A distillation apparatus is disclosed herein. The distillation apparatus comprises an evaporation chamber, a heat source arranged to provide heat to the evaporation chamber, one or more condensing chambers located at least partially inside the evaporation chamber, a fluid inlet connected to the evaporation chamber, one or more fluid outlets attached to the one or more condensing chambers and a vapour compressor pump. Also disclosed is a liquid ring pump suitable for use with such a distillation apparatus, the pump comprising a pump body, a pump compression chamber provided within the pump body, a rotor mounted within the compression chamber, a rotor axle to mount said rotor, the rotor being provided with one or more ceramic bearings to mount it to the rotor axle.

Multi-chamber Compressor (6, 206, 506) of Mechanical Vapor re-Compression (MVC) and water treatment methods, the compressor bearing independent compression chambers of positive displacement, for heat-pumps, of two main variants: a) reciprocating-rotary motion (6, 206) wherein the compression chambers (7V) are radially arranged cylindrical sectors based on concentric circular sectors of the same angle, with, pistons of radially arranged vanes (20, 220) of respective surface and with the plane of the vanes passing through the axis of the common rotor (14) and the shaft (16) and b) reciprocating-linear motion (506) wherein the compression chambers (52v) are in series arranged cylinders with pistons/vanes (50v) of corresponding circular surfaces and with the plane of the vanes perpendicular to the common shaft (51). In both cases, the shaft (16, 51) and the motor are common to all the vanes (20v, 50v), which follow identical strokes. The surfaces of the vanes (20v, 50v), as well as of the compression chambers (7V, 52v), differ from each other, since each compression chamber (7V, 52v) has its own and independent pair of evaporation (ev, dv, Lv, by) and heat-exchanger chambers/areas (Cv/eCv, 32v/33v, 132v, 54v/53v), said compression chamber exclusively sucks from, compresses and discharges to, and the fluids/vapors being dispensed, are under different thermodynamic state conditions. The stages are independent from each other, the medium-vapor providing the energy of evaporation is produced in the stage itself, and flow rate and compression ratio CR are independently controlled and adjusted in each stage.

A small processor produces potable water from contaminated water. Its components mount in a hermetically sealed housing, which include a boiler-condenser assembly and a compressor unit. Contaminated water is injected onto one or more aluminum shells' inside surface of the boiler-condenser assembly. Shell rotation enhances boiling heat transfer by causing the water to form thin films on the shells' inside surface. Shell rotation also enhances condensing heat transfer by assisting in removing the purified condensate from the shells' outer surface. The change of phase heat of condensation energy from vapor to liquid transfers through the shells to the boilers to cause boiling. Vapor boiled inside the boiler chambers flows toward the compressor, which raises the vapor's pressure and temperature to drive the process. Shell rotation causes centrifugal force that holds and directs concentrated un-boiled remaining water on the shells' inside walls towards the output pumps. Wipers mounted adjacent each shell's boiler surface smooth contaminated water. Wipers adjacent the condenser surfaces help remove condensate from that surface to present a clean condenser for improved condensation.

Embodiments of the invention are directed toward a novel pressurized vapor cycle for distilling liquids. In some embodiments of the invention, a liquid purification system is revealed, including the elements of an input for receiving untreated liquid, a vaporizer coupled to the input for transforming the liquid to vapor, a head chamber for collecting the vapor, a vapor pump with an internal drive shaft and an eccentric rotor with a rotatable housing for compressing vapor, and a condenser in communication with the vapor pump for transforming the compressed vapor into a distilled product. Other embodiments of the invention are directed toward heat management, and other process enhancements for making the system especially efficient.

A vapor compression distillation assembly for distilling influent liquid, the vapor compression distillation assembly comprising a housing defining an interior and having an inlet for influent liquid, an evaporator and a condenser provided within the housing interior, an outlet for distillate, and at least one compressor fluidly coupled with the housing interior.

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.

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 distiller including an evaporator having at least one evaporation surface for evaporating liquid into vapor. At least one movable liquid applicator assembly has a wiper applicator which can move over the at least one evaporation surface, for wiping and applying a thin even film of the liquid on the at least one evaporation surface for evaporation.

A system capable of providing a liquid purification process using heat regenerating or recovering via heat exchangers (“HEs”). The system, in one embodiment, includes a first set of thermal conductive channels (“TCC”), a second set of TCC, and a third set of TCC. The first set of TCC configured in a first HE is arranged in cylindrical shape which is able to surround or enclose a boiler. A function of TCC is to guide a liquid flow traveling through an HE. The second set of TCC configured in a second HE guides a second liquid flow traveling through the second HE. The third liquid flow such as a cold water stream, for example, flows through the third set of TCC adjacent to the first set of TCC and extracts heat from the first liquid flow such as hot purified water via TCC.

A method is disclosed for stripping in a stripper a urea synthesis solution received from a urea forming process wherein ammonia and CO2 are reacted under urea forming conditions. The shell space of the stripper comprises a continuous vertical zone.