Patent ID: 8679291

Claim:
A process for concentrating wastewater, the process comprising: (a) combining a heated gas and a liquid wastewater to form a mixture of heated gas and entrained liquid wastewater; (b) breaking the entrained liquid wastewater into fine entrained liquid wastewater droplets by accelerating the mixture of heated gas and entrained liquid wastewater and by creating increased turbulence in the mixture of heated gas and entrained liquid wastewater, the fine entrained liquid wastewater droplets having increased interfacial surface area to effect rapid mass and heat transfer between the fine entrained liquid wastewater droplets and heated gas; (c) transferring heat from the heated gas to the entrained liquid wastewater to partially evaporate the entrained liquid wastewater; and, (d) removing a portion of the fine entrained liquid wastewater droplets from the mixture to provide a demisted gas.