A vapor circulation regeneration system is provided for utilizing a vapor by circulation and regeneration. The system includes at least: a liquefaction regeneration unit including a liquefaction space where the vapor of an object to be heated is liquefied and a heating part for maintaining a liquid-like state; a vaporization unit for heating the liquid-like material by means of a heating part so as to generate a vapor; a fluid communication part for establishing fluid communication between the liquefaction regeneration unit and the vaporization unit; a processing unit for processing an object to be processed by using the vapor; a return pipe for returning the vapor used in the processing unit to the liquefaction regeneration unit; a liquefaction regeneration temperature control part for controlling the temperature of the liquefaction regeneration unit; and a vaporization temperature control part for controlling the temperature of the vaporization unit. Then, the object to be heated is present in a solid state at ordinary temperatures, present in a vapor state and the liquid-like state in the liquefaction regeneration unit, present in the liquid-like state in the fluid communication part, present in the liquid-like state and the vapor state in the vaporization unit, and present in the vapor state in the processing unit and the return pipe.

An improved device for degassing polymer melts is characterised by, inter alia, the following features: the at least one vacuum separator comprises cooling pipes extending parallel to each other in the tank interior of the vacuum separator housing, the cooling pipes are double-walled, the cooling pipes end at a distance above a collection chamber or above the tank bottom of the vacuum separator housing, and a cleaning device having a scraper or a wiper is provided, said cleaning device being adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the cooling pipes and preferably to the course of the inner wall of the vacuum separator housing and being movable at least in a partial height at least to the lower end of the cooling pipes.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus to recover and purify methanol from gases produced in the digester during the kraft pulping process. The gas is typically recovered as a foul gas (called stripper off gas or SOG) comprising methanol, water and various other contaminants. The gas is then treated with successive decanting and distillation steps to remove impurities, thereby producing highly purified methanol.

A cold trap is designed to receive an incoming gas mixture and selectively deposit a chemical species on internal walls of the cold trap and exhausting undesired contaminant species from the cold trap. The cold trap includes a thermal control system designed to maintain a deposition temperature on the internal walls to achieve freeze distillation of the chemical species. The cold trap also includes an inlet and/or outlet configured to maintain a pressure in the cold trap to achieve selective deposition of the chemical species into a solid phase without condensing or depositing other chemical species. The thermal control system maintains isothermal conditions on the internal walls while rejecting heat generated in the cold trap to a cold environment outside of the cold trap. In some implementations, the selectively deposited chemical species is water and the cold environment is a lunar environment.

The disclosure relates to a polymerization process. The polymerization process comprises polymerizing an olefin monomer and a comonomer in the presence of a polymerization catalyst in a polymerization step conducted in a polymerization reactor in a solvent to produce a solution comprising a polymer of the olefin monomer and the comonomer. The polymerization process comprises withdrawing an exhaust stream of the solution from the polymerization reactor in a withdrawing step. The polymerization process comprises separating the exhaust stream to a first primary stream and a primary concentrated solution stream in a first primary separation step, wherein the first primary stream comprises hydrocarbons and polymer. The polymerization process comprises separating the first primary stream to a second primary stream and a third primary stream in a second primary separation step, wherein the second primary stream comprises dissolved polymer and the third primary stream comprises majority of the hydrocarbons. The polymerization process comprises cooling the third primary stream to a temperature of 80 to 20 C. in a primary cooling step to obtain a cooled third primary stream. The polymerization process comprises separating the cooled third primary stream to a fourth primary stream and a fifth primary stream in a third primary separation step, wherein the fourth primary stream comprises hydrocarbons in vapour phase and the fifth primary stream comprises liquid hydrocarbons. The polymerization process comprises returning the fourth primary stream and the fifth primary stream independently in a primary returning step to a location upstream of the polymerization reactor.

A short-path distillation apparatus and method of operation are described. An example short-path distillation apparatus includes a double-walled bulb-shaped condensing head. The double wall forms a coolant chamber that substantially envelopes an inner condensate chamber. Coolant is introduced into and removed from the coolant chamber via ports in the outer wall of the head. Condensate in gaseous form is introduced into the condensate chamber where it comes in contact with and condenses as distillate upon the cold inner surface of the condensate chamber. Condensed distillate travels down the inner surface of the condensate chamber and then into a distillate outlet conduit that transports the condensed distillate to a collection vessel.

This invention relates to the field of water purification and desalination. In particular, embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods of removing essentially all of a broad spectrum of impurities from water in an automated industrial process that requires minimal cleaning or maintenance during the course of several months to several years, with relatively high yields of product water per unit of input water, flexibility with respect to energy sources, compact design with a low industrial foot-print, the ability to recover valuable by-products, and ultra-low energy requirements.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing an -olefin low polymer by subjecting an -olefin to low polymerization reaction in the presence of a catalyst in a liquid phase part within a reactor, and the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing an -olefin low polymer, such as 1-hexene, etc., by subjecting an -olefin, such as ethylene, etc., to low polymerization reaction, in which the formation of a polymer on an upper tube plate surface of a shell and tube type heat exchanger that is used for heat removal is suppressed, thereby performing a continuous operation stably over a long period of time.

A system for producing potable water and electrical power utilizing the difference in temperature between ambient air and deep, cold ocean water is disclosed. Cold water from depths of 2000 feet (610 meters) or more is pumped to a liquid/gas heat exchanger in the upper portion of a hollow cylinder. Ambient air currents are concentrated and diverted into the exchanger, becoming cooler and denser. Moisture condensing from the ambient air onto the cool surface of the heat exchanger is collected and channeled to storage or piped to shore. The air gains velocity before reaching a wind turbine near the bottom of the cylinder. This turbine is connected to a generator to extract the wind energy. This extracted energy is converted to electricity by the generator and sent to shore.

The subject of the disclosure is a vertical shell and tube straight tube countercurrent condenser, wherein the condensing steam flows on the shell side of the condenser, and the cooling water on the tube side. The disclosure is characterized in that the countercurrent condenser is two pass on both the shell side and the tube side, whereby the heat surface of the first pass on the shell side is formed from heat surface tubes in the steam space of this pass attached at their upper end to an upper tube sheet and at their lower end to a lower tube sheet through which tubes cooling water of second pass on tube-side flows; and the heat surface of the second pass on the shell side is formed from heat surface tubes in steam space of this pass and attached at their upper end to the upper tube sheet and at their lower end to another lower tube sheet, through which tubes cooling water of first pass on tube-side flows, whereby said steam spaces are interconnected through an opening between the upper end of a separating wall, dividing the shell space, and an upper tube sheet; whereby the flow direction of the steam in the steam space of the shell side first pass is upwards; and in the other steam space downwards, and the flow direction of the cooling water in the heat surface tubes of both passes is countercurrent to the steam flow flowing outside said tubes.