Mineral crystallizer systems and methods for solids separation
AssigneeLocalized Water Solutions LLC
InventorsBobby Paul Johnston, Michael Paul O’Brien, Wayne Allan Wolf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Mineral Crystallizers systems and methods for solidifying dissolved minerals including a ball mill evaporator. The systems and methods include wetting heated media with a brine solution. The ball mill evaporator transports and agitates the heated media to disengage salt scale adhered to the heated media. The systems and methods enhance the transfer of heat into a brine and continuously remove salt scale as brine concentration approaches solid cake.
Claims15
A ball mill evaporator system comprising:
- a rotating mechanism including a lower end and an upper end;
- a brine;
- a condenser;
- and
- a sorting component;
- wherein the rotating mechanism receives heated media at the lower end, wherein the heated media traverses the rotating mechanism from the lower end to the upper end, wherein, while traversing from the lower end to the upper end, the heated media is continuously agitated, wherein at the upper end, steam of the heated media is directed to the condenser, wherein the heated media is cooled, wherein the cooled media is directed into the sorting component, wherein the sorting component separates scale from the cooled media, and wherein the cooled media is directed to a heating device.
A ball mill evaporator system comprising:
- a rotating mechanism including a central portion and an outer portion;
- a brine;
- and
- a self-cleaning component;
- wherein the rotating mechanism is in fluid communication with at least one fluid stream, wherein the at least one fluid stream flows through an interior channel of the central portion, wherein the at least one fluid stream is heated,
- wherein the rotating mechanism moves media from a lower position to a higher position, wherein as the media moves from the lower position to the higher position, the media is heated via heat transfer from the at least one heated fluid stream, wherein scale adhered to a surface of the media descales as the media traverses the rotating mechanism, wherein, once the media reaches the higher position, the media is operable to move from the central portion to the outer portion;
- and
- wherein the media falls onto a bottom of the outer portion, wherein the self-cleaning component scrapes the media to remove the scale adhered to the surface of the media, wherein the scale is collected in an outlet.
A method of solidifying a dissolved mineral comprising:
- heating media via a heating device;
- introducing the heated media into a solution, wherein the solution comprises a dissolved mineral, wherein the solution is positioned at a first end of a rotating mechanism of a ball mill evaporator;
- transporting the heated media from the first end of the rotating mechanism to a second end of the rotating mechanism;
- continuously agitating the heated media to disengage scale adhered to a surface of the heated media;
- directing, at the second end of the rotating mechanism, steam from the heated media to a condenser;
- collecting condensate from the condenser;
- separating solidified scale from the media;
- and
- returning the media to the heating device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.