Screw Conveyor Solid-Liquid Separation with Cryogenic Melting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Solid-liquid separations are challenging, especially in cryogenic situations where solids sublimate directly to gases at ambient pressures, leading to clogging and inefficient filtration due to the contradictory behavior of cryogenic solids and liquids.
Innovation Solution
A vessel with a rotating screw conveyor that preferentially conveys solids over a contact liquid, using a downcomer section with a melting device to create a denser product liquid that displaces the contact liquid, enhancing separation efficiency by leveraging the difference in densities and phase behavior of cryogenic substances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional filtration methods are used for cryogenic solids, then solids can be separated from liquids, but clogging occurs at one extreme and solids pass through oversized holes at the other extreme
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state parameter of the cryogenic solid from solid to liquid by applying heat in the downcomer section. This phase change allows the material to transition from a sublimating solid that causes clogging to a liquid that can be easily separated by density, resolving the filtration dilemma without requiring complex filtration systems
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical filtration system with a thermal processing system. Instead of using filters that suffer from clogging and oversized hole problems, the system uses heating to melt the solids and density-based separation in the downcomer, substituting mechanical separation with thermal and gravitational separation
2Quantity of substance
If solids are conveyed toward the second end of the vessel, then solids concentration increases at the second end, but contact liquid must be displaced efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses phase transition of the contact liquid from liquid to vapor in the downcomer section. The heated contact liquid vaporizes, creating a density difference that drives efficient displacement of liquid toward the first outlet while solids concentrate at the second end, thereby increasing both solids concentration and separation rate simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The vessel is segmented into two functional sections: the screw conveyor section for solids concentration and the downcomer section for liquid displacement and phase change. This segmentation allows each section to optimize its function - concentrating solids without interfering with liquid displacement, thereby improving overall productivity
3Stability of the object's composition
If cryogenic solids are handled at extreme low temperatures, then phase stability is maintained, but direct sublimation to gases occurs at ambient pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the temperature parameter of the cryogenic solid by applying heat in the downcomer section. This raises the temperature above the melting point, causing the solid to melt into a liquid rather than sublimating to gas, thereby eliminating the harmful gas generation while maintaining compositional stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention controls the phase transition of the cryogenic solid from solid to liquid by heating. This controlled transition prevents the unwanted solid-to-gas sublimation by maintaining the material in the liquid phase through temperature control, eliminating the harmful gas phase formation
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 effectively separates solids from liquids, achieving high purity of the product streams with the solids being concentrated at one end and the liquid at the other, with the screw conveyor's design allowing for efficient handling of cryogenic materials by exploiting their phase characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
As the screw conveys the solids preferentially over the contact liquid toward the second end of the vessel, the solids displace at least a portion of the contact liquid
Implementation Method 2
The melting device may be disposed along the downcomer section and may melt the solids in the downcomer section, producing a product liquid. The product liquid may be more dense than the contact liquid
Implementation Method 3
The product liquid may be more dense than the contact liquid, thereby displacing at least a portion of the contact liquid from the downcomer section and driving the contact liquid toward the first end of the vessel
Implementation Method 4
A portion of the vessel may be cooled by an external cooling device
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed to separate solids from liquids. A vessel includes a screw, an inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet. The inlet receives a first slurry having an incoming solids concentration. The first slurry consists of solids and a contact liquid. The first outlet is disposed toward the first end of the vessel. The second outlet is disposed toward a second end of the vessel. The screw preferentially conveys the solids over the contact liquid towards the second end of the vessel, the solids displacing at least a portion of the contact liquid, causing that portion of the contact liquid to flow toward the first outlet. A melting device is included.