Steam Generation via Immiscible Heating Medium Pool
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current steam generation processes that rely on heat exchanging surfaces are complex, costly, and require extensive pretreatment of feed water, leading to equipment design challenges, scaling, and safety concerns due to high recycle rates and unvaporized components.
Innovation Solution
The system generates steam by vaporizing feed water within a liquid pool zone without a mixing zone or stripping zone, using a heating medium that is immiscible with the process stream, allowing for reduced pre-mixing and eliminating the need for extensive pretreatment, low temperature differentials, and high recycle rates, thus simplifying the process and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a heat exchanging surface is used for steam generation, then steam production is achieved, but the system becomes complex and requires extensive pretreatment of feed water
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heat exchanging surface from the system entirely, replacing it with direct injection of feed water into the vaporization zone where hot process vapor directly contacts and heats the feed water, eliminating the need for complex heat exchanger design and maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The feed water treatment function is merged with the steam generation function by injecting pretreated feed water directly into the vaporization zone where it mixes with hot process vapor, combining heating and phase change in a single integrated process
2Productivity
If a heat exchanging surface is used for steam generation, then steam production is achieved, but extensive pretreatment of feed water is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temperature parameter by utilizing high-temperature process vapor (sufficiently hot to vaporize water) to provide direct heating, eliminating the need for complex pretreatment systems required by conventional heat exchangers
3Productivity
If a mixing zone for vaporization is used outside the liquid pool, then vaporization occurs, but the equipment becomes difficult to design and prone to scaling and plugging
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing zone and liquid pool are merged into a single integrated vaporization zone, eliminating the need for separate mixing equipment and reducing design complexity while maintaining effective vaporization
4Reliability
If a high recycle rate of heating medium is used, then thermal degradation is avoided, but the system becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The process vapor serves its own heating function by directly contacting feed water in the vaporization zone, eliminating the need for a separate heating medium recycle system while maintaining thermal efficiency
5Productivity
If a stripping zone is used for solids removal, then solids are removed, but corrosion and safety concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stripping zone is removed from the system, and solids are handled by direct injection of feed water into the vaporization zone where vaporization and solids separation occur simultaneously, eliminating the corrosion and safety issues associated with traditional stripping zones
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 simplifies steam generation, reduces costs, minimizes equipment fouling, and allows for a wider range of feed water sources by eliminating the need for pretreatment and complex equipment designs, while maintaining efficient steam production.
Implementation Method 1
vaporizing a volatile components portion of the feed water stream with the heating medium
Implementation Method 2
contacting the feed water stream with a heating medium... to vaporize a volatile components portion of the feed water stream
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method to generate steam from a feed water stream does so in a liquid pool zone of a vessel as the stream comes into contact with a heating medium that is less volatile than the feed water stream. To keep the pool hot, the heating medium can be recirculated through a heater of a pump-around loop or a heater can be placed in the liquid pool. As the feed water stream is vaporized or partially vaporized, any solids or unvaporized water present in the feed water stream come out of the stream and move into the heating medium. These solids and the unvaporized water may be further removed from the heating medium in the pool or in the pump-around loop. The heat exchange surface does not contact the feed water to generate steam.