A liquid separator and concentrator is disclosed. An example liquid separator and concentrator includes a separator column. A spray chamber has a sprayer nozzle to spray an influent within the spray chamber and create a falling film in the separator column. A heating jacket surrounds the separator column, wherein the heating jacket heats the falling film to evaporate at least one portion of the falling film and leaves a concentrate. A concentrate collection vessel receives the concentrate from the separator column.

A reaction apparatus for producing polyethylene glycol dinitrate (PEGDN) in a continuous manner includes a series of reaction cells spatially disposed in one or more planar structures and a separation arrangement for separating PEGDN and Ammonium Nitrate, in a continuous manner. The separation arrangement is a thin film evaporator and/or falling film evaporator. The plurality of reaction cells includes a feed preparation section having feedstreams for continuously providing an acid composition and a glycol composition to reaction cells. The plurality of reaction cells further includes a nitration section, where the acid composition and the glycol composition react to generate a reaction composition, and a quench and neutralization section, having feed for cooling arrangement and a plurality of feeds for providing an alkaline composition to at least partially neutralize reaction composition. The acid composition includes a mixture of dilute nitric acid and concentrated sulphuric acid.

A fluid vapor distillation apparatus. The apparatus includes a source fluid input, and an evaporator condenser apparatus. The evaporator condenser apparatus includes a substantially cylindrical housing and a plurality of tubes in the housing. The source fluid input is fluidly connected to the evaporator condenser and the evaporator condenser transforms source fluid into steam and transforms compressed steam into product fluid. Also included in the fluid vapor distillation apparatus is a heat exchanger fluidly connected to the source fluid input and a product fluid output. The heat exchanger includes an outer tube and at least one inner tube. Also included in the fluid vapor distillation apparatus is a regenerative blower fluidly connected to the evaporator condenser. The regenerative blower compresses steam, and the compressed steam flows to the evaporative condenser where compressed steam is transformed into product fluid. The fluid vapor distillation apparatus also includes a control system.

Process for steam cracking of thermally unstable feedstock such as plastic pyrolysis oil, or olefin rich hydrocarbon cuts such as cracked gasoline, coker naphtha or diesel. The invention is also about a heat exchanger suitable for that process.

A system for processing essential oils includes a mixing tank, three winterization vessels, three respective filtering vessels, a fine filtering vessel, a holding tank, an evaporator, an essential oil reservoir, a solvent reservoir, and a solvent filtering vessel. The evaporator can include a heat exchanger configured to heat a plate down which a mixture including the oils flows, to evaporate other components of the mixture. Fluids can be advanced through the system using a pressurized inert gas.

A system for processing essential oils includes a mixing tank, three winterization vessels, three respective filtering vessels, a fine filtering vessel, a holding tank, an evaporator, an essential oil reservoir, a solvent reservoir, and a solvent filtering vessel. The evaporator can include a heat exchanger configured to heat a plate down which a mixture including the oils flows, to evaporate other components of the mixture. Fluids can be advanced through the system using a pressurized inert gas.

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.

Methods may include obtaining ketones and glycols from a fermentation process, the method including: collecting an off-gas and/or a fermented broth from the fermenter, wherein the off-gas comprises a ketone, and wherein the fermented broth comprises one or more of glycol or ketone; and performing at least one of: transferring the off-gas from the fermenter to a ketone recuperation module; or transferring the fermented broth to a fluid separating module; and isolating one or more of: the ketone from the off-gas; and the glycol from the fermented broth.

A process for obtaining free fatty acid and/or free fatty acid ester, including separating a liquid mixture containing the free fatty acid and/or the fatty acid ester by contacting a vapor of the liquid mixture in a column of a distillation apparatus with condensate formed from the vapor running downward. Heat and mass transfer takes place between the vapor and the condensate on column internals. The column has at least 10 theoretical plates and the separation is conducted with a pressure drop between the top and bottom of the column of p of 3.3 mbars. Appropriately, the liquid mixture, contains polyunsaturated fatty acid, preferably omega-6 or omega-3 fatty acid and/or alkyl monoesters and/or glycerol monoesters. In one embodiment the column has at least 30 theoretical plates and the separation is conducted with a pressure drop p between 3.5 mbar and 6 mbar.