case in other known indirect methods. Because heat will be transferred to the vapor cloud, and because the vapor cloud resulting from mixing will be in contact with the entire heated surface of the treatment chamber, a larger effective heating surface is therefore obtained compared to prior art solutions.

[0191] The treatment chamber may be set to atmospheric pressure. Alternatively, the treatment chamber pressure may be below atmospheric pressure, for example, at or below 0.3 bar. The present specification also provides, for example, the following items: (Item 1) A separation device (100), comprising: for the sustained thermal separation of a substance (12) being fed into a treatment chamber (2), said substance (12) being heated to a temperature at which at least one of its components has a vaporization temperature (T e ) comprising two or more components that are vaporizable in The separation device (100) comprises a container (1), the container (1) comprising: Length l c a container wall with an inner surface (1a) enclosing said treatment chamber (2) having a height H and a width W; a substance inlet (3) for delivering the substance (12) into the treatment chamber (2); a first outlet (4) for discharging a non-vaporized portion (12a) of the substance (12) from the treatment chamber (2); a second outlet (5) for discharging the evaporated portion (12b) of the substance (12) from the treatment chamber (2); A rotary mechanism (7), the rotary mechanism (7) having a length l of the treatment chamber (2) c a rotary mechanism (7) comprising a rotatable shaft (7a) arranged within the treatment chamber (2) having an orientation directed along the axis of the rotary mechanism (7); and mixing devices (7b-d) fixed to the rotatable shaft (7a) and extending perpendicularly therefrom, the radially outermost portions of the mixing devices (7b-d) comprising a plurality of radially separated mixing protrusions (7c, 7d); a rotary drive (10) operatively connected to the rotatable shaft (7a); A heating device (6) arranged outside the treatment chamber (2), the heating device (6) directs heat energy through the inner surface (1a) into a minimum peripheral volume (V) of the treatment chamber (2). p ) and configured to transmit to said minimum peripheral volume (V p ) is defined as the volume between the inner surface (1a) and the outer radial boundary of the mixing device (7b-d), Equipped with The mixing device (7b-d) a plurality of rotary discs (7b) fixed to the rotatable shaft (7a) with an axial offset; The heating device (6) and the rotary drive (10) are both powered by their separate operating input power (P hd 、P rm ) is operated at the evaporation temperature (T e ) resulting operating temperature (T op ) is the minimum peripheral volume (V p ) configured to be acquired in at least a portion of A separation device (100) characterized by: (Item 2) The radial diameter (d md ) and the radial diameter (d c 2. The method according to item 1, wherein the ratio between the amount of (Item 3) The plurality of radially separated mixing protrusions (7c, 7d) are spaced apart over the axial length (l) of the mixing device (7b-d). md ) into one or more sets distributed axially along said rotatable shaft (7a), the number of mixing protrusions (7c, 7d) in each set being defined as the number of mixing protrusions (7c, 7d) in a perfect circle around said rotatable shaft (7a) when viewed along the direction of said rotatable shaft (7a); The number of radially separated mixing protrusions (7c, d) in each set is determined according to the following relationship: # mp =C(d md / v p,min ) During the ceremony, C is a constant greater than or equal to 12π, # mp is the number of said radially separated mixing lobes (7c, d) in each set, d md [m] is the radial diameter of said mixing device (7b-d), v p,min [m / s] is the minimum peripheral rotation speed at the location on each of said mixing protrusions (7c, d) closest to said inner surface (1a), Item 1 or 2. A separation device (100) according to item 1 or 2. (Item 4) Item 10. The separating apparatus (100) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the mixing device (7b-d) further comprises a plurality of elongated bodies (7c) interconnecting the plurality of rotary discs (7b). (Item 5) The radially separated mixing protrusions (7c, d) extend over the length l of the treatment chamber (2). c 2. A separating device (100) according to any one of the preceding items, comprising a plurality of radially protruding elements (7d) distributed with an offset along the (Item 6) Item 5. The separating device (100) according to item 4, wherein the plurality of radially protruding elements (7d) are displaceably connected to the plurality of elongated bodies (7c). (Item 7) 7. The separating device (100) according to item 5 or 6, wherein the plurality of radially protruding elements (7d) are arranged radially symmetrically around the rotatable shaft (7a). (Item 8) 8. The separation device (100) according to any one of items 5 to 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of radially protruding elements (7d) comprises, at or near the end closest to the inner surface (1a), a turbulence means (7d1) designed to improve the mixing rate of the substance (12). (Item 9) The plurality of radially separated mixing protrusions (7c, 7d) are spaced apart over the axial length (l) of the mixing device (7b-d). md ) into one or more sets distributed axially along said rotatable shaft (7a), the number of mixing protrusions (7c, 7d) in each set being defined as the number of mixing protrusions (7c, 7d) in a perfect circle around said rotatable shaft (7a) when viewed along the direction of said rotatable shaft (7a); The number of radially separated mixing protrusions (7c, d) in each set is determined according to the following relationship: # mp =C(dmd / v p,min ) During the ceremony, C is a constant greater than or equal to 45π; # mp is the number of radially separated mixing lobes (7c, d) in each set, d md [m] is the radial diameter of said mixing device (7b-d), v p,min [m / s] is the minimum peripheral rotation speed at the location on each of the mixing protrusions (7c, d) closest to the inner surface (1a), A separation device (100) according to any one of the preceding items. (Item 10) The heating device (6) has a minimum peripheral volume (V p ) at least a portion of the operating temperature (T op 2. The separation apparatus (100) of claim 1, configured to provide at least 60% of the total heat energy required to reach and maintain the temperature of the separation apparatus (100). (Item 11) The treatment chamber (2) has a radial diameter d c and the treatment chamber (2) has a cylindrical shape with a length l c and the radial diameter d of the treatment chamber (2) c 4. The separation device (100) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the ratio between is less than or equal to 4.0. (Item 12) Item 10. A separation device (100) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein at least one of the plurality of rotary discs (7b) exhibits at least one through-opening (7b1) allowing the evaporated portion (12b) of the substance (12) to flow therethrough during operation. (Item 13) Item 13. The separating device (100) according to item 12, wherein the at least one through-opening (7b1) is designed radially symmetrically around the axis of rotation (7a). (Item 14) The container (1) further comprises: a plurality of inner members (15) arranged on at least a portion of the inner surface (1a), each of the inner members (15) protruding radially into the treatment chamber (2); 2. The separation device (100) according to any one of the preceding items, comprising: (Item 15) Item 15. A separating device (100) according to item 14, wherein the plurality of inner auxiliary members (15) are distributed with an offset around the circumference of the inner surface (1b). (Item 16) The heating device (6) further comprises: An enclosure (13) arranged around the vessel (1) such that a gap (14) is created between an outer surface (1b) of the vessel wall and an inner surface of the enclosure (13), the enclosure (13) comprising a heat inlet (13a) for feeding a heated fluid (6') into the gap (14) and a heat outlet (13b) for discharging the heated fluid (6') from the gap (14). 2. The separation device (100) according to any one of the preceding items, comprising: (Item 17) A separation device (100) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein at least a portion of the gap (14) comprises a plurality of external fins (16) extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the treatment chamber (2). (Item 18) 10. The separation device (100) of claim 1, wherein the heated fluid (6') is at least one of water vapor, hot steam, melt, heated liquid, excess exhaust from a generator, and excess exhaust from an engine. (Item 19) 2. The separation apparatus (100) according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the heating device (6) comprises at least one heating element (10) arranged in the vessel wall. (Item 20) The separation device (100) further comprises: a delivery device (20) for delivering a flow of the substance (12) into the treatment chamber (2); a purifier (30) for purifying the evaporated portion (12b) of said substance (12) that is discharged from said second outlet (5) during operation; a solids discharge tank (40) for collecting the non-evaporated portion (12a) of said substance (12) discharged from said first outlet (4) during operation; 2. The separation device (100) according to any one of the preceding items, comprising: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0192] The following drawings are included to facilitate an understanding of the invention: The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention, which will now be described by way of example only. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a separation device according to the present invention.

[0193] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a separation assembly in accordance with the present invention.

[0194] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective cutaway side view of a first embodiment of a separation device according to the present invention.

[0195] [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective cutaway side view of the separation device of FIG. 3, in which the inner support member is arranged on the inner surface of the container.

[0196] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective cutaway front view of the separation device of FIG. 3 with the cutting plane located further into the container of the device.

[0197] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective cutaway side view of a peripheral portion of the separation device shown in FIG. 3, with one radially projecting element shown in more detail in a separate drawing.

[0198] [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of the separating device of FIGS. 3-5.

[0199] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective cutaway side view of a second embodiment of a separation device according to the present invention, with one turbulation-generating elongate body shown in more detail in a separate drawing.

[0200] [Figure 9] 9 is a perspective cutaway side view of the separation device of FIG. 8, in which the inner support member is arranged on the inner surface of the container.

[0201] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective side view of a rotary mechanism of a separating apparatus according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0202] Detailed Description of the Invention In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be discussed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it should be understood, however, that the drawings are not intended to limit the invention to the subject matter depicted in the drawings.

[0203] It will be understood that certain features of the invention that are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination. In particular, it will be understood that features described in connection with one particular embodiment may be interchangeable with features described in connection with other embodiments.

[0204] 1, which illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention, a separation apparatus 100 is configured to perform continuous thermal separation of a substance 12 flowing into a treatment chamber 2 inside a cylindrical container 1 having an inner surface 1 a and an outer surface 1 b. The container has an inner length 1 cand a cylindrical wall of inner diameter d arranged on each end of the cylindrical wall. c and two circular (or alternatively oval, or rectangular, or square, with height H and width W) end walls.

[0205] The substance 12 delivered into the substance inlet 3 by use of a delivery device 20 (FIG. 2) is a multi-component (A n , n>1) and one or more of these components 12b (A e m , m≦n) have distinct evaporation temperatures (T e i , i=1...m). Therefore, a portion 12a (A n-m ) is the set operating temperature (T op ≧T e i ), which may be considered non-evaporable within the container 1. The non-evaporable and evaporable portions 12a, 12b are released from the container 1 through the first and second outlets 4, 5, respectively. During operation, a vapor cloud 12c is formed, which includes a mixture of the non-evaporable portion 12a and the evaporable portion 12b. The vapor cloud 12c includes both fluids (gas and / or liquid) and solids / particles.

[0206] The vessel 1 contains a rotary mechanism 7 having a rotatable shaft 7a aligned with a central longitudinal axis C of the vessel 1. The shaft 7a extends across the length L of the vessel 1 and through at least one, and preferably both, of the end walls.

[0207] The rotary mechanism 7 further includes mixing devices 7b-d fixed to the rotatable shaft 7a inside the treatment chamber 2. The mixing devices 7b-d comprise at least one, preferably at least two, rotary pulleys or disks 7b rigidly fixed perpendicularly to the shaft 7a and a plurality of mixing protrusions / protrusion elements 7d fixed to the outer radial ends of the disks 7b. In the case of multiple disks 7b, these are arranged with a spacing / offset along the longitudinal direction (i.e., major axis C) of the shaft 7a. In FIG. 1, a total of seven spaced disks 7b are shown, and all disks except the leftmost disk exhibit openings 7b1 near the shaft 7a, thereby allowing the vaporized components 12b to flow therethrough. The main purpose of the single closed disk 7b arranged nearest the end wall presenting the material inlet 3 (see Figure 7) is to prevent solids from the vapor cloud 12c from entering the volume between the rotatable shaft 7a and the protruding element 7d, thereby preventing the solids from mixing with the evaporated portion 12b and being discharged through the second outlet 5.

[0208] Furthermore, to prevent solids from escaping through the second outlet 5, narrow slits consisting of two circumferentially extending plates 23 are fixed to the disc 7b nearest the second outlet 5 and to the adjacent inner wall 1a, respectively.

[0209] The mixing device 7b-d further comprises a plurality of bars 7c fixed to or near the outer edge 7b2 of the disks 7b, each of the bars 7c having a length and an orientation oriented along (parallel to) the central axis C of the container 1 that allows interconnection of two or more of the disks 7b, preferably all of the disks 7b.

[0210] 1-6, the mixing devices 7b-d also comprise a plurality of rods 7d displaceably connected to each bar 7c so as to project radially towards the inner surface 1a of the cylindrical wall of the vessel 1, i.e. perpendicularly to the central axis C of the vessel 1. The main purpose of the rods 7d is to generate intense mixing of the vapor cloud 12c and improve heat transfer from the inner wall 1a.

[0211] Using the particular configuration shown in FIG. 1, experiments have shown that intense mixing of the vapor cloud 12c occurs at a peripheral velocity v of 34.5 m / s measured at the end of rod 7d closest to the inner vessel wall. p During the experiment, eight rods (7d (# mp = 8) are mixed devices 7a-d with a set of mixed device length l md The eight rods 7d of each set are further distributed at intervals around the entire circumference of the mixing device 7b-d. The mixing device 7b-d has a diameter d md and the inner vessel diameter d c was 1.2m.

[0212] A peripheral speed of 34.5 m / s using this particular configuration corresponds to a rotational speed ω of 600 revolutions per minute (rpm). rev By using eight rods 7d around the circumference of the mixing device, this corresponds to 4,800 sweeps per minute (spm) across the specific area of ​​the inner vessel wall 11a.

[0213] If the number of sweeps is determined to be constant, the minimum peripheral rotational speed v at the outer radial boundary of the rod / mixing protrusion p,min It can be inferred that can be formulated as follows: v p,min =80π(d md / # mp ) In the formula, d md is the diameter of the mixing device, and # mp is the number of blending lobes.

[0214] Further experiments show that a vapor cloud with turbulent characteristics can be achieved at a number significantly lower than 4,800 spm, at least down to 2,700 spm, which corresponds to a certain minimum peripheral rotational speed.

[0215] It is v p,min =45π(d md / # mp 6, the shape of the end 7d1 of each rod 7d mounted nearest the inner surface 1a is varied to define a minimum peripheral volume V p As shown in the detailed view within the oval frame of FIG. 6, the ends of the rods 7d may be flat or nearly flat against the opposing front inner surface 1a. However, the ends 7d1 may be spaced apart from the minimum peripheral volume V p The end 7d1 may have any shape as long as it contributes to mixing of the vapor cloud 12c present within the vessel 1. The detailed drawing within the oval frame of Figure 1 shows various examples of possible shapes for the end 7d1. Note that the exemplary rods 7d within the oval frame of Figure 1 are all turned 90° counterclockwise relative to the rods 7d shown within the vessel 1.

[0216] To ensure the rotation of the rotary mechanism 7 and thereby also of the mixing devices 7b-d, an end section 7a1 of the shaft 7a is connected to a rotary drive 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the latter is powered by an internal and / or external rotary motor 10a. In the exemplary configuration shown in Fig. 2, the rotary drive 10 comprises a rotary motor 10a, a transmission belt 10b, and two transmission pulleys 10c arranged around the rotatable axes of the end section 7a1 and the rotary motor 10a, respectively.

[0217] The first outlet 4 is dedicated to emitting solid particulates (non-evaporated portion) 12a, while the second outlet 5 is dedicated to emitting evaporated portion 12b. To avoid the emission of vapor out of the treatment chamber 2 through the first outlet 4, a rotary valve 22 (FIG. 1) is fixed to the first outlet 4, thereby discharging the non-evaporated portion 12a from the first outlet 4.

[0218] After being discharged from the first outlet 4 through the rotary valve 22, the non-evaporated portion 12a can be collected by a dedicated solids dispensing container 40 arranged below or partially below the vessel 1 (FIG. 2).

[0219] To monitor the temperature inside the vessel 1, one or more temperature sensors 19 at various locations may be placed in or near the treatment chamber 2, for example, outside or in the vessel wall and / or in the first outlet 4. The latter location is depicted in FIG. The vapor 12b can be fed into a condensation system 30. The latter can be carried out in three steps.

[0220] The steam 12b flows into a gas purifier, cleaning the steam 12b for small amounts of solid particulates. Small amounts of the first liquid, such as oil, may also condense in the gas purifier.

[0221] The cleaned vapor 12b further flows into a liquid condenser, for example an oil condenser, to condense the first liquid from the vapor 12b.

[0222] Finally, the purified steam, which does not have any or a reduced amount of the first liquid (e.g., lighter oil), flows into a steam condenser, which condenses at least a second type of liquid, such as water, and, if applicable, a reduced amount of the first liquid.

[0223] In FIG. 1, the first outlet 4 and second outlet 5 are seen arranged adjacent the distal end wall of the rotary drive 10, with their openings out of the container 1 oriented along the central axis C and inclined downward relative to the central axis C. However, the first and second outlets 4, 5 may be configured in any orientation so long as they allow for the release of the non-vaporized and vaporized portions 12a, 12b during operation. FIGS. 3-5 and 7 of the first embodiment and FIGS. 8-9 of the second embodiment show alternative configurations of the first outlet 4, having a vertical opening out of the treatment chamber 2 at the base of the container 1.

[0224] Overall radial diameter d of the rotary mechanism 7 / mixing device 7b-d md That is, twice the total radial length from the central axis C to the radial boundary of the rotary mechanism 7 is preferably equal to the diameter d of the treatment chamber 2. c For example, the inner diameter d of the cylindrical container 1 is c is 2 metres, the average distance between the end 7d1 of each of the plurality of rods 7d and the inner surface 1a should preferably be less than 10 cm, for example 3 or 4 cm. In all of the example configurations of FIGS. 1 and 3-9, the heating device 6 is depicted as an assembly comprising both: a plurality of resistive heating elements in the form of poles / rods 6″ arranged within the vessel wall along (i.e., parallel to) the central axis C; and

[0225] A high temperature fluid system arranged around a cylindrical wall, comprising an enclosure 13 forming a gap 14 between an inner surface of the enclosure 13 and an outer surface 1b of the vessel 1. The enclosure 13 further comprises a heat inlet 13a for feeding a heated fluid 6' into the gap 14 and a heat outlet 13b for expelling the heated fluid 6' out of the gap 14.

[0226] It should be noted, however, that the heating device 6 may comprise any type and any number of heating mechanisms capable of heating the interior wall 1 a of the vessel 1. For example, in alternative embodiments, the heating device 6 may consist solely of one or more resistive heating elements in and / or on the exterior of the container wall, or may consist solely of the high-temperature fluid system. The heating device 6 may alternatively or additionally comprise a microwave heater system and / or an induction heater system arranged on or near the exterior surface 1 b of the vessel 1 and / or inside the treatment chamber 2.

[0227] FIG. 7 shows a separation device 100 in which one of the end walls of the vessel 1 presents two material inlets 3, an opening for the rotatable shaft 7a, and an inspection / service hatch 18. However, it should be understood that this end wall may comprise any number of material inlets 3 and any number of hatches 18. For the particular configuration shown in FIG. 7, only one of the two material inlets 3 is used during operation. The other may be closed, for example, by the same material as the rest of the vessel 1 or with transparent glass. Alternatively, material 12 may be fed through both inlets 3 during operation.

[0228] The black arrows 6' pointing into the heat inlet 13a and out from the heat outlet 13b respectively represent the flow of hot fluid.

[0229] 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the separating device 100. Compared to the first embodiment, the rods 7d are omitted. The rotary mechanism 7 thus comprises a rotatable shaft 7a and a mixing device 7c-d, the latter being constructed by a plurality of discs 7b and interconnecting bars 7c. The minimum peripheral volume V p The desired mixing of the substance 12 within is then ensured primarily by the longitudinally oriented bars 7c.

[0230] To allow for maximized mixing, the vapor cloud 12c is preferably V pThe shape of the bars 7c can be optimized, for example, through repeated testing in which bars 7c of various shapes are inserted and operated, and heat transfer is measured during each operation, so long as the bars 7c are subjected to turbulent flow characteristics within the minimum peripheral volume. Figures 8-9 show an exemplary configuration of bars 7c in which the longitudinal cross-sectional area exhibits a triangular shape. The sharp edges 7c1 of the triangular bars 7c can induce additional turbulence and intense mixing of the vapor cloud 12c within the minimum peripheral volume.

[0231] The separation apparatus 100 described above allows for the effective removal of liquids and / or gases from the material 12 by thermal separation, for example, using waste heat 6' as the primary indirect energy for separation of waste and by-products. Due to the combined external heating of the vessel 1 and the intense mixing of the material components / vapor cloud 12c, the separation apparatus 100 can operate sustainably without the presence of a net internal transport mechanism that would cause gradual heating of the material 12 (as required in currently known indirect separation methods).

[0232] By using the apparatus 100 described above, heat is not transferred primarily to the solids in the waste, as is the case for indirect separation methods. Instead, heat is transferred to the vapor cloud 12c, which has a much higher heat transfer coefficient. This vapor cloud 12c is composed primarily of evaporated liquid / gas (by volume) and also hot non-evaporated particles. If water is present in the influent material 12, the "evaporated" vapor cloud 12c will necessarily contain water vapor. During operation, the following process steps occur:

[0233] A heating device 6 and a rotary mechanism 7 transform the inflowing material 12 into a vapor cloud 12c.

[0234] - Heat energy from the heating device 6 is transferred from the inner surface 1a of the vessel 1 to the generated vapor cloud 12c.

[0235] Thermal energy is then transferred from this heated vapor cloud 12c onto the inflowing material 12 by the intense mixing / turbulence from the rotary mechanism 7.

[0236] The heat transfer from the steel to the dried solids found in prior art indirectly heated separators is typically about 75 W / m 2 K. In comparison, heat transfer from steel to water vapor (which would typically be the main component of the vapor cloud 12c during thermal separation of waste) is significantly higher, typically around 6,000 W / m 2 It's K.

[0237] Thus, by heating the material 12 via the heating steps described above, the device of the present invention can generate 75 W / m 2 K (but 6,000 W / m 2 K).

[0238] The final heat transfer will depend, among other things, on the moisture content. For example, 1,000 W / m 2 K and 1,200 W / m 2 The heat transfer coefficient between 0.1 and 0.5°C has been verified when thermal separation tests are performed on a material containing (by weight) approximately 15% water, 15% oil, and 70% non-evaporable material, the latter being a typical composition for cuttings after a drilling operation.

[0239] As mentioned above, the intense mixing / turbulence mechanism ensures optimal mixing and heat exchange from the vapor cloud 12c onto the material 12 continuously fed through the material inlet 3, and the various components in the material will thereby cause, in particular, near-instantaneous evaporation of the liquid within the material 12. The vessel 1 will thereby always contain the vapor cloud 12c with optimal heat transfer capacity both from the inner surface 1a and onto the incoming material 12.

[0240] Any generated vapor cloud particles will inevitably be pushed to the periphery of the treatment chamber by centrifugal force, but the continued evaporation of the liquid (such as water) will create strong internal forces in all internal directions, thereby ensuring a high proportion of vapor (water vapor) at the periphery.

[0241] Tests using the separation device of the present invention have been conducted while treating waste material (cuttings from drilling operations) containing, by weight, 70% mineral solids, 15% water, and 15% oil. Tests have shown that the separation device achieves a yield of approximately 1,000 W / m 2 K and 1,200 W / m 2 A heat transfer coefficient between 0.1 and 0.2 K was demonstrated. Even higher heat transfer coefficients are expected for materials with higher water content.

[0242] In the foregoing description, various aspects of the apparatus and method according to the present invention have been described with reference to illustrative embodiments. For purposes of explanation, specific values, systems, and configurations have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the apparatus and its operation. However, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and variations of the illustrative embodiments, and other embodiments of the apparatus and method, that are obvious to those skilled in the art to which the disclosed subject matter pertains, are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A separation device (100), comprising: For the sustained thermal separation of a substance (12) being fed into a treatment chamber (2), said substance (12) being heated to a temperature at which at least one of its components has a vaporization temperature (T ｅ ) comprising two or more components that are vaporizable in The separation device (100) comprises a container (1), the container (1) comprising: Length l ｃ a container wall with an inner surface (1 a) enclosing said treatment chamber (2) having a height H and a width W; a substance inlet (3) for delivering the substance (12) into the treatment chamber (2); a first outlet (4) for discharging a non-vaporized portion (12a) of the substance (12) from the treatment chamber (2); a second outlet (5) for discharging the evaporated portion (12b) of the substance (12) from the treatment chamber (2); A rotary mechanism (7), the rotary mechanism (7) having a length l of the treatment chamber (2) ｃ and mixing devices (7b-d) fixed to the rotatable shaft (7a) and extending perpendicularly therefrom, wherein a radially outermost portion of the mixing devices (7b-d) comprises a plurality of radially extending mixing protrusions (7d), the mixing devices (7b-d) comprising a plurality of rotary discs (7b) fixed to the rotatable shaft (7a), the plurality of rotary discs (7b) being axially offset from one another, and the plurality of radially extending mixing protrusions (7d) being angularly separated from one another around a central axis of the mixing devices (7b-d); a rotary drive (10) operatively connected to said rotatable shaft (7a); Equipped with The separation device (100) A heating device (6) arranged outside the treatment chamber (2), the heating device (6) transmitting thermal energy through the inner surface (1 a) to a minimum peripheral volume (V) of the treatment chamber (2). ｐ ) and configured to transmit to said minimum peripheral volume (V ｐ ) is defined as the volume between said inner surface (1a) and the outer radial boundary of said mixing device (7b-d), The present invention is characterized by comprising: The mixing device (7b-d) further comprises a plurality of elongated bodies (7c) interconnecting the plurality of rotary discs (7b); Each of the plurality of radially extending mixing protrusions (7d) extends over the length l of the treatment chamber (2). ｃ a plurality of radially projecting elements (7d) distributed with an offset along the plurality of radially protruding elements (7d) are displaceably connected to the plurality of elongated bodies (7c); The heating device (6) and the rotary drive (10) are both powered by their separate operating input power (P ｈｄ , P ｒｍ ) the evaporation temperature (T ｅ ) resulting operating temperature (T ｏｐ ) is the minimum peripheral volume (V ｐ ) ) ) ) ) ) ).

2. The radial diameter (d ｍｄ ) and the radial diameter (d ｃ 2. The separation device (100) of claim 1, wherein the ratio between the first and second electrodes is between 0.8 and 1.

0.

3. The plurality of radially extending mixing protrusions (7d) extend along the axial length (l) of the mixing device (7b-d). ｍｄ ) into one or more sets distributed axially along said rotatable axis (7a), the number of mixing protrusions (7d) in each set being defined as the number of mixing protrusions (7d) in a perfect circle around said rotatable axis (7a) when viewed along the direction of said rotatable axis (7a); The minimum peripheral rotational speed at the location on each of said mixing protrusions (7d) closest to said inner surface (1a) is determined according to the following relationship: v ｐ，ｍｉｎ =C(d ｍｄ / # ｍｐ ) During the ceremony, C is a constant greater than or equal to 12π; # ｍｐ is the number of said radially extending mixing protrusions (7d) in each set, d ｍｄ [m] is the radial diameter of said mixing device (7b-d), v ｐ，ｍｉｎ [m / s] is the minimum peripheral rotation speed at the location on each of said mixing protrusions (7d) closest to said inner surface (1a), A separation device (100) according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The plurality of radially extending mixing protrusions (7d) extend along the axial length (l) of the mixing device (7b-d). ｍｄ ) into one or more sets distributed axially along said rotatable axis (7a), the number of mixing protrusions (7d) in each set being defined as the number of mixing protrusions (7d) in a perfect circle around said rotatable axis (7a) when viewed along the direction of said rotatable axis (7a); The minimum peripheral rotational speed at the location on each of said mixing protrusions (7d) closest to said inner surface (1a) is determined according to the following relationship: v ｐ，ｍｉｎ =C(d ｍｄ / # ｍｐ ) During the ceremony, C is a constant greater than or equal to 45π; # ｍｐ is the number of radially extending mixing protrusions (7d) in each set, d ｍｄ [m] is the radial diameter of said mixing device (7b-d), v ｐ，ｍｉｎ [m / s] is the minimum peripheral rotation speed at the location on each of said mixing protrusions (7d) closest to said inner surface (1a), A separation device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The treatment chamber (2) has a radial diameter d ｃ and the treatment chamber (2) has a cylindrical shape with a length l ｃ and the radial diameter d of the treatment chamber (2) ｃ The separation device (100) of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ratio between is less than or equal to 4.

0.

6. 6. The separation device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the rotary disc (7b) located nearest the substance inlet (3) is small, while the rest of the rotary discs (7b) present at least one through-opening (7b1) through which the evaporated portion (12b) of the substance (12) can flow during operation.

7. 7. The separating device (100) according to claim 6, wherein said at least one through-opening (7b1) is designed radially symmetrically around said rotatable axis (7a).

8. The container (1) further comprises: a plurality of inner members (15) arranged on at least a portion of the inner surface (1 a), each of the inner members (15) protruding radially into the treatment chamber (2); A separation device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

9. 9. A separating device (100) according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of inner supports (15) are distributed with an offset around the circumference of the inner surface (1b).

10. The heating device (6) further comprises: An enclosure (13) arranged around the vessel (1) such that a gap (14) is created between an outer surface (1b) of the vessel wall and an inner surface of the enclosure (13), the enclosure (13) comprising a heat inlet (13a) for feeding a heated fluid (6') into the gap (14) and a heat outlet (13b) for discharging the heated fluid (6') from the gap (14). A separation device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising:

11. 11. The separation device (100) of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the cavity (14) comprises a plurality of external fins (16) extending in a direction perpendicular to the length of the treatment chamber (2).

12. 12. The separation device (100) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the heated fluid (6') is at least one of steam, hot steam, melt, heated liquid, excess exhaust from a generator, and excess exhaust from an engine.

13. Separation apparatus (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heating device (6) comprises at least one heating element (10) arranged in the vessel wall.

14. The separation device (100) further comprises: a delivery device (20) for delivering a flow of said substance (12) into said treatment chamber (2); a purifier (30) for purifying the evaporated portion (12b) of said substance (12) that is discharged from said second outlet (5) during operation; a solids discharge tank (40) for collecting the non-evaporated portion (12a) of said substance (12) discharged from said first outlet (4) during operation; A separation device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising:

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