Wastewater processing systems for power plant flue gas desulfurization water and other industrial wastewaters

A method of processing wastewater from a thermoelectric power plant with a wastewater concentrator, wherein the wastewater concentrator includes a direct contact adiabatic wastewater concentrator system, and the power plant includes a source of wastewater and a source hot feed gases, the method comprising the steps:

• receiving a stream of the hot feed gases into the wastewater concentrator;
• receiving feed wastewater including the wastewater through a conduit from the thermoelectric power plant into the wastewater concentrator;
• mixing the hot feed gases directly with the feed wastewater in the wastewater concentrator to evaporate water vapor from the feed wastewater;
• separating the water vapor from the feed wastewater in the wastewater concentrator to form concentrated discharge brine and discharge gases;
• and
• exhausting the discharge gases from the wastewater concentrator.

A thermoelectric power plant comprising:

• a thermoelectric generator for producing electricity;
• a wastewater concentrator comprising a direct contact adiabatic wastewater concentrator system;
• a source of wastewater operatively connected to the wastewater concentrator to supply feed wastewater to the wastewater concentrator;
• and
• a source of hot feed gases operatively connected to the wastewater concentrator to supply the hot feed gases to the wastewater concentrator;
• wherein the wastewater concentrator mixes the hot feed gases directly with the feed wastewater, evaporates water vapor from the feed wastewater, separates the water vapor from the feed wastewater thereby forming discharge brine and discharge gases, exhausts the discharge gases to atmosphere and/or another process component, and provides the discharge brine in a form suitable for further processing and/or disposal separate from the discharge gases.