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US 10,845,067 B2Granted
Hygroscopic cooling tower for waste water disposal
AssigneeEnergy & Enviornmental Research Center
InventorChristopher Lee Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In various embodiments, the present invention relates to heat dissipation systems including a hygroscopic working fluid integrating waste water as makeup water. The present invention also relates to methods of using the same. The present invention also relates to hygroscopic cooling systems adapted to dispose of waste water by combining the waste water with a hygroscopic working fluid, precipitating impurities and evaporating the remaining water.
Claims20
A method of waste water disposal, the method comprising:
- contacting a hygroscopic working fluid with a heat exchanger having a heated process fluid, wherein the hygroscopic working fluid comprises a desiccant and water;
- transferring thermal energy from the heated process fluid to the hygroscopic working fluid and flowing the hygroscopic working fluid from the heat exchanger to a fluid-air contactor having an air stream;
- contacting the hygroscopic working fluid with the air stream of the fluid-air contactor;
- transferring water from the hygroscopic working fluid to the air stream, collecting the resulting hygroscopic working fluid and circulating it to the process heat exchanger;
- directing a controlled amount of the hygroscopic working fluid to form a mixture with a waste water having dissolved impurities in a makeup mix tank at a mass concentration of desiccant of at least about 5% in the mixture, to induce precipitation of the dissolved impurities in the makeup mix tank prior to transfer to a filter;
- and
- filtering the precipitate from the mixture to form a filtrate and directing the filtrate to combine with the circulating hygroscopic working fluid.
4 more elements
A hygroscopic cooling system, the system comprising:
- a hygroscopic working fluid comprising a desiccant and water;
- a heat exchanger to transfer thermal energy from a heated process fluid to the hygroscopic working fluid;
- a fluid-air contactor having an air stream, wherein the fluid-air contactor and air-stream are configured to transfer water from the hygroscopic working fluid to the air stream;
- wherein the heat exchanger and the fluid-air contactor are configured so the hygroscopic working fluid is circulated through the heat exchanger and the fluid-air contactor;
- a settling chamber configured to receive waste water and a controlled amount of at least some of the circulated hygroscopic working fluid so that mass concentration of desiccant in the settling chamber is at least about 5%, wherein the settling chamber is at conditions which permit the waste water and the hygroscopic working fluid to mix and to induce precipitation of dissolved impurities from the resulting mixture;
- and
- a filter unit configured to remove precipitated impurities from the settling chamber and direct the resulting filtrate to combine with the circulated hygroscopic working fluid.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.