Radial counterflow steam stripper

A radial counterflow chiller, comprising

• coaxial radial flow disk centrifugal pumps, the centrifugal pumps counter-rotatable about their common axis of rotation and spaced apart so as to define a workspace between them;
• means connected to the centrifugal pumps for causing them to counter-rotate;
• an axial feed port communicating with the workspace for introducing cooling water into the workspace;
• a condenser, the condenser providing a low pressure sink for vapor stripped from the cooling water;
• and
• an axial exhaust port communicating with the workspace and with the condenser.

A system for reducing water waste at thermal power plants, comprising the combination of

• (1) an apparatus for improved condensing of exhaust steam, the improved condensing means comprising
• coaxial radial flow disk turbines, the disk turbines counter-rotatable about their common axis of rotation and spaced apart so as to define a workspace between them,
• an axial feed port communicating with the workspace for introducing turbine exhaust steam into the workspace,
• a condenser, the condenser providing a low pressure sink for low enthalpy saturated vapor, and the condenser comprising a cooling water circuit,
• an axial exhaust port communicating with the workspace and with said low enthalpy saturated vapor condenser, and
• a baffle disposed between the axial feed port and the axial exhaust port,
• at least one axial drive wheel connected to the disk turbines and to a generator;
• and
• (2) a radial counterflow cooling water chiller, comprising
• coaxial radial flow disk centrifugal pumps, the centrifugal pumps counter-rotatable about their common axis of rotation and spaced apart so as to define a workspace between them,
• means connected to the centrifugal pumps for causing them to counter-rotate,
• an axial feed port communicating with the workspace for introducing cooling water into the workspace,
• a condenser, the condenser providing a low pressure sink for vapor stripped from the cooling water,
• an axial exhaust port communicating with the workspace and with said cooling water vapor condenser, and
• means for pumping chilled cooling water into said cooling water circuit.

A process for continuous thermal separation, comprising the simultaneous steps of:

• creating a dynamic vortex tube cascade in a workspace defined between coaxial counter-rotating disks, each disk having a laminar boundary layer against it where diffusion of momentum occurs, the workspace comprising a shear layer between said boundary layers;
• flowing a fluid feed into the workspace at the axis of the disks;
• advecting low enthalpy saturated vapor radially inward to said axis and into a the low pressure sink provided by a condenser communicating with the workspace through an axial exhaust conduit;
• and
• advecting the remainder of the feed, including condensate and high enthalpy vapor, if any, radially outward and beyond the periphery of the workspace.