A crystalline pigment or colorant composition having high color intensity and/or low sugar content, and methods and processes of preparation. The composition may comprise purified fruit and/or vegetable color juices.

A system for distributed utilities including electrical power and water. A generation device is provided for converting an available resource to a desired utility; the resource may be water, in which case the generator is a purifier for purifying untreated water, or, alternatively, the generator may convert a fuel to electrical power. In either case, an input sensor is provided for measuring input to the generation device, while an output sensor is provided for measuring consumption of output from the generation device. The monitoring system has a controller for concatenating measured input and consumption of output on the basis of the input and output sensors. Measured parameters are telemetered to a remote site where utility generation and use are monitored and may also be controlled. At least a portion of the electrical power capacity of the electric generation unit may power a water purification unit such as a vapor compression distillation unit, and heat output of the electric generation unit may supply heat to the water purification unit.

A fluid vapor distillation system. The system includes a control system for controlling a fluid vapor distillation apparatus including a blow down controller for controlling a blow down valve, a source flow controller for controlling a source flow valve, and a blow down level sensor in communication with a blow down controller and a source flow controller, the blow down level sensor sends signals related to the blow down level to the blow down controller and the source flow controller indicative of the blow down level, wherein the source flow controller actuates the source flow valve based at least on the blow down level sensor signals, and wherein the blow down controller actuates the blow down valve based at least on the blow down level sensor signals, whereby the blow down level and the source flow level are maintained using the blow down level sensor signals as input.

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.

A falling film apparatus has tube inserts located at the top end of heat exchange tubes. The tube inserts have internal circumferential ribs. The ribs distribute a process flow into a uniform, annual film within the tube inserts and the tubes, and eliminate dry spots, even at low operating rates. This provides greater operating latitude, can improve operating efficiency and can reduce fouling.

A bottom chamber of a stripper (or bottom liquid holder) including a vortex breaker, a blocking plate and a guiding plate. A stripper, a urea HP stripper, a urea plant, a method for operating a stripper and a method for producing a solid, particulate urea-based composition.

The application provides in an aspect a process for producing urea in a urea plant comprising a high pressure synthesis section comprising a reactor, wherein the process comprises reacting NH.sub.3 feed and CO.sub.2 feed under urea formation conditions in said reactor to form a urea synthesis solution comprising urea, water, carbamate and ammonia, wherein the process further comprises contacting a carbamate-containing liquid stream with an equipment part of said high pressure synthesis section that is made of a ferritic steel alloy.

A heat and mass transfer system configured to be a passive system using gravitational force to form a thin liquid film flow on an outer surface of a flow distribution head and downstream conduit member to subject the thin liquid film to heat transfer mediums. The at least partially spherical flow distribution head creates a uniform thin flow of liquid on the outer surface increasing the efficiency of the heat and mass transfer system. The heat and mass transfer system may include a heat transfer medium supply system in fluid communication with internal aspects of the downstream conduit such that a heat transfer medium flows within the downstream conduit while the liquid film flows on the outer surface of the downstream conduit. Rather than conventional sheet flow on inner surfaces of a conduit, the flow distribution head enables sheet flow to be formed on an outside surface of a component.

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.

The present invention relates to brine recycling plants with improved evaporation systems. A brine recycling plant comprises a brine tank (30;31), an evaporation container (300) fluidly connected to the brine tank (30;31). The evaporation container (300) comprises evaporation units (200). Each evaporation unit (200) comprises three concentrically arranged tubes (19;20;21) and an evaporation head (36) arranged on a one end of the evaporation unit (200) and configured so that the brine is collectable in the evaporation head (36) and directable along walls of the tubes (19;20;21). The evaporation container (300) further comprises a fan (23) configured to maintain the negative pressure within the evaporation container (300) so that an air flow between the concentrically arranged tubes (19;20;21) of the evaporation unit (200) is maintained. Said evaporation container (300) provides effective evaporation increasing overall effectiveness of the brine recycling plant.