Vaporization system

Abstract

Provided is a vaporization system capable of suppressing an increase in a high boiling point component contained in a liquid in a vaporizer.　According to the present invention, provided is a vaporization system comprising: a vaporizer; a heater; and a mixer. The vaporization system is configured such that vapor generated by vaporizing a portion of a liquid in the vaporizer is heated by the heater and then supplied to the mixer. In the mixer, the vapor is mixed with the liquid removed from the vaporizer to generate a mixed vapor.

Description

Vaporization System

[0001] The present invention relates to a vaporization system for vaporizing a liquid, such as liquefied ammonia.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vaporizer that vaporizes liquefied ammonia into ammonia gas.

[0003] WO2020 / 115822

[0004] Incidentally, liquefied ammonia contains a small amount of moisture, and liquefied ammonia is more easily vaporized than water. Therefore, if an operation is performed in which new liquefied ammonia is added before the entire amount of liquid ammonia in the vaporizer is vaporized, moisture accumulates in the vaporizer, and the amount of moisture contained in the liquid ammonia in the vaporizer gradually increases. This is a problem.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vaporization system that can suppress an increase in high-boiling-point components contained in the liquid inside the vaporizer.

[0006] According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided: [1] A vaporization system including a vaporizer, a heater, and a mixer, wherein the vaporized gas produced by vaporizing a portion of a liquid in the vaporizer is heated by the heater and then supplied to the mixer, and mixed with the liquid removed from the vaporizer in the mixer to produce a mixed vaporized gas. [2] The vaporization system according to [1], further comprising a pressure adjustment mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the vaporized gas supplied to the mixer. [3] The vaporization system according to [1] or [2], wherein the liquid is taken out from the vaporizer through a liquid outlet provided in the vaporizer, the mixer has a liquid supply port that supplies the liquid into the mixer, no transfer pump is provided between the liquid outlet and the liquid supply port, and the liquid is transferred from the vaporizer to the mixer by gravity acting on the liquid and / or a force acting due to a pressure difference between the gas phase pressure in the vaporizer and the gas phase pressure in the mixer. [4] The vaporization system according to [3], wherein the liquid supply port is located at the same height as the liquid outlet or at a higher position. [5] The vaporization system according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the liquid is taken out from the vaporizer through a liquid outlet provided in the vaporizer, and the liquid outlet is provided at a position higher than the bottom of the vaporizer and lower than the liquid level of the liquid in the vaporizer. [6] The vaporization system according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the liquid includes a main component and a high-boiling-point component having a boiling point higher than the boiling point of the main component. [7] The vaporization system according to [6], wherein the main component is ammonia and the high-boiling-point component is water. [8] A vaporization system comprising a vaporizer and a mixer, configured to supply the vaporized gas produced by vaporizing a portion of the liquid in the vaporizer to the mixer, where it is mixed with the liquid extracted from the vaporizer, and provided with a pressure adjustment mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the vaporized gas supplied to the mixer.

[0007] In the vaporization system of the present invention, the vaporized gas extracted from the vaporizer is mixed with the liquid extracted from the vaporizer. This configuration can suppress an increase in high-boiling-point components contained in the liquid in the vaporizer. Furthermore, in the vaporization system of the present invention, the vaporized gas is heated and then mixed with the liquid. This configuration has the advantage that the liquid can be vaporized using the heat applied to the liquid from the vaporized gas, eliminating the need for a separate heater for vaporizing the liquid.

[0008] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vaporization system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] The following describes embodiments of the present invention. The various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other. Furthermore, each feature can be an independent invention.

[0010] 1. First Embodiment A vaporization system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The vaporization system 1 of this embodiment includes a vaporizer 2, a heater 3, and a mixer 4. The vaporization system 1 is configured to vaporize a portion of the liquid L in the vaporizer 2, generate a vaporized gas, heat the vaporized gas in the heater 3, and then supply the vaporized gas to the mixer 4, where the vaporized gas is mixed with the liquid L removed from the vaporizer 2 to generate a mixed vaporized gas. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0011] <Vaporizer 2> The vaporizer 2 is configured to be able to generate vaporized gas by vaporizing the liquid L in the vaporizer 2. The vaporizer 2 is provided with a liquid supply port 2 a, a liquid discharge port 2 b, a gas discharge port 2 c, a heating fluid supply port 2 d, and a heating fluid discharge port 2 e.

[0012] The liquid supply port 2a is preferably connected to a tank (not shown) that stores the liquid L, and the liquid L is supplied into the shell of the vaporizer 2 through the liquid supply port 2a. A heat transfer tube (not shown) connected to a heating fluid supply port 2d and a heating fluid discharge port 2e is arranged inside the vaporizer 2. The heat transfer tube is arranged to come into contact with the liquid L. The vaporizer 2 is configured so that the heating fluid supplied into the vaporizer 2 through the heating fluid supply port 2d supplies heat to the liquid L while passing through the heat transfer tube, and then is discharged through the heating fluid discharge port 2e. In another embodiment, the liquid L supplied into the heat transfer tube of the vaporizer 2 may be heated by the heating fluid supplied into the shell of the vaporizer 2. The heating fluid may be any fluid having a higher temperature than the liquid L in the vaporizer 2, and one example is seawater in a liquid state. When the main component of the liquid L is ammonia, the temperature of the liquid L is close to −33° C., which is the boiling point of ammonia, and therefore the liquid L can be heated using seawater in a liquid state that has a higher temperature than that.

[0013] The vaporized gas generated by vaporizing the liquid L in the vaporizer 2 is discharged through the gas outlet 2c. Meanwhile, the liquid L can be discharged directly from the vaporizer 2 through the liquid outlet 2b. The liquid outlet 2b may be provided at a position lower than the liquid level Ls of the liquid L, and is preferably provided at a position higher than the bottom 2f of the vaporizer 2. Providing the liquid outlet 2b at a position lower than the liquid level Ls of the liquid L does not particularly hinder the discharge of the liquid L. Furthermore, providing the liquid outlet 2b at a position higher than the bottom 2f of the vaporizer 2 has the advantage that even if dust has settled at the bottom of the vaporizer 2, the dust is less likely to be mixed into the liquid L discharged through the liquid outlet 2b.

[0014] Liquid L preferably contains a main component and a high-boiling-point component having a boiling point higher than that of the main component. In this specification, "boiling point" refers to a value at one atmosphere. One example of the main component is ammonia, and one example of the high-boiling-point component is water. The proportion of the main component in Liquid L is, for example, 90% by mass or more and less than 100% by mass, preferably 99% by mass or more and less than 100% by mass, and preferably 99.9% by mass or more and less than 100% by mass. This proportion is, for example, 90 to 99.99999% by mass, specifically, for example, 90, 99, 99.9, 99.99, 99.999, 99.9999, 99.9999, or 99.99999% by mass, and may be in a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here or equal to or greater than any of the values ​​(but less than 100% by mass). The proportion of the high-boiling point component in the liquid L is, for example, more than 0% by mass and not more than 10% by mass, preferably more than 0% by mass and not more than 1% by mass, and more preferably more than 0% by mass and not more than 0.1% by mass. This proportion is, for example, 0.00001 to 10% by mass, specifically, for example, 0.00001, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10% by mass, and may be in a range between any two of the numerical values ​​exemplified here or not more than any one of them (but more than 0% by mass).

[0015] When liquid L contains a main component and a high-boiling-point component, vaporizing liquid L in vaporizer 2 causes the main component to vaporize preferentially, increasing the concentration of the high-boiling-point component in liquid L in vaporizer 2. If an operation is performed in which new liquid L is supplied to vaporizer 2 after the entire amount of liquid L in vaporizer 2 has been vaporized, the problem of an increase in the concentration of the high-boiling-point component can be avoided. However, if the main component has a relatively high boiling point and a large latent heat, such as ammonia, it takes a very long time to vaporize the entire amount of liquid L in vaporizer 2, which causes another problem in that liquid L cannot be vaporized efficiently.

[0016] In this embodiment, to solve this problem, a mixed vaporized gas is generated by mixing a vaporized gas generated by vaporizing a portion of the liquid L in the vaporizer 2 with the liquid L extracted from the vaporizer 2. With this configuration, the proportion of high-boiling-point components contained in the mixed vaporized gas can be made equal to or greater than the proportion of high-boiling-point components contained in the liquid L supplied to the vaporizer 2, thereby preventing an increase in the concentration of high-boiling-point components contained in the liquid L in the vaporizer 2. Therefore, the liquid L can be vaporized while the liquid L is being added to the vaporizer 2, thereby improving the efficiency of vaporization of the liquid L.

[0017] <Heater 3> The heater 3 is configured to be able to heat the vaporized gas generated by vaporizing the liquid L in the vaporizer 2. The heater 3 is provided with a gas supply port 3 a, a gas discharge port 3 b, a heating fluid supply port 3 c, and a heating fluid discharge port 3 d.

[0018] A heat transfer tube (not shown) connected to a gas supply port 3 a and a gas exhaust port 3 b is disposed within the heater 3. The vaporized gas supplied into the heater 3 through the gas supply port 3 a passes through the heat transfer tube and is then discharged through the gas exhaust port 3 b. The heating fluid supplied into the shell of the heater 3 through the heating fluid supply port 3 c contacts the heat transfer tube to supply heat to the vaporized gas, and is then discharged through the heating fluid exhaust port 3 d. This configuration heats the vaporized gas as it passes through the heater 3. Alternatively, the vaporized gas supplied into the shell of the heater 3 may be heated by the heating fluid supplied to the heat transfer tube of the heater 3. The heating fluid may be any fluid having a higher temperature than the vaporized gas, such as liquid water or water vapor. The temperatures of the heating fluid and the vaporized gas passing through the heater 3 are preferably 20°C or higher, more preferably 50°C or higher, and even more preferably 80°C or higher. This temperature is, for example, 20 to 300°C, specifically, for example, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 250, 300°C, and may be in a range between any two of the numerical values ​​exemplified here or any value equal to or greater than the range.

[0019] As will be described later, in this embodiment, the liquid L supplied to the mixer 4 is vaporized by the heat from the vaporized gas heated by the heater 3. For this reason, it is preferable that the heater 3 heats the vaporized gas to such an extent that the vaporized gas will not be liquefied even when the vaporized gas comes into contact with the liquid L in the mixer 4 and heat is removed from it.

[0020] Incidentally, instead of providing the heater 3 that heats the vaporized gas, it is also possible to provide a configuration in which a heater that heats and vaporizes the liquid L supplied to the mixer 4 is provided, but heating and vaporizing the liquid requires adding a heat quantity equivalent to latent heat, and the heater tends to be larger in size compared to when heating and raising the temperature of a gas. In this embodiment, by adopting the heater 3 that heats the vaporized gas, it is possible to reduce the size of the heater 3 and the vaporization system 1.

[0021] <Mixer 4> The mixer 4 is configured to generate a mixed vaporized gas by mixing the vaporized gas heated by the heater 3 with the liquid L extracted from the vaporizer 2. The mixer 4 is provided with a gas supply port 4a, a gas discharge port 4b, and a liquid supply port 4c.

[0022] The gas supply port 4a is connected to the gas outlet port 3b through a pipe 6, and the vaporized gas heated by the heater 3 is supplied into the mixer 4 through the gas supply port 4a. The gas supply port 4a is connected to the gas outlet port 4b through a flow path 4d in the mixer 4. The liquid supply port 4c is connected to the liquid outlet port 2b through a pipe 7, and the liquid L discharged from the vaporizer 2 is supplied into the mixer 4 through the liquid supply port 4c. The liquid supply port 4c is connected to the flow path 4d, and the vaporized gas and the liquid L are mixed in the flow path 4d.

[0023] The liquid L can be mixed with the vaporized gas by being sprayed from a spray nozzle disposed in the flow path 4 d, or can be sucked in as a result of a pressure drop caused by the flow of the vaporized gas flowing through the flow path 4 d and mixed with the vaporized gas. In either case, the liquid L is vaporized by contacting the heated vaporized gas with the liquid L, and a mixed vaporized gas is generated.

[0024] It is preferable that a transfer pump for transferring the liquid L is not provided between the liquid outlet 2b and the liquid supply port 4c. In this case, it is preferable that the liquid L is transferred from the vaporizer 2 to the mixer 4 by gravity acting on the liquid L and / or a force acting due to the differential pressure between the gas phase pressure in the vaporizer 2 and the gas phase pressure in the mixer 4. In this configuration, if the pressure of the vaporized gas flowing through the flow path 4d (i.e., the gas phase pressure in the mixer 4) is too high, the amount of liquid L mixed with the vaporized gas may be too small. In this case, the liquid L may not be sufficiently removed from the vaporizer 2, and the concentration of high-boiling-point components in the liquid L in the vaporizer 2 may increase. Therefore, in this embodiment, to solve this problem, a pressure adjustment mechanism 8 is provided to adjust the pressure of the vaporized gas supplied to the mixer 4. The pressure adjustment mechanism 8 can be provided in the piping between the vaporizer 2 and the mixer 4, and may be provided in the piping 5 or piping 6. In either case, by reducing the pressure of the vaporized gas when it passes through the pressure adjustment mechanism 8, the pressure of the vaporized gas flowing in the flow path 4d can be reduced, thereby increasing the amount of liquid L extracted from the vaporizer 2. The pressure adjustment mechanism 8 can be configured by a control valve, an orifice, or the like.

[0025] Furthermore, the gas phase pressure in the vaporizer 2 can be adjusted by providing a pressure adjustment mechanism 8 and adjusting the flow rate of the vaporized gas discharged from the vaporizer 2. By increasing the gas phase pressure in the vaporizer 2, the force for transporting the liquid L through the pipe 7 can be increased.

[0026] Incidentally, when the liquid L is transferred solely by the action of gravity acting on the liquid L, it is preferable to position the liquid supply port 4c at a lower position than the liquid discharge port 2b. As shown in FIG. 1, the vaporizer 2 typically has a larger volume than the heater 3 and the mixer 4, and the base supporting the vaporizer 2 is likely to be large as well. For this reason, it is easy to position the liquid supply port 4c at a lower position than the liquid discharge port 2b. On the other hand, when the liquid L is transferred by the force acting due to the differential pressure between the gas phase pressure in the vaporizer 2 and the gas phase pressure in the mixer 4, even if the liquid supply port 4c is positioned at the same height as or higher than the liquid discharge port 2b, the liquid L can be transferred appropriately by adjusting the differential pressure to the required level. In this case, the degree of freedom in the placement of the mixer 4 is increased.

[0027] 2. Other Embodiments From another perspective, the present invention can be understood as a vaporization system 1 including a vaporizer 2 and a mixer 4, configured to supply the vaporized gas generated by vaporizing the liquid L in the vaporizer 2 to the mixer 4, where the vaporized gas is mixed with the liquid L removed from the vaporizer 2, and provided with a pressure adjustment mechanism 8 that adjusts the pressure of the vaporized gas supplied to the mixer 4. An embodiment from this perspective is characterized by pressure adjustment by the pressure adjustment mechanism 8, and it is not essential to heat the vaporized gas generated in the vaporizer 2 before supplying it to the mixer 4. In an embodiment from this perspective, the heater 3 may be provided in any of the pipes 5, 6, or 7, or may be provided downstream of the mixer 4, or may be omitted if unnecessary.

[0028] 1: Vaporization system, 2: Vaporizer, 2a: Liquid supply port, 2b: Liquid outlet, 2c: Gas outlet, 2d: Heating fluid supply port, 2e: Heating fluid outlet, 2f: Bottom, 3: Heater, 3a: Gas supply port, 3b: Gas outlet, 3c: Heating fluid supply port, 3d: Heating fluid outlet, 4: Mixer, 4a: Gas supply port, 4b: Gas outlet, 4c: Liquid supply port, 4d: Flow path, 5: Piping, 6: Piping, 7: Piping, 8: Pressure adjustment mechanism, L: Liquid, Ls: Liquid level

Claims

1. A vaporization system comprising a vaporizer, a heater, and a mixer, the vaporized gas produced by vaporizing a portion of a liquid in the vaporizer is heated by the heater and then supplied to the mixer, where the vaporized gas is mixed with the liquid removed from the vaporizer to produce a mixed vaporized gas.

2. A vaporization system according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure adjustment mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the vaporized gas supplied to the mixer.

3. An evaporation system as described in claim 1, wherein the liquid is taken out of the vaporizer through a liquid outlet provided in the vaporizer, the mixer has a liquid supply port which supplies the liquid into the mixer, no transfer pump is provided between the liquid outlet and the liquid supply port which transfers the liquid, and the liquid is transferred from the vaporizer to the mixer by gravity acting on the liquid and / or a force acting due to the pressure difference between the gas phase pressure in the vaporizer and the gas phase pressure in the mixer.

4. The vaporization system according to claim 3, wherein the liquid supply port is disposed at the same height as the liquid discharge port or at a higher height.

5. A vaporization system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid is removed from the vaporizer through a liquid outlet provided in the vaporizer, and the liquid outlet is provided at a position higher than the bottom of the vaporizer and lower than the liquid level of the liquid in the vaporizer.

6. A vaporization system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid contains a main component and a high-boiling point component having a boiling point higher than the boiling point of the main component.

7. The vaporization system according to claim 6, wherein the main component is ammonia, and the high boiling point component is water.

8. A vaporization system comprising a vaporizer and a mixer, the vaporized gas produced by vaporizing a portion of the liquid in the vaporizer is supplied to the mixer, and mixed with the liquid removed from the vaporizer in the mixer, the vaporization system being provided with a pressure adjustment mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the vaporized gas supplied to the mixer.

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