Power generation from hot brines

Abstract

Hot fluid which may contain salts and other dissolved minerals is passed through a direct contact heat exchanger in heat exchange relationship with a working fluid that has a specific gravity sufficiently below the specific gravity of the fluid so that it may pass from the bottom to the top of the heat exchanger chamber in contact with the fluid. The pressure of the chamber is selected to provide a certain mixture of working fluid and hot fluid at the output of the power extracting device of the system. The working fluid is selected so that the salts and other minerals in the fluid are relatively insoluble therein. The working fluid is vaporized in the exchanger and the vaporized working fluid and any steam mixed therewith are passed through a power extracting gas expansion device. The working fluid is separately condensed and recirculated.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.