Patent GB-967929-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in method and apparatus for evaporating liquid
IPC: B01D1/12
Filed: 1961-07-13
Abstract: 967,929. Film evaporators ; distilling water. GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. July 13, 1961 [July 20, 1960], No. 25393/61. Heading B1B. In an evaporator in which the liquid undergoing evaporation flows as a film over a hot surface, a high rate of heat transfer from the hot surface to the liquid is obtained by passing a vapour adjacent to the flowing film so as to cause turbulent flow in the film thereby reducing the thickness of that portion of the film, which is in laminar flow adjacent to the hot surface, to approximately one-thousandth of an inch or less. The principle may be applied in the distillation of saline water, e.g. sea water. Liquid to be evaporated enters the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 via line 16 and collects on barrier 8 in chamber 13. The liquid flows over weirs 20 to form annular films of liquid on the inner surfaces of tubes 4, which are externally heated. Part of the liquid in the downflowing films evaporates ; and the vapour and the concentrated liquid are received in sump 15. The concentrated liquid may be recirculated to the evaporator via line 18. The concentration of the liquid may be controlled at a desired level by removing a portion of the liquid in sump 15 via line 30. The vapour from sump 15 passes into line 23 and part of it passes via line 25 and valve 26 into a compressor 27. The compressed vapour passes via line 29 into chamber 13, whence it passes down the tubes 4, thus producing the turbulence required in the descending films of liquid. The remainder of the vapour in line 23 is removed via line 24 and may be passed to a condenser, or it may be compressed and the compressed vapour introduced into nozzle 6 for use as the heating medium in heating chest 5. The outer surfaces of the tubes 4 may be fluted, and coated with a chemical to produce dropwise condensation of the heating-vapour. The condensate obtained in chest 5 is withdrawn via line 7. A multipleeffect apparatus, Fig. 7, is also described for the distillation of brine, wherein the brine is pumped via line 51A to a heat exchanger 52, where it is preheated by the condensation of vapour from line 111. The brine is then supplied to evaporators 2<SP>1</SP>, 2<SP>11</SP> and 2<SP>111</SP> via lines 61, 84, 113 and heat-exchangers 60, 83, 102 respectively. The brine in line 61 passes into chamber 64 of evaporator 2<SP>1</SP> via heat exchanger 60, and descends the inner surfaces of tubes 58 in annular films of liquid. These films are kept in turbulent flow by recirculated vapour from line 76. Partial evaporation of the brine occurs, and the concentrated brine flows into sump 65, whence it passes out of the system via line 70 and heat exchanger 60. The vapour formed in tubes 58 passes out of sump 65 via line 71, part of it passing to the compressor 75 via line 73 and valve 74 for recirculation via line 76, the remainder passing into the heating chest 80 of the next evaporator 2<SP>11</SP>. The condensate from chest 80 passes into line 76a via heat exchanger 83. The chest 57 of the first evaporator 2<SP>1</SP> receives steam via line 56 from a boiler 55, which may be heated by atomic energy. The condensate from chest 57 passes into line 76a via heat exchanger 60. The third effect 2<SP>111</SP> is operated in the same way as effect 2<SP>11</SP>. Distilled water is withdrawn from the system via pump 116.