Water treatment and steam generation system for enhanced oil recovery and a method using same

A system for generating steam from a emulsion stream produced from a reservoir via thermal recovery, the emulsion stream being a mixture of oil and water, the system comprising:

• a heat exchanger for adjusting the emulsion to a first temperature;
• at least one separation device for separating water from the emulsion at the first temperature to obtain produced water;
• and
• a high pressure evaporator for receiving the produced water at the first temperature and generating steam using the produced water.

An evaporator receiving a water stream and generating steam from the water stream, the evaporator comprising:

• a vapor drum;
• a heating element in fluid communication with the vapor drum, said heating element receiving the water stream;
• a heating source for vaporizing the water stream for generating steam;
• and
• a bubble generator for generating bubbles and injecting generated bubbles into the heating element.