Continuous flow steam boiler utilising seawater as feedstock

A boiler apparatus for continuously processing water containing dissolved matter, the boiler apparatus including:

• a boiler vessel with an inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet;
• and
• a heating element located within the boiler vessel,
• wherein the boiler vessel and the heating element are arranged to provide a wet steam product at the first outlet and create convection within the boiler vessel such that a concentrated product is provided at the second outlet which is relatively lower than the first outlet,
• wherein the boiler vessel includes a head space, a heating zone relatively below the headspace and a convection zone relatively below the heating zone, the heating zone including the heating element to provide the wet steam product to the headspace and the convection zone including at least one of a vertically arranged further heating element and a vertically arranged baffle that are arranged to promote convection within the convection zone.

A boiler apparatus for continuously processing a seawater feedstock the boiler apparatus including:

• a boiler vessel with a first inlet from which the seawater enters the boiler vessel, a second inlet for atmospheric air, two steam product outlets and a waste outlet;
• a heating element located within the boiler vessel;
• a first heat exchanger arranged to communicate heat between one of the two steam outlets and the seawater feedstock;
• and
• a second heat exchanger fitted to at least a lower section of the boiler vessel to communicate heat with seawater within the boiler vessel;
• wherein the boiler vessel and heating element are arranged to provide a wet steam product at the two steam product outlets and create convection within the boiler vessel such that a concentrated product is provided at the waste outlet which is relatively lower than the first outlet, and
• wherein the seawater feedstock is preheated by the first heat exchanger and then the second heat exchanger prior to entering the boiler vessel at the inlet;
• and
• wherein the atmospheric air is preheated by the second heat exchanger and then mixed with the wet steam product of the other of two steam product outlets to provide a wetted air stream.