Parallel Gas Treatment Through Liquid Baths for High Flow Rate Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas treatment technologies face limitations in achieving high energy efficiency and flow rates due to the need for increased device size and inefficiencies in heat transfer when scaling up gas flow rates, particularly in systems where the gas passes through a volume of liquid.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an installation with exchange enclosures that maintain an initial volume of liquid across all units, utilizing a fan or compressor to create pressure differences that allow for simultaneous treatment of gas streams in parallel, ensuring consistent liquid levels and efficient heat exchange without the need for increased device size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the gas flow rate is increased in existing liquid contact systems, then the productivity improves, but the device size must be increased and heat transfer efficiency deteriorates due to loss of edge effects
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the gas treatment system into multiple independent exchange enclosures (at least two) that operate in parallel. Each enclosure processes a portion of the total gas flow, allowing the system to achieve high overall productivity without increasing the size of individual enclosures. This segmentation enables scaling by adding more units rather than enlarging existing ones, thus maintaining heat transfer efficiency while increasing capacity.
2Loss of energy
If the volume of liquid in the exchange enclosure is increased to maintain heat transfer efficiency, then the energy efficiency improves, but the device size increases detrimentally
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing liquid volume in a single large enclosure, the invention segments the system into multiple enclosures, each with optimized liquid volumes that maintain efficient heat transfer through edge effects. The parallel configuration achieves high total capacity without requiring large individual enclosure sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from scaling in one dimension (increasing enclosure size) to scaling in another dimension (increasing number of enclosures). This dimensional shift allows the system to achieve high productivity by adding parallel units rather than enlarging individual units, thereby maintaining heat transfer efficiency without detrimental size increases.
3Productivity
If multiple exchange enclosures are used in parallel to increase flow rate, then the productivity improves, but the liquid level consistency becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the liquid systems of multiple exchange enclosures by connecting them through common supply and evacuation lines. This hydraulic integration ensures that liquid levels remain consistent across all enclosures while allowing gas streams to be processed in parallel. The shared liquid circuit maintains equilibrium and stabilizes operation across the entire system.
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
This approach enables high flow rates, exceeding 10,000 m³/h, while maintaining efficient gas treatment quality, allowing for easy scaling by adding more treatment devices without compromising performance, and can be applied to various applications including heating, cooling, and humidity control.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing a fan or compressor to create pressure differences that allow for simultaneous treatment of gas streams in parallel
Implementation Method 2
The use of a liquid, such as for example water, to treat, and in particular to heat or cool a gas stream by heat exchange between the liquid and the gas stream, with direct contact between the gas stream and of the liquid
Implementation Method 3
The use of a liquid, such as for example water, to treat, and in particular to heat or cool a gas stream by heat exchange between the liquid and the gas stream, with direct contact between the gas stream and of the liquid
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The facility (1A) comprises at least two treatment devices (2) each comprising an exchange chamber (20) intended to contain a liquid bath in the bottom part and at least one injection line (21). It comprises aeraulic means (4), which are connected to all the discharge openings of the exchange chambers or which are connected to all the intake openings of the injection lines (21), and which make it possible, in operation, to create, by suction or by blowing, simultaneously and in parallel for each treatment device (2), an incoming gas stream (F) originating from outside the exchange chambers (2), so that each incoming gas stream (F) is introduced into the injection line (21) of the corresponding treatment device (2), and passes through the discharge opening of the injection line (21) by being introduced into the liquid bath contained in the bottom part of the exchange chamber (20), below the surface (S) of said liquid bath, and so that an outgoing gas stream (F'), treated by direct contact with said liquid bath rises up inside the exchange chamber and is discharged out of said exchange chamber (20) by passing through the discharge opening (20f) of the exchange chamber (20). The exchange chambers (20) communicate hydraulically with one another so that when the aeraulic means (4) are shut down, each exchange chamber (20) is suitable for containing or contains, in the bottom part, an initial volume (Vinitial) of liquid, with an initial liquid level (Hinitial) that is identical in all the exchange chambers (2).