Multi-stage Reboiler Water Purification System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Steam generator systems face inefficiencies and component damage due to impurities in hard water or produced water, which conventional water treatment systems struggle to address effectively, leading to fouling and high energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a series of reboilers and a gas-fired combustion steam generator to purify water by heating impure water, separating particulate matter, and recycling clean steam and water streams to maintain efficiency and reduce impurity concentration, producing approximately 3 parts clean water to 1 part clean steam from 4 parts impure water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional water treatment systems are used to purify hard water or produced water, then impurities can be removed, but the systems require substantial space, capital cost and energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The water treatment process is divided into multiple stages using a series of reboilers (first reboiler, second reboiler) with different heating mechanisms. Each reboiler handles specific portions of the water stream, allowing for progressive purification while distributing energy consumption across multiple units rather than requiring one large energy-intensive system
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the produced clean steam and clean water as self-service resources to preheat and heat the impure water streams in the reboilers. The clean steam condensate and clean water from previous stages are reused to reduce the energy burden on external heating sources, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining purification effectiveness
2Reliability
If conventional water treatment systems are used to purify hard water or produced water, then impurities can be removed, but the systems require substantial space and capital cost
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment system is segmented into multiple compact reboiler units processed in series, allowing for a more space-efficient footprint compared to a single large conventional treatment system. The modular arrangement of first and second reboilers with their respective steam generators occupies less total space while achieving the same purification goal
Solution Approach 2:
The reboilers serve multiple functions: they act as heaters, evaporators, and purification units simultaneously. The gas-fired combustion steam generator and electric steam generator both serve as heat sources that can be adjusted for different operational requirements, reducing the need for separate specialized equipment and thereby reducing overall space requirements
3Reliability
If conventional water treatment systems are used to purify hard water or produced water, then impurities can be removed, but the systems concentrate impurities over time requiring substantial maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The impurity concentration process is segmented across multiple reboiler stages, with each reboiler handling a portion of the purification load. This distribution prevents any single unit from rapidly concentrating impurities to problematic levels, thereby extending the operational duration before maintenance is required compared to a single-stage system
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous operation with multiple reboilers processing water streams simultaneously. The first reboiler processes impure water while the second reboiler processes concentrated impure water from the first, ensuring continuous purification without interruption and extending operational duration by preventing impurity buildup that would halt the process
4Productivity
If conventional water treatment systems are used, then clean water can be produced, but the efficiency with respect to clean water produced from unclean water input is highly inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the clean water and clean steam produced in each stage to preheat and heat the impure water feeds for subsequent stages. This self-service heating approach recovers thermal energy that would otherwise be wasted, significantly improving the efficiency of clean water production from unclean water input by reducing the total energy input required
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the steam and hot water byproducts of the purification process, the system recovers and reusesthem as heating media in the reboilers. The clean steam condensate and clean water from each stage are captured and used to heat incoming impure water streams, converting what would be waste into a valuable resource and improving overall water production efficiency
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 solution significantly enhances water treatment efficiency, reducing maintenance and energy consumption while producing a high ratio of clean water and steam, making it more economical and robust compared to conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
heating impure water in a first reboiler to produce clean water and a first concentrated impure water stream
Implementation Method 2
providing the second concentrated impure water stream into a gas-fired combustion steam generator to produce a steam stream
Implementation Method 3
separating the particulate matter from the steam stream to produce clean steam
Implementation Method 4
providing the clean stream into the first reboiler and the second reboiler to transfer heat to, respectively, the impure water and the first concentrated impure water stream
Data Source
AI summary
A method for purifying water involves heating impure water in a first reboiler, a second reboiler and a combustion steam generator to ultimately produce about 3 parts by weight of clean water and about 1 part by weight of clean steam for every 4 parts by weight of the impure water. A water treatment system includes a gas-fired combustion steam generator that is operable to produce a hot steam stream. A reboiler is connected in receiving communication with the gas-fired combustion steam generator to receive the hot steam stream. A separator is connected with the reboiler and is operable to separate an output stream from the reboiler.