Patent ID: 6913671

Claim:
Compact evaporation apparatus, comprising: a cylindrical evaporator vessel with a sloped, bottom chamber; a combustion chamber mounted to a top of the vessel, with a burner mounted to a top of the combustion chamber; with the combustion chamber including a downwardly-facing tubular member with refractory lining disposed along an upper portion of its exterior length a plurality of vertically-spaced diverter plates within the vessel beneath the liquid surface, a diverter plates being submerged perforated plates extending horizontally from the combustion chamber, such that hot combustion gasses are released below the diverter plates, and as large gas bubbles rise to the surface they pass through small perforations in the diverter plates, thereby breaking large, hot gas bubbles into small bubbles, the gas to liquid contact area being maximized to increase system efficiency; with the tubular member joined at its lower end to a frustro-conical section, with the combustion chamber being formed of the tubular member and frustro-conical section with an upper one of the diverter plates disposed horizontally, extending outwardly below a bottom of the refractory lining; with a middle one of the diverter plates disposed horizontally, extending outwardly from a lower end of the tubular member; and with the frustro-conical section having an open lower end, with a lower one of the diverter plates disposed horizontally and extending outwardly from the lower end of the frustro-conical section.