Patent ID: 6120651
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: B01D,C02F,Y02A,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of removing diluent water from an aqueous fluid mixture comprising:a) heating, with hot steam, an aqueous fluid mixture containing diluent water to produce a hot frothing mass of the mixture containing bubbles of steam vapor, at a first pressure,b) feeding said hot frothing mass into a separating chamber of a cyclone,c) separating the hot frothing mass cyclonically in said separating chamber at said first pressure with formation of a discrete hot liquid phase and a discrete steam vapor phase, in said separating chamber,d) recovering said hot liquid phase from said separating chamber,e) recovering said steam vapor phase from said separating chamber,f) compressing said steam vapor phase in at least one compression stage to develop a hot compressed steam at a second pressure, andg) recycling said hot compressed steam at said second pressure from step f) to step a) for said heating of the aqueous fluid mixture in step a), said first pressure being below said second pressure, wherein said first pressure is 11 to 15 psia and second pressure is 16 to 20 psia, and said first pressure is at least 5 psi below said second pressure.