Vortex Crystallizer for Brine Mineral Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crystallization methods for minerals from solution mining are energy-intensive and yield inefficient crystallization due to insufficient temperature differentials, especially in varying ambient air temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A crystallization device employing a vessel with a cooling region, circulator, cooler, stirrer, and control system that adjusts gas composition and temperature to maintain optimal evaporative cooling, using ambient air and compressed air through adjustable vortex tubes to ensure efficient crystallization regardless of ambient temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If evaporative cooling is used with ambient air, then the crystallization process is simple and low-cost, but the temperature differential is insufficient when ambient temperatures are high, reducing crystallization yield
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temperature parameter of the cooling gas by using vortex tubes to generate cold air at -20°C to -40°C from compressed air, thereby increasing the temperature differential with the feed solution from insufficient ambient differentials to optimal 40-60°C differentials for high-rate crystallization
Solution Approach 2:
The vortex tube acts as an intermediary device that transforms compressed air into a cold gas mediator, which then serves as the cooling medium in the gas-solids contactor, enabling controlled evaporative cooling independent of ambient temperature conditions
2Productivity
If multiple evaporation and cooling stages are used to achieve sufficient temperature differential, then crystallization yield improves, but energy consumption and process complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces mechanical cooling systems (compressors, condensers, evaporators) with a vortex tube-based cold air generation system that uses compressed air and rotational mechanics to produce cold gas, eliminating the need for complex refrigeration cycles and reducing energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the phase transition of compressed air through the vortex tube, where the compression and expansion processes create temperature separation, generating cold air at the cold end without requiring external refrigeration energy input
3Reliability
If ambient air is used for cooling, then the system is simple to operate, but the process becomes unreliable when ambient temperatures fluctuate, affecting crystal size and yield
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates adjustable vortex tubes with variable opening mechanisms that allow dynamic adjustment of cold air flow rate and temperature, enabling the operator to maintain optimal crystallization conditions despite variations in feed solution temperature or flow rate
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a control mechanism where the operator monitors crystallization performance and adjusts the vortex tube opening to regulate cold air supply, creating a feedback loop that maintains reliable and consistent crystallization outcomes
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 system achieves optimal crystallization yields by maintaining a sufficient temperature differential for evaporative cooling, enhancing crystal formation and size control across varying ambient conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a cooler for subjecting at least a portion of the solution, while inside the cooling region of the vessel, to a gas maintained at a temperature below the temperature of at least a portion of the solution thereby causing evaporative cooling of at least a portion of the solution
Implementation Method 2
air derived from the compressed air that has passed through an adjustable vortex tube and has exited a cool end of the vortex tube
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for crystallizing soluble minerals from a brine stream are provided. Soluble minerals dissolved in a saturated brine stream can enter a crystallizer in liquid form and exit the crystallizer in crystal (solid) form. The crystallizer is able to do this by cooling the brine stream using atmospheric air.