METHOD OF CLEANING AN EVAPORATOR

Abstract

A method of cleaning an evaporator that includes at least one heat transfer element for the evaporation of water, comprising forming a sacrificial layer of a first material on a surface of the heat transfer element (1); evaporating water that includes a second material to deposit the second material on top of the sacrificial layer (2, 3); and cleaning the evaporator by removing both the sacrificial layer formed on the heat transfer element and the second layer formed on top of the sacrificial layer; wherein the first material is more easily removed from the heat transfer element than the second material (4).

Claims

1. A method of cleaning an evaporator that includes at least one heat transfer element for the evaporation of water, the method comprising: forming a sacrificial layer of a first material on a surface of the heat transfer element; evaporating water that includes a second material to deposit the second material on top of the sacrificial layer; and removing both the sacrificial layer formed on the heat transfer elements and the second layer formed on top of the sacrificial layer; wherein the first material is more easily removed from the heat transfer elements than the second material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the sacrificial layer on the surface of the evaporator heat transfer element comprises supplying water to an evaporator in operation, wherein the supplied water includes the first material.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the first material is provided in supersaturation for precipitation on the heat transfer element until the sacrificial layer is formed in a desired thickness.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising raising a pH level of the supplied water comprising the first material to facilitate precipitation of said first material.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the pH is raised to 9 or above and/or to provide a Langelier Saturation Index greater than 0.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, further comprising adding the first material to the supplied water to increase its concentration and facilitate precipitation of the first material.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6 further comprising controlling the temperature difference between an inner side of the heat transfer element in the evaporator and an outer side of the heat transfer element to facilitate precipitation of the first material.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein controlling the temperature difference comprises controlling the temperature of at least one of the temperature difference elements, a vapor that is being created during the operation of the evaporator, and the supplied water comprising the first material.

9. The method according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein controlling the temperature difference comprises controlling the period of time during which operations in the evaporator take place.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising facilitating precipitation of the first material by at least one of raising a pH level of the supplied water, adding the first material to the supplied water to increase its concentration, and adjusting a temperature of the supplied water.

11. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the first material comprises at least one of: a carbonate, bicarbonate of calcium or magnesium.

12. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 11, further comprising, upon reaching the desired thickness, supplying further water including the first material to the evaporator, wherein the supplied further water is at least one of a) not in supersaturation with the first material and b) treated to reduce or avoid precipitation.

13. The method according to any preceding claims, wherein removal of the sacrificial layer and the second layer comprises supplying a chemical cleaner, wherein the chemical cleaner penetrates through the second layer to reach the sacrificial layer and remove the sacrificial layer from the heat transfer element, thus removing all layers from the heat transfer element into the water.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising removing from the water the layers removed from the heat transfer element using in-line filters installed on a circulation line.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the removal of the sacrificial layer and the second layer comprises: stopping operation of the evaporator; and cooling the heat transfer element whereby the element shrinks causing the first material forming the sacrificial layer to break and fall from the heat transfer element together with the second layer of material.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising removing the sacrificial layer of material and the second layer of material that have broken and fallen from the evaporator from a chamber where the evaporator is located.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising restarting operation of the evaporator after the sacrificial layer of material and the second layer of material have been removed from the chamber where the evaporator is located.

18. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the second material comprises at least one of sulfate and silica.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Embodiments of the invention shall now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0031] FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of evaporators for use in desalination processes according to the prior art;

[0032] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the basic steps of the method according to the present invention; and

[0033] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps of a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention provides an improved method for affecting cleaning of heat transfer pipes within an evaporator, such as those used in seawater desalination plants and shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Conventionally, hard scale deposits, such as sulfates and silicas, build up on the surface of the heat transfer elements during the evaporation process and are difficult to remove. The invention seeks to address this problem. The basic steps of the method are set out in FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings. A sacrificial layer is deposited on to the surface of the pipes (step 1) prior to the conventional evaporation process, i.e. before scaling has occurred. The sacrificial layer comprises material, such as carbonate or bicarbonate of calcium or magnesium, which can be more easily removed from the pipes than the hard scale deposits which foul the surface of the heat transfer elements during the evaporation process.

[0035] Once the sacrificial layer has been formed, the evaporator is operated normally and over time the scale material will be deposited on top of the sacrificial layer (steps 2 and 3). When scaling reaches a predetermined level (for example, approximately 10% from its original value), the pipe is cleaned to remove both the sacrificial layer and the scale material (step 4). The presence of the sacrificial layer assists in the removal of the scale deposits which can be very difficult to remove from the interior of the heat transfer element when in direct contact with their surface.

[0036] FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a preferred method according to the present invention in further detail. Seawater SW is introduced into an evaporator in the conventional manner. In addition, a first material A, comprising a material that is more easily removed from a heat transfer element than scale deposits, is added to the seawater to result in the water becoming supersaturated with the sacrificial material A (step 1). Conditions are then altered, such as by means of a rise in pH and/or change in temperature, causing precipitation of the material A onto the surface of the heat transfer element to provide the sacrificial layer (step 2). Once a sufficient thickness of material has been deposited on the heat transfer element, conditions are altered again so that no further material precipitates out of solution. The standard evaporation process continues, during which scale deposits B build up on top of the sacrificial layer A (step 3).

[0037] Generally, the rise in pH of 9 or above will enable precipitation of the sacrificial material onto the heat transfer elements. However, it is to be appreciated that pH adjustment is dependent on water chemistry. The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) is an index used in the art for indicating if scale will occur and, if so, the amount of scale which will be expected to precipitate. In the present invention, LSI should be greater than 0 to allow for precipitation to occur but then reduced to 0 or below once the sacrificial layer has been formed.

[0038] The conditions to allow for precipitation to occur may include controlling the temperature difference between an inner side of the heat transfer element in the evaporator and the outer side of the heat transfer element. This, in itself, may be sufficient to precipitate the material out of solution. However, preferably, the temperature is controlled in conjunction with a change in pH and/or the amount of sacrificial material A in the supplied water. The method may also include controlling the period of time during which operations in the evaporator take place.

[0039] Once the deposits reach a predetermined threshold, removal of the sacrificial layer A together with the scale B is effected by one of a number of potential cleaning methods, such as by steps 4 to 6 or steps 7 to 9 shown in FIG. 3. In one embodiment, an appropriate cleaning agent is added to the water that is able to penetrate through the layers of material A and B to effect removal thereof from the surface of the elements (step 4). The material is then filtered out of the solution (step 5) and the evaporation process may continue with clean heat transfer elements (step 6).

[0040] In an alternative embodiment, the evaporation process is temporarily halted, allowing the heat transfer elements to cool down and shrink (step 7). Optionally, means may be provided to accelerate cooling of the elements. This shrinkage causes the layers A and B to crack and break off the elements (step 8) and the material can be removed by suitable means, such as filtration. The evaporation process is then restarted (step 9) with clean heat transfer elements.

[0041] The sacrificial layer may comprise soft scale deposits, such as the aforementioned carbonates or bicarbonates, but it is to be appreciated that other types of material may be used for forming the layer as long as they do not interfere with the evaporation process, can be deposited onto the heat transfer element and are easier to remove from the element than the hard scale sulfate and silica deposits.

[0042] The present invention simplifies cleaning of the heat transfer pipes in an evaporator by providing a layer of material, such as carbonate or bicarbonate of calcium or magnesium, which is easier to remove beneath the scale that is deposited as a matter of course during the evaporation of sea water. The sacrificial layer can be deposited easily on the surfaces of the transfer elements by adjustment of the operating conditions and an optional supply of the sacrificial material without any modification to the existing evaporator apparatus. This enables the pipes to be cleaned while the evaporation continues to operate or allows for a shorter shutdown time, both of which reduce operating and maintenance costs.