A distillation apparatus includes at least one evaporation space in which feed water is evaporated into a vapour and at least one condensation space, in which vapour from a preceding evaporation space is condensed into distillate. The evaporation space and the condensation space each include a chamber and a plurality of interdigitated pockets arranged between said chambers, such that a first pocket of the evaporation space is present between a first and a second pocket of the condensation space, and that the first pocket of the condensation space is present between the first and a second pocket of the evaporation space. The spaces are mutually separated by means of a separation barrier that is configured for transmission of heat and for definition of the interdigitated pockets.

A Combined evaporator and mixer for evaporating a liquid, particularly water, and mixing with a gas, particularly natural gas, including a housing and at least one individual mixing-evaporation module having exhaust gas openings at two of its ends.

A stacked type falling film evaporator includes a first evaporator, a second evaporator, a first vapor recovering device, a second vapor recovering device and a vapor recompressor. The first evaporator and the second evaporator respectively have evaporation tubes of a length of 5 m to 10 m, and are stacked in such a manner that wastewater passes through the first evaporator and the second evaporator in order. The first vapor recovering device collects vapor generated from the wastewater in the first evaporator and supplies the collected vapor to the second evaporator. The second vapor recovering device collects vapor generated from the wastewater in the second evaporator and supplies the collected vapor to the first evaporator. The vapor recompressor compresses the vapor collected in the second vapor recovering device before the vapor is supplied to the first evaporator.

A closed loop contaminant control system for an evaporative water purification process at an oil recovery facility includes an evaporator having a water inlet, a distilled water discharge, and an oil and brine water discharge. A sump in the evaporator is divided by an oil skimming weir into a main sump and a blowdown sump, with the oil and brine water discharge located proximate the blowdown sump and the steam discharge located above the oil and brine discharge. A distillate tank receives distilled water from the evaporator and discharges the distilled water. The distillate tank has a level controller, other controllers provided for the system include a distilled water flow meter, a blowdown flow meter, a cycle controller, a total flow controller, a hardness controller, and a silica controller.

An apparatus for evaporative concentration of water, containing hardness-causing substances, to be treated using hot lime softening, includes: a first evaporator configured to form first concentrated water from the water to be treated by evaporatively concentrating the water by first heat exchange with hot steam; a hot lime softener configured to precipitate and to separate hardness-causing substances contained in the first concentrated water from at least a portion of the first concentrated water from the first evaporator by reaction with lime and configured to remove the hardness-causing substances from the first concentrated water; and a second evaporator configured to form second concentrated water by further evaporatively concentrating at least a portion of the first concentrated water that passed through the hot lime softener by second heat exchange with hot steam.

An apparatus for evaporative concentration of water, containing hardness-causing substances, to be treated using hot lime softening, includes: a first evaporator configured to form first concentrated water from the water to be treated by evaporatively concentrating the water by first heat exchange with hot steam; a hot lime softener configured to precipitate and to separate hardness-causing substances contained in the first concentrated water from at least a portion of the first concentrated water from the first evaporator by reaction with lime and configured to remove the hardness-causing substances from the first concentrated water; and a second evaporator configured to form second concentrated water by further evaporatively concentrating at least a portion of the first concentrated water that passed through the hot lime softener by second heat exchange with hot steam.

The present invention relates to a purifying apparatus for polycarbonate polyols, especially for removal of cyclic alkylene carbonates, comprising an evaporation unit (1) provided with a heater (10) and having an inlet (6) disposed at the top end thereof and a bottoms vessel (11), and a stripping column (2) connected downstream of the evaporation unit (1) and having a top (21) and a bottom (23), wherein a feed (5) for the polycarbonate polyol to be purified opens into the inlet (6) to the evaporation unit (1) and a gas outlet line (12) and a connecting line which opens into the top (21) of the stripping column (2) and is equipped with a pump (18) depart from the evaporation unit (1), and wherein a gas inlet line (24) for an inert gas opens into the bottom (23) of the stripping column (2) and a product line (27) for the purified polycarbonate polyol departs from the bottom (23) of the stripping column (2) and a gas outlet line (25) departs from the top (21) of the stripping column (2). The invention additionally relates to a process for purifying polycarbonate polyols with such a purifying apparatus.

The present invention relates to a purifying apparatus for polycarbonate polyols, especially for removal of cyclic alkylene carbonates, comprising an evaporation unit (1) provided with a heater (10) and having an inlet (6) disposed at the top end thereof and a bottoms vessel (11), and a stripping column (2) connected downstream of the evaporation unit (1) and having a top (21) and a bottom (23), wherein a feed (5) for the polycarbonate polyol to be purified opens into the inlet (6) to the evaporation unit (1) and a gas outlet line (12) and a connecting line which opens into the top (21) of the stripping column (2) and is equipped with a pump (18) depart from the evaporation unit (1), and wherein a gas inlet line (24) for an inert gas opens into the bottom (23) of the stripping column (2) and a product line (27) for the purified polycarbonate polyol departs from the bottom (23) of the stripping column (2) and a gas outlet line (25) departs from the top (21) of the stripping column (2). The invention additionally relates to a process for purifying polycarbonate polyols with such a purifying apparatus.

A method for separating lighter components of a hydrocarbon product in a container tank includes introducing the hydrocarbon product into the container tank via an inlet located near or at the bottom of the container tank; routing the hydrocarbon product through a pipe-in-pipe conduit that is at least partially surrounded by a bulk fluid stored in the container tank; providing a vapor-liquid interface that allows efficient evaporation of the lighter components resulting in separation of the lighter components and a processed hydrocarbon product; and routing the processed hydrocarbon product into the annular space of the pipe-in-pipe conduit thereby thermally insulating incoming hydrocarbon product from the surrounding bulk fluid and eliminating or minimizing vapor liquid equilibrium shift of the incoming hydrocarbon product caused by increased head pressure and/or reduction in temperature of the incoming hydrocarbon product.

A method for separating lighter components of a hydrocarbon product in a container tank includes introducing the hydrocarbon product into the container tank via an inlet located near or at the bottom of the container tank; routing the hydrocarbon product through a pipe-in-pipe conduit that is at least partially surrounded by a bulk fluid stored in the container tank; providing a vapor-liquid interface that allows efficient evaporation of the lighter components resulting in separation of the lighter components and a processed hydrocarbon product; and routing the processed hydrocarbon product into the annular space of the pipe-in-pipe conduit thereby thermally insulating incoming hydrocarbon product from the surrounding bulk fluid and eliminating or minimizing vapor liquid equilibrium shift of the incoming hydrocarbon product caused by increased head pressure and/or reduction in temperature of the incoming hydrocarbon product.