Installation and method for purifying fluids by distillation

Abstract

Method and plant for fluid purification by distillation comprising a reservoir (1) with a fluid containing diluted solids provided with an impurities filter on its outlet (2); a pump (3) connected to the reservoir outlet (1) and set up to increase the fluid containing solids pressure and temperature; and a heat area (4) for the fluid containing solids comprising a plurality of ducts contacting with a heat transfer fluid; and, furthermore, comprising a convergent-divergent nozzle (5) connected to the heat area outlet (4) and set to increase the biphasic liquid-vapor fluid speed so the diluted solids contained in the fluid already heated settle in a solids reservoir (6), whereas the fluid passes to a condenser (7) and then to a purified fluid reservoir (8) already in liquid state.

Claims

1. A fluid purification method by distillation comprising: i) providing a fluid containing solids from a reservoir; ii) filtering the fluid from the reservoir from step (i) through an impurities filter to obtain a filtered fluid; iii) increasing a fluid pressure and temperature up to a boiling point of the filtered fluid by using a pump; iv) passing the fluid from step iii) to a heating area to heat the fluid with a heat transfer fluid thereby obtaining a heated fluid; v) passing the heated fluid from step iv) through a convergent-divergent nozzle to accelerate the heated fluid to a speed of about 450 m/s, thereby causing an adiabatic compression-expansion of a biphasic liquid-vapor system, wherein suspended solids settle to a bottom of a solids reservoir; and v) condensing the vapor state fluid from the biphasic liquid-vapor system in a condenser to obtain a purified fluid.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the heat transfer fluid not higher than 275° C.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature increased by the pump in step iii) is not higher than 253° C.

4. A fluid purification plant by distillation, comprising: a reservoir with a fluid containing solids, provided with an impurities filter; a pump (3) connected to the reservoir downstream of the impurities filter and set up to increase a pressure and temperature of the fluid containing solids; a heating area for heating the fluid containing solids, comprising a plurality of ducts contacting heat transfer fluid; a convergent-divergent nozzle connected to an outlet from the heating area and configured to accelerate the heated fluid to about 450 m/s thereby causing an adiabatic compression-expansion of a biphasic liquid-vapor fluid; a solids reservoir where suspended solids precipitate; a condenser where purified fluid is condensed; and a purified fluid reservoir to collect purified fluid.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) In the following it will be described very briefly a series of drawings that will help to the better understanding of the invention and which are expressly related to an embodiment of said invention presented as a non-limiting example thereof.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a purification plant according to one practical embodiment of the invention.

EXPLANATION OF A DETAILED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(3) A preferred embodiment of the invention suggests obtaining drinking water from non usable waters non suitable for human use. Thus, it is suggested a cleaning cycle based on the diluted solids separation by the kinetics of the biphasic mixture liquid-vapor. This will take into account the following: i. The temperature of the liquid has to be increased up to its boiling point under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature. a. Obtaining the required energy from any ecological system present in the nature surrounding the place where the purification plant is to be installed, i.e., wind energy, sun energy or any other kind of renewable energy and/or its associated low costs; and b. Performing heat exchange with a primary thermal fluid arranged as heat transfer to the system cycle. ii. Increasing the speed of the biphasic mixture vapor-liquid to speeds of around 450 m/s (Mach 0.85) to produce temperature variations up to 60° C. for a few milliseconds and instantly disintegrating the pure water from the salts therein.

(4) The result of development gives rise to a process by which two products are obtained at the outlet: a) High purity clean water. b) Solid wastes (for example, with sea water, common salt).

(5) FIG. 1 shows a purification plant object of the present invention embodiment. Thus, from a reservoir containing water non suitable for human use (1) the fluid goes through a first filter (2) for impurities and, by a pump (3) the fluid pressure and temperature are increased up to a temperature not higher than 25° C. The fluid then passes to a heat area (4) where the fluid is heated through a heat transfer fluid which will be at a temperature not higher than 275° C.

(6) The heated fluid then passes to a convergent-divergent nozzle (5) accelerating the fluid to speeds approaching the speed of the sound (preferably, to about 450 m/s), performing an adiabatic compression-expansion of the biphasic liquid-vapor system.

(7) Finally, in each of the solid reservoirs (6), the solids precipitate to the bottom, while the purified water is condensed in a condenser (7) to be stored in a purified fluid reservoir (8).

(8) In the practical embodiment showed in FIG. 1 there are arranged several separation steps (5, 6, 7) which are fed again with different thermal gradient (difference between the fluid inlet and the outlet temperatures).

(9) Numerically, in the plant shown in FIG. 1, for a mass flow rate of 30 l/min and a temperature gradient between the inlet and outlet of 32.3° C. with a fluid density 0.78 kg/dm.sup.3 as well as a specific heat of 2510 J/Kg, it is obtained 3 l/min of purified water and 105 g of salt/min in case of sea water, yielding a thermal balance of 13.35 KW/l of obtained water.