Multi-Stage Distillation for Produced Water Volume Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The handling and disposal of produced water from oil and gas wells pose significant economic and environmental challenges due to its high volume and complex chemical composition, which includes high levels of dissolved and suspended salts, hydrocarbons, and gases.
Innovation Solution
A multi-stage distillation process that involves initial distillation at pressures above atmospheric, followed by intermediary and final distillation stages, where heat of condensation is transferred back to the initial salt solution, effectively concentrating the salt solution and reducing its volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multi-stage distillation is used to concentrate salt solution, then volume reduction is achieved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of water (liquid to vapor to liquid) through multi-stage distillation to separate and concentrate salt from the solution. Water evaporates from the salt solution in heated chambers, condenses in cooling chambers, and the concentrated salt solution is collected, achieving volume reduction through controlled phase changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful waste product (concentrated brine) into a beneficial resource by enabling recovery of valuable metal ions such as lithium and rare earth metals from the concentrated solution. The distillation process that concentrates the salt solution also concentrates these valuable metals, transforming a disposal problem into an opportunity for resource recovery.
2Ease of operation
If produced water is disposed of through conventional methods, then handling is simplified, but disposal costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified model of water treatment by using multiple distillation chambers that replicate the basic evaporation-condensation process. Each chamber copies the fundamental separation mechanism, allowing scalable treatment of large volumes of produced water through modular repetition of the same effective process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses phase transitions to automatically separate water from salts and contaminants through evaporation and condensation cycles, eliminating the need for complex chemical treatment processes. The phase change-driven separation simplifies operation while reducing disposal costs by concentrating the waste stream for more economical disposal or resource recovery.
3Loss of energy
If heat of condensation is transferred back to initial salt solution, then energy efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the heat of condensation from condensed vapor is transferred back to the initial salt solution through heat exchangers. This feedback mechanism recovers energy that would otherwise be lost, pre-heating the feed solution and improving overall energy efficiency of the distillation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the heating and cooling functions within the same distillation system by using heat exchangers that transfer heat from condensing vapor to incoming salt solution. This combining of thermal processes within the integrated system achieves energy recovery while managing the complexity through unified design.
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 process efficiently reduces the volume of the salt solution, thereby decreasing disposal costs and potentially recovering valuable metal ions like lithium or rare earth metals from the concentrated brine.
Implementation Method 1
distilling the initial salt solution within the initial distillation stage to thereby produce an initial vapor stream and an initial concentrated salt solution
Implementation Method 2
distilling the initial salt solution within the initial distillation stage to thereby produce an initial vapor stream
Implementation Method 3
condensing the initial vapor stream to thereby release the heat of condensation associated with the initial stream
Implementation Method 4
transferring at least a portion of the heat of condensation associated with the final vapor stream to the initial salt solution
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-stage process for treating a salt solution, the process comprising (i) providing an initial salt solution to an initial distillation stage, (ii) distilling the initial salt solution within the initial distillation stage to thereby produce an initial vapor stream and an initial concentrated salt solution, where said initial distillation stage takes place at pressure above atmospheric pressure; (iii) transferring the initial vapor stream and initial concentrated salt solution to an intermediary distillation stage; (iv) condensing the initial vapor stream to thereby release the heat of condensation associated with the initial stream; (v) converting, within the intermediary distillation stage, at least a portion of the initial concentrated salt solution an intermediary vapor stream and an intermediary concentrated salt solution; (vi) transferring the intermediary vapor stream and intermediary concentrated salt solution to a final distillation stage, wherein the final distillation stage produces a final vapor stream and a final concentrated salt solution; (vii) condensing at least a portion of the final vapor stream to thereby release the heat of condensation associated with the final vapor stream; (viii) transferring at least a portion of the heat of condensation associated with the final vapor stream to the initial salt solution; and (ix) capturing at least a portion of the final concentrated salt solution.