Method for separating water and contaminants from valuable or harmful liquids
OwnerCraig Nazzerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure is a method of removing water and contaminants from an aqueous feed stream comprising a water soluble process liquid. Embodiments of the method may include splitting the method into stages, vaporising the process liquid by direct contact with a heated heating fluid, removing precipitated contaminants by chemical means, and treating the heating fluid to maintain or enhance its properties.
Claims22
A method of removing contaminants, including dissolved contaminants, from a feed stream, said feed stream comprising water and said contaminants and a process liquid that is water soluble and less volatile than water, said method comprising the following steps:
- heating a heating fluid comprised of components that are immiscible with a salt solvent and less volatile than the process liquid to produce a heated heating fluid;
- bringing at least a portion of the feed stream into contact with at least a portion of the heated heating fluid at one or more places that are upstream of and/or within a flash separator to vaporise at least a portion of the process liquid thereby causing at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants to form precipitated solid matter;
- enabling at least a portion of the heating fluid to mix with at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter thereby producing a depleted mixture that comprises at least a portion of the heating fluid and at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter;
- and
- bringing the salt solvent into contact with at least a portion of the depleted mixture whereby said salt solvent dissolves at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter, to create a waste solution that comprises at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants.
A method of removing contaminants, including dissolved contaminants, from a feed stream, said feed stream comprising water and said contaminants and a process liquid that is water soluble and less volatile than water, said method comprising the following steps:
- applying a concentration process to remove water from at least a portion of the feed stream to produce a Stage A output stream having a concentration of process liquid that is higher than that of the feed stream;
- heating a heating fluid comprised of components that are immiscible with a salt solvent and less volatile than the process liquid to produce a heated heating fluid;
- bringing at least a portion of the Stage A output stream into contact with at least a portion of the heated heating fluid at one or more places that are upstream of and/or within a flash separator to vaporise at least a portion of the process liquid thereby causing at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants to form precipitated solid matter;
- enabling at least a portion of the heating fluid to mix with at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter thereby producing a depleted mixture that comprises at least a portion of the heating fluid and at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter;
- and
- bringing the salt solvent into contact with at least a portion of the depleted mixture, whereby said salt solvent dissolves at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter to create a waste solution that comprises at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants.
A method of removing contaminants, including dissolved contaminants, from a feed stream, said feed stream comprising water and said contaminants and a process liquid that is water soluble and less volatile than water, said method comprising the following steps:
- heating a concentrated process liquid to produce heated concentrated process liquid;
- bringing at least a portion of the feed stream into contact with at least a portion of the heated concentrated process liquid at one or more places that are upstream of and/or within a Stage B separation vessel to vaporise a portion of the process liquid thereby producing an unvaporised liquid that comprises at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants;
- enabling at least a portion of the unvaporised liquid to mix with at least a portion of the concentrated process liquid thereby producing a Stage B to C stream that comprises at least a portion of the process liquid and at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants;
- heating a heating fluid comprised of components that are immiscible with a salt solvent and less volatile than the process liquid to produce a heated heating fluid;
- bringing at least a portion of the Stage B to C stream into contact with at least a portion of the heated heating fluid at one or more places that are upstream of and/or within a flash separator to vaporise at least a portion of the process liquid thereby causing at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants to form precipitated solid matter;
- enabling at least a portion of the heating fluid to mix with at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter thereby producing a depleted mixture that comprises at least a portion of the heating fluid and at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter;
- and
- bringing the salt solvent into contact with at least a portion of the depleted mixture whereby said salt solvent dissolves at least a portion of the precipitated solid matter, thereby creating a waste solution that comprises at least a portion of the dissolved contaminants.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.