The invention provides a method and apparatus for purifying water. The apparatus includes a water still for receiving water and a hot air maintained in a heat-exchanging relationship to obtain a hot water and a cold air. The apparatus also includes one or more water purification units configured to receive the hot water from the water still in which the hot water is further heated using thermal energy received from one or more thermal energy sources to obtain steam and waste matter. A water purification unit of the one or more water purification units includes a waste matter remover for removing the waste matter from the water purification unit. The water still includes a heat-exchanging unit configured to receive the steam from the one or more water purification units. The steam received at the heat-exchanging unit is condensed to obtain purified water within the heat-exchanging unit using the cold air.

The invention provides a method and apparatus for purifying water. The apparatus includes a water still for receiving water and a hot air maintained in a heat-exchanging relationship to obtain a hot water and a cold air. The apparatus also includes one or more water purification units configured to receive the hot water from the water still in which the hot water is further heated using thermal energy received from one or more thermal energy sources to obtain steam and waste matter. A water purification unit of the one or more water purification units includes a waste matter remover for removing the waste matter from the water purification unit. The water still includes a heat-exchanging unit configured to receive the steam from the one or more water purification units. The steam received at the heat-exchanging unit is condensed to obtain purified water within the heat-exchanging unit using the cold air.

A shell-and-tube equipment has a cylindrical geometry and is arranged along a vertical axis. The shell-and-tube equipment comprises an upper chamber and a lower chamber connected to a common tube bundle on opposite sides. The upper chamber is provided with at least an inlet nozzle for inletting a first fluid. The tube bundle is surrounded by a shell provided with nozzles for inletting and outletting a second fluid which exchanges heat with the first fluid through the tube bundle. The upper chamber encloses at least a distribution device configured for uniformly delivering the first fluid towards the tube bundle. The distribution device comprises an annular channel which is arranged around the vertical axis and is in fluid communication with the inlet nozzle. The distribution device comprises a plurality of channel modules of circular trapezoid shape, tightly joined together at their respective vertical edges for forming the annular channel.

A shell-and-tube equipment has a cylindrical geometry and is arranged along a vertical axis. The shell-and-tube equipment comprises an upper chamber and a lower chamber connected to a common tube bundle on opposite sides. The upper chamber is provided with at least an inlet nozzle for inletting a first fluid. The tube bundle is surrounded by a shell provided with nozzles for inletting and outletting a second fluid which exchanges heat with the first fluid through the tube bundle. The upper chamber encloses at least a distribution device configured for uniformly delivering the first fluid towards the tube bundle. The distribution device comprises an annular channel which is arranged around the vertical axis and is in fluid communication with the inlet nozzle. The distribution device comprises a plurality of channel modules of circular trapezoid shape, tightly joined together at their respective vertical edges for forming the annular channel.

A shell-and-tube stripper for carbamate decomposition and ammonia recovery from a urea solution comprising a bundle of heated tubes, said tubes being fed with said urea solution and carbon dioxide as stripping medium, the urea solutions forming a liquid falling film on the internal surface of the tubes and the carbon dioxide forming a counter-current gaseous flow; said tubes comprise an external layer made of super austenitic or super duplex stainless steel and an internal layer made of zirconium, said internal layer reaching temperatures higher than 220 C.

A shell-and-tube stripper for carbamate decomposition and ammonia recovery from a urea solution comprising a bundle of heated tubes, said tubes being fed with said urea solution and carbon dioxide as stripping medium, the urea solutions forming a liquid falling film on the internal surface of the tubes and the carbon dioxide forming a counter-current gaseous flow; said tubes comprise an external layer made of super austenitic or super duplex stainless steel and an internal layer made of zirconium, said internal layer reaching temperatures higher than 220 C.

A self-regulating vacuum still (8) has a fluid reservoir (10), a boiler (28), a vapor separator (46), a condenser (33), and a condensate reservoir (58). The boiler (28) receives fluid from the fluid reservoir (10) in liquid form and heats the fluid to generate fluid vapor, preferably using evacuated solar tubes (44). The vapor separator (46) receives the fluid vapor from the boiler (28) and separates entrained moisture. Preferably a packing (50) is provided by structured wire mesh which is disposed in a vapor outlet (49) from the vapor separator (46). The condenser (33) receives the fluid vapor from the vapor separator (46), and cools the fluid vapor to a condensate. The condenser (3) has a collection section (34), a condensate section (35) and an outlet (16) which is proximate to the collection section (34) and the condensate section (35). An airlock (20) is connected to the outlet (16) for venting air and fluid vapor from the condenser (33) when a preselected pressure is exceeded. A condensate reservoir (58) is connected to the condenser (33) for receiving condensate.

A system for distilling water is disclosed. The system comprises a heat source, and a plurality of open-cycle adsorption stages, each stage comprising a plurality of beds and an evaporator and a condenser between a first bed and a second bed, wherein each bed comprises at least two vapor valves, a plurality of hollow tubes, a plurality of channels adapted for transferring water vapor to and from at least one of the condenser or the evaporator, a thermally conductive water vapor adsorbent, and wherein each vapor valve connects a bed to either the condenser or the evaporator.

A system for distilling water is disclosed. The system comprises a heat source, and a plurality of open-cycle adsorption stages, each stage comprising a plurality of beds and an evaporator and a condenser between a first bed and a second bed, wherein each bed comprises at least two vapor valves, a plurality of hollow tubes, a plurality of channels adapted for transferring water vapor to and from at least one of the condenser or the evaporator, a thermally conductive water vapor adsorbent, and wherein each vapor valve connects a bed to either the condenser or the evaporator.

Methods, apparatus, and processes are provided for a condenser including flowing a vapor stream including formaldehyde into a tube bundle in a vertical upflow reflux condenser, where a tube in the tube bundle has a length to outside diameter ratio of greater than about 170:1, flowing a cooling fluid on a shell-side of the vertical upflow reflux condenser to condense at least a portion of the vapor stream, where the condensed portion of the vapor stream forms a wetted tube internal surface area on each tube in the generally upright tube bundle; and maintaining the vapor stream velocity at a rate that provides a liquid residence time where formaldehyde condensed on the wetted internal surface area of each tube can react with water to form methylene glycol, removing at least sixty percent (60%) of formaldehyde from the vapor stream fed to the condenser.