A wastewater treatment system includes a circulating fluidized bed evaporator defining a longitudinal axis vertical with respect to gravity. The evaporator has a wastewater inlet to provide wastewater to the circulating fluidized bed evaporator. A heat inlet is axially below the wastewater inlet to provide heat to the circulating fluidized bed evaporator for evaporating the wastewater. An outlet is axially above the wastewater inlet and the heat inlet.

The present invention utilizes mechanical vapor compression and/or thermal vapor compression integrating compression loops across multiple process stages. A sequential network of compressors is utilized to increase the pressure and condensing temperature of the vapors within each process stage, as intra-vapor flow, and branching between process stages, as inter-vapor flow. Because the vapors available are shared among and between compressor stages, the number of compressors can be reduced, improving economics. Balancing vapor mass flow through incremental compressor stages which traverse multiple process stages by splitting vapors between compressor stages enables the overall vapor-compression system to be tailored to individual process energy requirements and to accommodate dynamic fluctuations in process conditions.

A method is disclosed for recovering a useful gas from a gas mixture including a useful gas and at least one secondary gas. The gas mixture is first compressed and transferred into a pressure vessel where cooling occurs. Then, from the pressure vessel, a secondary-gas containing gas phase is removed and condensed useful gas is transferred into a purification vessel. In the purification vessel, the condensed useful gas is then purified. A plant is disclosed for recovering a useful gas from a gas mixture. Finally, the use of a plant for carrying out a method for recovering a useful gas from a gas mixture is disclosed.

A fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell stack, an evaporator for evaporating a mixture of methanol and water to be forwarded through a catalytic reformer for producing portions of free hydrogen. The fuel cell stack being composed of a number of proton exchange membrane fuel cells each featuring electrodes in form of an anode and a cathode for delivering an electric current. The liquid fuel using a. pre-evaporator, which. partly evaporates the fuel, followed by a. nozzle, which atomizes the fuel into a fine mist, before being passed to the final evaporation zone. This configuration ensures that liquid fuel for producing thermal, neat is converted into a form that facilitates a burner to achieve a quick heating up of the fuel, cell system into production mode.

A system for processing saltwater or brackish water while recovering energy otherwise wasted in electricity generation by a natural gas generator or turbine. Heat in the generator exhaust is used to directly heat and process the water in the saltwater or brackish water into high quality steam, separating the majority of salt and contaminants from the water, and leaving potable water that can be permitted and released to the environment or sold for agricultural or industrial use such as oilfield activities. The system also captures and liquefies CO.sub.2 in the generator exhaust.

Processes and systems are provided to compress vapors produced in distillation and recover the heat of condensation through mechanical vapor compression and to derive mechanical and electrical energy from a combined heat and power system, while maintaining the plant's original ability to operate. The plant's existing distillation system, steam generation, and electrical demand determine the design basis for the retrofit system that is targeted at an optimized combination of energy usage, energy cost, and environmental impact. Mechanical vapor compression minimizes the total energy usage. Combined heat and power provides a means of converting energy between fuel, electricity, and thermal energy in a manner that best complements plant requirements and energy economics and minimizes inefficiencies and energy losses.

A method and apparatus for processing waste water generated during oilfield drilling operations with a mobile processing unit utilizing heat energy sourced from burning hydrocarbon fuel directly and/or capturing and using the exhaust heat energy generated by burning hydrocarbons in engines such as diesel engines in order to vaporize a dominant mass of the aqueous phase of the waste water while clarifying the heat source combustion gasses. The water vapor generated by the vaporization process may be discharged directly to the atmosphere or alternately condensed and captured for use as portable water. The residual waste water is thereby concentrated and the cost to dispose of the waste water is greatly reduced.

A process and a device are described for producing high purity and high temperature steam from non-pure water which may be used in a variety of industrial processes that involve high temperature heat applications. The process and device may be used with technologies that generate steam using a variety of heat sources, such as, for example industrial furnaces, petrochemical plants, and emissions from incinerators. Of particular interest is the application in a thermochemical hydrogen production cycle such as the Cu—Cl Cycle. Non-pure water is used as the feed-stock in the thermochemical hydrogen production cycle, with no need to adopt additional and conventional water pre-treatment and purification processes. The non-pure water may be selected from brackish water, saline water, seawater, used water, effluent treated water, tailings water, and other forms of water that is generally believed to be unusable as a direct feed-stock of industrial processes. The direct usage of this water can significantly reduce water supply costs.

A distillation device may comprise a source fluid input and an evaporator in fluid communication therewith. The device may further comprise a compressor having an impeller coupled to a motor, the compressor having a low pressure inlet for vapor from the evaporator and a high pressure outlet for compressed vapor. The device may further comprise at least one temperature sensor configured to monitor temperature of vapor in the inlet and a condenser in heat transfer relationship with exterior surfaces of the evaporator and in fluid communication with the compressor outlet. The device may further comprise a controller configured to govern rotation speed of the impeller with an impeller motor command based on a calibrated motor speed for the distillation device. The controller may be configured to determine an adjusted motor speed for a next use of the device and overwrite the calibrated motor speed with the adjusted motor speed.

Evaporator system used for the production of maple syrup. The evaporator system includes at least one receptacle, a combustion chamber, an evacuation port and an air supply system. The evaporator system also includes a door assembly being configured for removably mounting onto a corresponding support frame of the evaporator system, and being operable between an opened configuration for allowing access to the combustion chamber and to be able to selectively feed biomass into the combustion chamber via the inlet thereof, and a closed configuration for preventing access to and closing off the inlet of the combustion chamber, the door assembly being provided with at least one aeration passage extending between an outer portion of the door assembly and an inner portion therefor, for providing a supply of secondary air to the combustion chamber via said at least one aeration passage of the door assembly when operated in the closed configuration.