Thermal control in dual temperature systems

In a method of the type which involves

• a. the heating of a flow of carrier fluid which is mixed with chemically different contained fluid and
• b. the subsequent separation of contained fluid from solution in the flow of carrier fluid, the improvement that:
• c. said heating step (a) is effected in a first zone from which the heated flow of carrier fluid and contained fluid is passed to a second zone,
• d. said heated flow is further heated in said second zone and is then passed from said second zone and cooled by transferring heat therefrom to the flow in said first zone while maintaining said flows out of physical contact with each other, and
• e. the further heating of said heated flow in said second zone is effected under gas and liquid direct contact thereof with a supply of one of said fluids at a higher temperature than that of the heated flow passed to said second zone.

An improved thermal exchange method of the type that comprises, in combination, the steps of

• a. forming a first flow of gas phase substance,
• b. heating said first flow and vaporizing thereinto to be carried thereby vapors of a vaporizable liquid substance different from said gas phase substance to form an augmented flow;
• c. subjecting said augmented flow to treatment to form a treated flow, and
• d. thereafter cooling said treated flow to condense therefrom vapors of said vaporizable liquid substance carried therein;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• e. in forming said augmented flow in step (b), bringing said gaseous flow and a liquid flow of said second substance into physical contact in a first zone and supplying heat thereto in said first zone,
• f. in forming said treated flow in step (c), further heating said augmented flow and adding thereto a further quantity of vapor of said vaporizable liquid in a second zone,
• g. in step (d), extracting heat from said treated flow in a third zone, and separately removing from said third zone the flow of said gas phase substances and the liquid condensate condensed therefrom, and
• h. transferring the heat extracted in the cooling and condensation in step (g) from the third zone to the first zone, to constitute the heat supplied for the heating and vaporizing of step (e) therein, by way of a counter-current indirect contact heat exchange, while
• i. maintaining the flows in said first and third zones out of contact with each other.