Crystallizer Evaporation Loop With Free-Flow Heat Exchanger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional waste water treatment systems are inefficient and require multiple unit operations, making them costly and inefficient for treating contaminated scrubber water from industrial processes.
Innovation Solution
A simplified system that increases the circulation rate of mass flow through an evaporation unit to create a highly concentrated crystallized waste product and purified effluent, using a recirculation loop, inducer, and a free-flow primary heat exchanger to minimize fouling and enhance heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional waste water treatment systems operate multiple unit operations in series, then treatment effectiveness is achieved, but system complexity and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple treatment functions (evaporation, crystallization, heat exchange) into a single integrated system where waste water is processed through one continuous circulation loop rather than sequential separate units, reducing system complexity while maintaining treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporation unit serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a heat exchanger, evaporator, and crystallizer, while the recirculation system performs both heating and cooling duties, eliminating the need for separate dedicated equipment for each function
2Productivity
If circulation rate through evaporation unit is increased, then crystallization efficiency and heat transfer improve, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous circulation and heat transfer without interruption, allowing the waste water to repeatedly pass through the evaporation unit and heat exchanger, accumulating crystallization effect over multiple cycles while efficiently utilizing thermal energy
Solution Approach 2:
The system exploits phase change of water from liquid to vapor during evaporation, and from vapor back to liquid during condensation in the heat exchanger, where latent heat release during condensation provides energy for continuous evaporation, reducing external energy input requirements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves efficient crystallization of waste products, reducing disposal volume and operational costs by increasing concentration and purifying the effluent to 90-100% water, with improved heat transfer and reduced fouling.
Implementation Method 1
transferring heat from a pressurized distillate stream to a circulation stream in a primary heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
evaporating volatile compounds from the heated circulation stream in an evaporation unit to form a distillate stream and a concentrated bottoms stream
Implementation Method 3
compressing the distillate stream in a compressor to form the pressurized distillate stream
Implementation Method 4
concentrating the waste stream to a crystallized waste product
Data Source
AI summary
An aqueous stream crystallization system including a circulation pump to receive a waste fluid and/or a concentrated liquid bottoms stream and expel a circulation stream. The aqueous stream cleaning system can also include a primary heat exchanger. The primary heat exchanger can have a plurality of heat exchange plates that define an internal surface area for heat transfer from a distillate stream to the circulation stream. The plurality of heat exchange plates can be spaced to facilitate free flow of solids in the circulation stream between the plurality of heat exchange plates. A mass flow rate and pressure of the circulation stream can be configured to minimize build-up of solids in the primary heat exchanger and maximize crystallization of waste materials. The aqueous stream cleaning system can further include an evaporation unit to receive the heated circulation stream from the primary heat exchanger.