Abstract:
A new boiler or heat transfer apparatus is disclosed for use with multi-component working fluids which includes a vapor removal apparatus designed to maintain a substantial compositional identity between the boiling liquid and its vapor along a length of the apparatus resulting in the maintenance of substantially nucleate boiling along the entire length of the apparatus. Systems incorporating the apparatus and methods for making and using the apparatus are also disclosed.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims provisional priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/464302 and filing 21 Apr. 2003. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to an improved boiler apparatus, systems incorporating the boiler apparatus and to methods for making and using the boiler apparatus and systems incorporating the boiler apparatus.  
         [0004]     More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved boiler apparatus, systems incorporating the boiler apparatus and to methods for making and using the boiler apparatus and systems incorporating the boiler apparatus, where the boiler apparatus includes a vapor removal unit that remove vapor as it boils so that the boiling throughout boiler&#39;s length remains substantially nucleate boiling.  
         [0005]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0006]     In several processes and especially in power systems using multi-component working fluids, it is necessary to completely vaporize such multi-component fluids. However, it is, in practice difficult to completely vaporize such multi-component fluid.  
         [0007]     When a working fluid in the form of a saturated liquid is sent into a boiler, and the quantity of vapor in the stream of working fluid is relatively small, the boiling process is characterized as nucleate boiling. Nucleate boiling has a very high film heat transfer coefficient, but as vapor accumulates, a so-called crisis of boiling occurs. This crisis of boiling results in a drastic fall or reduction in the film heat transfer coefficient.  
         [0008]     On the other hand, when a single-component fluid is vaporized, the liquid can be recycled within the heat exchanger and nucleate boiling can be sustained throughout the entire process. But, such an approach cannot be used with multi-component fluids, because the vapor produced will have a different composition (enriched by the low boiling component) than the remaining liquid resulting in a continuous composition profile across the heat exchanger with the concurrent crises of boiling.  
         [0009]     Thus, if a multi-component fluid needs to be vaporized fully, the in a significant proportion of this vaporization process, i.e., inside the heat exchanger or boiler, nucleate boiling cannot be maintained. Thus, the film heat transfer coefficient in such a process is very low. This results in a very large increase in the required surface of the heat exchanger or boiler.  
         [0010]     If complete vaporization of a multi-component working fluid has to be performed at high temperature, e.g., in a furnace of a power plant, then the inability of the process to maintain nucleate boiling inside heat transfer tubes of the furnace makes such a process technically very difficult.  
         [0011]     When nucleate boiling is maintained, due to a high film heat transfer coefficient, the temperature of the metal of the heat transfer tubes is maintained close to the temperature of the boiling fluid, and as a result the tubes are protected from burn out. However, because in the process of direct vaporization of multi-component working fluids where nucleate boiling cannot be maintained, the heat transfer tubes can achieve unacceptably high temperatures resulting in tube damage or destruction.  
         [0012]     Thus, there is a need in the art for process and apparatus for boiling and vaporization of multi-component fluids designed to achieve the production of vapor of the same composition as the composition of the initial multi-component liquid, and at the same time, to maintain a process of nucleate boiling in the heat transfer apparatus.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     The present invention provides an improved boiler or heat transfer apparatus including a vapor removal apparatus that removes vapor from a boiling working fluid so that substantially nucleate boiling occurs throughout the heat transfer apparatus and substantially full or complete vaporized of a multi-component working fluid occurs, where the multi-component working fluid comprises a low boiling component and a high boiling component.  
         [0014]     The present invention also provides an improved vaporization apparatus for multi-component working fluids including a plurality of heat transfer apparatuses, each apparatus including a heat exchange unit and a vapor removal or collector unit, where the vapor collector units are adapted to maintain substantially nucleate boiling throughout each heat exchange unit and where the vaporization apparatus converts a liquid multi-component fluid feed having a given composition into a vapor stream having substantially the same composition.  
         [0015]     The present invention provides a system for extracting heat from a heat source and converting a portion of the heat into a useable form of energy including a heat source stream, a multi-component working fluid, a vaporization apparatus of this invention, and a heat extraction system.  
         [0016]     The present invention provides a method for vaporizing a liquid multi-component working fluid having a given composition into a vapor multi-component working fluid having substantially the same compositions, where the method includes the steps of feeding the liquid multi-component working fluid stream into an improved multi-component working fluid vaporization apparatus of this invention from a energy production facility, inputting a heat source stream from a heat source, outputting an spent heat source stream to the source and sending a vapor multi-component working fluid stream back to the energy production facility, where the liquid multi-component working fluid and the vapor multi-component working fluid have substantially the same composition and the vaporization apparatus maintains substantially nucleate boiling throughout all heat exchange units.  
         [0017]     The present invention provides a methods for vaporizing a multi-component working fluid having a given composition including the steps feeding an input liquid multi-component working fluid stream having a given composition into a first heat transfer apparatus including a first heat exchange unit and a first vapor removal unit and transferring heat from a heat source to the input liquid multi-component working fluid stream to produce a first vapor stream having a richer composition than the input liquid stream and a first liquid stream having a higher temperature and a leaner composition than the input liquid stream. The first liquid stream is forwarded to a second heat transfer apparatus and a including a second heat exchange unit and a second vapor removal unit and transferring heat from the heat source to the first liquid stream to produce a second vapor stream having a richer composition than the first liquid stream and a second liquid stream having a higher temperature and a leaner composition than the first liquid stream. If there are only two heat transfer apparatuses, then the second liquid stream is forwarded to an upper feed port of a scrubber, while the first and second vapor streams can either be combined into to combined vapor stream and forwarded to a lower feed port of the scrubber or forwarded individually to different ports of the scrubber, where the different ports are located based on a temperature of each vapor stream, higher temperature vapor streams are fed at ports higher up a length of the scrubber and lower temperature vapor streams are fed at ports lower down the length of the scrubber. The second liquid stream is preferably sprayed into the scrubber. The second liquid stream and the vapor streams contact each other in a counter-flow arrangement to produce a final vapor stream having a composition substantially identical to the composition the input liquid stream and a remaining liquid stream that is combined with the first liquid stream prior to feeding into the second heat transfer apparatus. For systems having more than two heat transfer apparatuses, each heat transfer apparatus produces a liquid and vapor stream via heat from the heat source. Each liquid stream is forwarded to the next heat transfer apparatus, while the vapor streams are either combined or individually forwarded to the scrubber along with the last liquid stream from the last heat transfer apparatus. The vapor removal units associated with each heat transfer apparatus insure that substantially nucleate boiling occurs throughout each heat exchange unit. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     The invention can be better understood with reference to the following detailed description together with the appended illustrative drawings in which like elements are numbered the same:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1A  depicts a diagram of a preferred embodiment of a heat transfer apparatus of this invention having a vapor removal apparatus;  
         [0020]      FIG. 1B  depicts a diagram of another preferred embodiment of a heat transfer apparatus of this invention having a vapor removal apparatus;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2A  depicts a diagram of another preferred embodiment of a heat transfer apparatus of this invention having a vapor removal apparatus;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2B  depicts a diagram of another preferred embodiment of a heat transfer apparatus of this invention having a vapor removal apparatus; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  depicts a diagram of heat extraction and useable energy production facility including a multi-component vaporization apparatus of this invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     The inventors have found that a heat transfer apparatus can be constructed for substantially, fully vaporizing a working fluid comprising at least two components one component having a boiling point less than the other component, at least one low boiling component and at least one high boiling component, which includes a vapor removal system adapted to maintain substantially nucleate boiling in a boiling/vaporization zone of the apparatus.  
         [0025]     The present invention broadly relates to an improved boiling apparatus for substantially completely vaporizing a multi-component fluid to obtain a desired vapor stream having a desired temperature and composition, where the boiling apparatus includes a plurality of heat transfer apparatuses and a scrubber, where each heat transfer apparatus comprises a heat exchanger, heat transfer loop or mixture thereof and a vapor removal apparatus. The removal of vapor at each heat transfer stage maintains nucleate boiling in each of the heat transfer apparatuses.  
         [0026]     The present invention also broadly relates to a method for substantially maintaining nucleate boiling through each stage of a multi-stage boiling apparatus including the steps of feeding a multi-component stream into a plurality of heat transfer apparatuses, each heat transfer apparatus includes a vapor collectors or separator apparatus, where the apparatus allows substantially complete vaporization of the multi-component fluid while maintaining nucleate boiling throughout each heat transfer apparatus.  
         [0027]     The working fluids to be vaporized in the inventions of this application are multi-component fluids that comprises a lower boiling point component fluid—the low-boiling component—and a higher boiling point component—the high-boiling component. Preferred working fluids include, without limitation, an ammonia-water mixture, a mixture of two or more hydrocarbons, a mixture of two or more freon, a mixture of hydrocarbons and freon, or the like. In general, the fluid can comprise mixtures of any number of compounds with favorable thermodynamic characteristics and solubility. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the fluid comprises a mixture of water and ammonia.  
         [0028]     It should be recognized by an ordinary artisan that at those point in the systems of this invention were a stream is split into two or more sub-streams, the valves that effect such stream splitting are well known in the art and can be manually adjustable or are dynamically adjustable so that the splitting achieves the desired improvement in efficiency.  
         [0029]     Suitable heat exchange units include, without limitation, heat exchangers, heat transfer loop, or any other unit that can transfer heat from a heat source to a working fluid stream. Suitable vapor removal units include, without limitation, vapor/liquid separators such as drums or separation tanks, vapor collector or any other unit that can remove a vapor from a mixed vapor-liquid stream.  
         [0030]     The term substantially when used with a composition means that the composition to two streams differs by no more than 5% in each component, preferably, no more than 2% in each component, particularly, no more than 1% in each component and especially, no more than 0.5% in each component, with zero (identical streams) being the ultimate goal. The term substantially when used in conjunction with nucleate boiling means that no more than 10% of the boiling that occurs in the heat exchange units is non-nucleate boiling, preferably, no more than 5% of the boiling that occurs in the heat exchange units is non-nucleate boiling, particularly, no more than 2.5% of the boiling that occurs in the heat exchange units is non-nucleate boiling, especially, no more than 1% of the boiling that occurs in the heat exchange units is non-nucleate boiling, with the ultimate goal being 0% of the boiling that occurs in the heat exchange units is non-nucleate boiling.  
         [0031]     Referring now to  FIG. 1A , a preferred embodiment of a heat transfer apparatus of this invention, generally  100 , is shown to includes a heat source stream  102  having initial parameters as at a point  1 , which is forwarded to a third heat exchanger HE 3 . The heat source stream  102  is preferably a hot vapor, liquid or mixed stream such as a geothermal brine stream, a stream from a power plant, or any other stream of hot fluid from any source. The stream  102  passes through heat transfer tubes (not shown) within the third heat exchanger HE 3 , where the stream  102  is cooled, releasing heat and leaves the third heat exchanger HE 3  as a stream  104  having parameters as at a point  2 . Thereafter, the stream  104  having the parameters as at the point  2  enters a second heat exchanger HE 2 , passes through it, and is further cooled, releasing further heat and leaves the second heat exchanger HE 2  as a stream  106  having parameters at a point  3 . Thereafter, the stream  106  having parameters as at the point  3  enters into a first heat exchanger HE 1 , passes through it, is yet further cooled, releasing yet further heat, and leaves the first heat exchanger HE 1  as a stream  108  having parameters as at a point  4 . Thus, the heat source stream  102  undergoes three heat transfers stages in heat exchangers HE 1 , HE 2 , and HE 3 . The heat from the four heat transfers stages is used to vaporize a multi-component stream  110  in the apparatus  100 .  
         [0032]     The multi-component working fluid stream  110  having parameters as at a point  5  corresponding to a state of saturated or slightly subcooled liquid, enters into the first heat exchanger HE 1  on a shell side  112  thereof, passes through the first heat exchanger HE 1 , where it is heated by the heat source stream  106  having the parameters as at the point  3  to produce the heat source stream  108  having parameters as at the point  4 . As the heat source stream  108  travels through the first heat exchanger HE 1  heat is transferred to the working fluid stream  110  causing it to boil, releasing vapor along a length L of the first heat exchanger HE 1 . The produced vapor is constantly removed into a first vapor collector VC 1  via a plurality of vent lines  114  at spaced apart locations  116  along the length L of the first heat exchanger HE 1 .  
         [0033]     Because in the process of boiling, temperature changes along the length of the heat exchanger, the vapor produced in different parts of the heat exchanger will have different compositions. Thus, by removing the vapor at space apart locations along the length of the heat exchanger, the composition of the vapor can be maintained substantially the same as the boiling liquid allowing substantially nucleate boiling to occur along the length of the heat exchanger.  
         [0034]     All of the vapor removed from the first heat exchanger HE 1  is mixed in the first vapor collector VC 1  and leaves the first vapor collector VC 1  as a first vapor stream  118  having parameters as at a point  10 . Meanwhile, the liquid leaving the first heat exchanger HE 1  as a first liquid stream  120  having parameters as at a point  6  is hotter having been heated in the first heat exchanger HE 1  and has a lower proportion of the low boiling component as compared to the liquid stream  110  having the parameters as at the point  5 . Thereafter, the liquid stream  120  having the parameters as at the point  6  is sent into a shell side  112  of the second heat exchanger HE 2 , where it is further heated and boiled by heat released by the heat source stream  104  having parameters as at the point  2  as it passes through the second heat exchanger HE 2  transferring heat to the liquid stream  120  to form the heat source stream  106  having the parameters of the point  3 , sometime referred to as the  2 - 3  heating step. As in the first heat exchanger HE 1 , the vapor produced in the second heat exchanger HE 2  is collected in a second vapor collector VC 2  via a plurality of vent lines  114  at spaced apart locations  116  along the length of the second heat exchanger HE 2 , and leaves the second vapor collector VC 2  as a second vapor stream  122  having parameters as at a point  11 , while the liquid leaves the second heat exchanger HE 2  as a second liquid stream  124  having parameters as at a point  7 .  
         [0035]     The second liquid stream  124  having the parameters as at the point  7  is then mixed with another stream of liquid  126  having parameters as at a point  14 , as described below. In this embodiment of the present invention, a temperature and composition of the liquid stream  126  having the parameters  14  are substantially identical to a temperature and composition of the liquid stream  124  having parameters as at the point  7 . As result of this mixing, a combined liquid stream  128  having parameters as at a point  8  is formed.  
         [0036]     The liquid stream  128  having the parameters as at the point  8  then passes through into a shell side  112  of the third heat exchanger HE 3 , where it boils, producing vapor which is collected in a third vapor collector VC 3 . The unvaporized liquid leaves the third heat exchanger HE 3 , as a third liquid stream  130  having parameters as at a point  9 , while the vapor produced in the third heat exchanger HE 3  is collect in the third vapor collector VC 3  and leaves the third vapor collector VC 3  as a third vapor stream  132  having parameters as at a point  12 .  
         [0037]     The temperature of the third liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9  is a highest temperature achievable in this embodiment of the process of this invention. If the vapor collected in vapor collectors VC 1 , VC 2  &amp; VC 3  was not removed from the liquid streams  110 ,  120  and  128  during heating, then the composition of the liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9  would be equal to the composition of the stream  110  having the parameters as at the point  5  and such a stream would have been fully vaporized at the temperature and pressure corresponding to the liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9 . But because the vapor was removed as described above, the composition of the liquid stream  130  having parameters as at the point  9  is significantly leaner (i.e., has a lower concentration of the low-boiling component) than the stream  110 . The state of the liquid stream  130  is a saturated liquid.  
         [0038]     The vapor streams  118 ,  122 , and  132  having parameters as at the points  10 ,  11  and  12 , respectively, are combined into a combined vapor stream  134  having parameters as at a point  13 . The stream  134  having the parameters as at the point  13  has a temperature which is substantially lower than the temperature of the third liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9 . As was noted above, the liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9  is substantially leaner than the initial liquid stream  110  having the parameters as at the point  5 . Conversely, the combined vapor stream  134  having the parameters as at the point  13  is significantly richer in the low-boiling component than the initial multi-component stream  110  having the parameters of at the point  5 .  
         [0039]     The intermediate removal of vapor has achieved the maintenance of nucleate boiling in all three heat exchangers HE 1 , HE 2  and HE 3 . However, the produced vapor does not have the required temperature (which must be equal to the temperature of the composition of the third liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9 ) or the required composition (which must be equal to the composition of the initial multi-component stream  110  having the parameters as at the point  5 ) to achieve the complete vaporization of the initial multi-component liquid stream  110  having the parameters as at the point  5 .  
         [0040]     To accomplish these thermal and compositional requirements, the combined vapor stream  134  having the parameters as at the point  13  is sent into a lower part  136  of a vertical scrubber SC, while the liquid stream  130  having parameters as at the point  9  is sent into a upper part  138  of the scrubber SC. In the scrubber SC, the liquid stream  130  having the parameter as at point  9  is sprayed into the SC and the droplets fall down through the scrubber SC. Meanwhile, the combined vapor stream  134  having parameters as at the point  13  moves up through the scrubber SC. In such a counterflow of liquid and vapor arrangement, a very intensive heat and mass transfer occurs. The liquid, as a result of such a process, becomes cooler and richer, whereas the vapor becomes hotter and leaner. At a top  140  of the scrubber SC, the vapor from the stream  134  comes into equilibrium with the third liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9  acquiring the same temperature of the stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9  and the same composition as the initial multi-component liquid stream  110  having the parameters as at the point  5 .  
         [0041]     This resulting vapor, leaves the top  140  of the SC as a fourth vapor stream  142  having the parameters as at the point  15 . Meanwhile, the liquid is collected at the bottom of the scrubber SC, and leave a bottom  144  of the scrubber SC as the stream  126  having the parameters as at the point  14 .  
         [0042]     The temperature and composition of the SC liquid stream  126  having the parameters as at the point  14  depends on the flow rate of the third liquid stream  130  having the parameters as at the point  9 , the larger the flow rate, the hotter and leaner the SC liquid stream  126  having parameters at the point  14 . Therefore, it is possible to achieve a composition and temperature of the SC stream  126  having the parameters as at the point  14 , which are practically the same as the composition and temperature of the second liquid stream  124  having the parameters of the point  7 .  
         [0043]     The SC stream of liquid  126  having the parameters as at the point  14  is combined with the third stream of liquid  124  having parameters as at the point  7  forming the combined liquid stream  128  having parameters as at the point  8  as described above.  
         [0044]     Referring now to  FIG. 1B , an alternate preferred embodiment of the apparatus of  FIG. 1B , generally  150  is shown, where the vapor  118 ,  122  and  132  having the parameters of the points  10 ,  11  &amp;  12 , respectively, collected in the vapor collectors VC 1 , VC 2  and VC 3  are fed individually into the scrubber SC. In such a case, the individual vapor stream  118 ,  122  and  132  must be sent into different points along a height of the scrubber SC. The hottest stream  132  is fed into the SC at an upper feed port  152  of the SC, the middle temperature vapor stream  122  is fed into the SC at a middle feed port  154  of the SC, and the coldest stream  118  is fed into the SC at a lower feed port  156  of the scubber SC. Such a multi-point injection arrangement would increase the efficiency of the process in the scrubber SC, but would require more elaborate piping. In such a case, the liquid collected at the bottom  144  of the scrubber SC, will be cooler and, therefore, must be sent back into the system between HE 1  and HE 2  and combined with the stream  120  having the parameters as at the point  6  instead of between the heat exchanger HE 2  and HE 3  and combined with the stream  124  having the parameters of the point  7 . The exact position of the ports  252 ,  254 , and  256  will depend on the scrubber design, stream flow rates, stream compositions and other system criteria well known to ordinary artisans.  
         [0045]      FIG. 1 , shows the proposes system as including three heat exchangers, however, the proposed system will function with a minimum of two heat exchangers to as many heat exchangers as may be required for a given project. Preferably, the number of heat exchangers or heat exchange units are between 3 and 12 heat exchangers with between 3 and 8 being particularly preferred with between 3 and 6 being most preferred. One with ordinary experience in the art can design a specific embodiment of this system with a number of heat exchangers as required by circumstances. In the above embodiments, the vapor removal apparatus comprises a vapor collector associated with each heat exchanger.  
         [0046]     Variants of the proposed system designed for work at very high temperature (e.g., power plants such as nuclear or direct coal fired power systems) are shown in  FIG. 2A &amp;B. Referring now the  FIG. 2A , another preferred system of this invention, generally  200 , is shown to include four heat transfer loops HTL  1 - 4 . A saturated liquid stream  202  to be vaporized and having parameters as at a point  1  is fed into the system from a header H, into the first heat transfer loop HTL 1 . After being partially vaporized in the loop HTL 1 , the saturated liquid stream  202  leaves as a first mixed stream  204  having parameters as at a point  2  and enters into a drum D 1 , where the first mixed stream  204  is separated into a first liquid stream  206  having parameters as at a point  3  and a first vapor  208  having parameters as at a point  12 . The liquid stream  206  having the parameters as at the point  3  is combined with a SC liquid stream  210  having parameters as at point  11  from a scrubber SC to form a combined stream of liquid  212  having parameters as at a point  4 .  
         [0047]     The combined stream  212  having the parameter as at the point  4  is then sent into the second heat transfer loop HTL 2 , where it is partially vaporized producing a second mixed stream  214  having parameters as at a point  5 . After being partially vaporized in the second loop HTL 2 , the second mixed stream  214  enters into a second drum D 2 , where the second mixed stream  214  is separated into a second liquid stream  216  having parameters as at a point  6  and a second vapor  218  having parameters as at a point  13 .  
         [0048]     The third liquid stream  216  having the parameters as at the point  6  is then sent into the third heat transfer loop HTL 3 , where it is partially vaporized producing a third mixed stream  220  having parameters as at a point  7 . After being partially vaporized in the third loop HTL 3 , the third mixed stream  220  enters into a third drum D 3 , where the third mixed stream  220  is separated into a third liquid stream  222  having parameters as at a point  8  and a third vapor  224  having parameters as at a point  14 .  
         [0049]     The liquid stream  222  having the parameters as at the point  8  is then sent into the fourth heat transfer loop HTL 4 , where it is partially vaporized producing a fourth mixed stream  226  having parameters as at a point  9 . After being partially vaporized in the fourth loop HTL 4 , the fourth mixed stream  226  enters into a fourth drum D 4 , where the stream  226  is separated into a fourth liquid stream  228  having parameters at a point  10  and a vapor  230  having parameters as at a point  15 .  
         [0050]     The fourth liquid stream  228  having parameters as at a point  10  is then forwarded to a top  232  of the SC. The fourth vapor stream  230  having the parameters as at the point  15 , the third vapor stream  224  having the parameter as at the point  14 , the second vapor stream  218  having the parameters as at the point  13 , and the first vapor stream  208  having the parameters as at the point  12  are combined to from a combined vapor stream  234  having parameters as at a point  16 .  
         [0051]     Clearly, the processes in the heat transfer loops HTL 2 - 4  are identical.  
         [0052]     As in the case of the apparatus of FIGS.  1 A&amp;B, the combined vapor stream  234  does not have the required temperature (which most be equal to the temperature of the composition of the fourth liquid stream  228  having the parameters as at the point  10 ) or the required composition (which must be equal to the composition of the initial liquid stream  202  having the parameters as at the point  1 ) to achieve the complete vaporization of the liquid stream  202  having the parameters as at the point  1 .  
         [0053]     To accomplish this requirement, the combined vapor stream  234  having the parameters as at the point  16  is sent into a lower part  236  of the vertical scrubber SC, while the fourth liquid stream  228  having parameters as at the point  10  is sent into the top  232  of the scrubber SC. In the scrubber SC, the fourth liquid stream  228  having the parameter as at point  10  is sprayed and the droplets fall down through the scrubber SC. Meanwhile, the combined vapor stream  234  having parameters as at the point  16  moves up through the scrubber SC. In such a counterflow of liquid and vapor arrangement, a very intensive heat and mass transfer occurs. The liquid, as a result of such a process, becomes cooler and richer, whereas the vapor becomes hotter and leaner. Near the top  232  of the scrubber SC, the vapor stream  234  having the parameters as at the point  16  comes into equilibrium with the liquid stream  228  having the parameters as at the point  10  acquiring the same temperature as the stream  228  having the parameters as at the point  10  and the same composition as the stream  202  having the parameters as at the point  1 . Thus, the system  200  has achieved the result of substantially complete or full vaporization of the multi-component stream  202  having the parameters as at the point  1 .  
         [0054]     This resulting vapor, leaves an upper port  238  of the SC as a stream  240  having the parameters as at the point  17 . Meanwhile, the liquid is collected at a bottom  242  of the scrubber SC, and leave the scrubber SC as the stream  210  having the parameters as at the point  11 .  
         [0055]     The temperature and composition of the liquid stream  210  having the parameters as at the point  11  depends on the flow rate of the liquid stream  228  having the parameters as at the point  10 , the larger the flow rate, the hotter and leaner the liquid stream  210  is at the point  11 . Therefore, it is possible to achieve a composition and temperature of the stream  210  having the parameters as at the point  11 , which are practically the same as the composition and temperature of the liquid stream  206  having the parameters of the point  3 .  
         [0056]     As a result of boiling, a hot liquid stream  228  having parameters as at the point  10 , which is leaner than the initial liquid stream  202  having the parameter as at the point  1 , and a stream  234  of vapor having parameters as at the point  16 , which is cooler than the liquid stream  228  having the parameters as at the point  10  and richer than the liquid  202  having the parameters as at the point  1  is produced. These streams are then sent into the scrubber SC, which performs as described above and shown in FIGS.  1 A&amp;B to produce a fully vaporized stream  240  having a temperature substantially the same as the liquid stream  228  and a composition substantially the same as the stream  202 .  
         [0057]     As in  FIG. 1B , the four vapor streams  208 ,  218 ,  224 , and  230  can be fed separately to the scrubber SC to increase its efficiency, but at a cost of additional piping and valving. Referring now to  FIG. 2B , another preferred embodiment of the system of  FIG. 2A , generally  250  is shown, but with each individual vapor stream  208 ,  218 ,  224 , or  230  being fed separately into the scrubber SC. The first vapor stream  208  having the lowest temperature is fed into the scrubber SC at a first and lowest vapor feed port  252 . The second vapor stream  218  having a higher temperature is fed into the scrubber SC at a second vapor feed port  254 . The third vapor stream  218  having a yet higher temperature is fed into the scrubber SC at a third vapor feed port  256 . The fourth vapor stream  218  having the highest temperature is fed into the scrubber SC at a fourth and highest vapor feed port  258 . The exact position of the ports  252 ,  254 ,  256  and  258  will depend on the scrubber design, stream flow rates, stream compositions and other system criteria well known to ordinary artisans.  
         [0058]     As shown above, the system of this invention illustrated in FIGS.  1 A&amp;B allows maintenance of nucleate boiling because the heat exchangers are equipped with vapor collectors, where boiling occurs and at the same time, allows for the production of vapor having a desired temperature and composition. This result is achieved by recycling liquid through the chain of heat exchangers equipped with vapor collectors and the scubber. In the system of this invention illustrated in FIGS.  2 A&amp;B, maintenance of nucleate boiling in the heat transfer loops is achieve by equipping each heat transfer loop with a drum separator and in conjunction with the scruber allows boiling occurs and at the same time, allows for the production of a multi-component vapor having a desired temperature and composition.  
         [0059]     Referring now the  FIG. 3 , a preferred a heat extraction and energy production facility of this invention, generally  300 , is shown to include a multi-component fluid vaporization apparatus of this invention  302 . The apparatus  302  includes an heat source input  304  and an heat source output  306 , where the input  304  inputs a heat source  308  shown here as an input heat source stream, but can be any other heat source and where the output  306  outputs a spent heat source  310  shown here as a spent heat source stream. Of course, if the heat source was focused sun light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation, then the input  304  would input light and the output  306  would output unused light.  
         [0060]     The apparatus  302  also includes a liquid multi-component working fluid input  312  and a vapor multi-component working fluid output  314 , where the liquid input  312  inputs an input liquid multi-component working fluid stream  316  and where the vapor output  314  outputs a final vapor multi-component working fluid stream  318 . The liquid input stream  316  is output from an energy conversion unit  320  through a conversion unit liquid output  322 , while the final vapor stream  318  is input to the energy convention unit  320  through a conversion unit vapor input  324 . The energy conversion unit  320  extracts thermal energy from the final vapor stream  318  to produce the input liquid stream  316  and useable energy such as electrical energy or the like. Such energy conversion units can include any energy conversion unit known in the art including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,346,561; 4,489,563; 4,548,043; 4,586,340; 4,604,867; 4,674,285; 4,732,005;4,763,480; 4,899,545; 4,982,568; 5,029,444; 5,095,708; 5,440,882; 5,450,821; 5,572,871; 5,588,298; 5,603,218; 5,649,426; 5,754,613; 5,822,990; 5,950,433; 5,953,918; and 6,347,520; in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/242,301 filed 12 Sep. 2002; 10/252,744 filed 23 Sep. 2002; 10/320,345 filed 16 Dec. 2002, and 10/357,328 filed 03 Feb. 2003, incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0061]     Thus, the processes and apparatuses (systems) provide for the full vaporization of multi-component fluids, the maintenance of high heat transfer coefficients in the boilers, and the protection of the boiler tubes from overheating in high temperature boilers or other higher temperature heat transfer systems.  
         [0062]     All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference. While this invention has been described fully and completely, it should be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. Although the invention has been disclosed with reference to its preferred embodiments, from reading this description those of skill in the art may appreciate changes and modification that may be made which do not depart from the scope and spirit of the invention as described above and claimed hereafter.