Water removal by hydrate formation
AssigneeBritish Vinegars
InventorThomas M. C. Davies
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for removing water from an aqueous solution. A hydrate forming fluid is contacted with an aqueous solution at a temperature below the maximum temperature at which said hydrate forming fluid forms a solid hydrate in the presence of said solution and at a temperature at which there is precipitation of solid solute and/or of the concentrated solution remaining after hydrate formation so as to form a magma comprising solid hydrate, any unreacted hydrate forming fluid and any unreacted aqueous solution. The hydrate forming fluid and at least part of the water constituent of the solid hydrate are separated from the solute by fractional sublimation, evaporating and/or elution to produce a substantially hydrate forming fluid-free product comprising said solute and any remaining water.
Claims52
A process for removing water from an aqueous solution which comprises:
- (a) contacting an aqueous solution with a hydrate forming fluid at a temperature below the maximum temperature at which said hydrate forming fluid forms a solid hydrate in the presence of said solution, and at a temperature at which there is precipitation of solid solute and/or of the concentrated solution remaining after hydrate formation, so as to form a magma comprising at least two solid phases which are solid hydrate and solid solute, and at least one liquid phase which includes any unreacted hydrate forming fluid and any unreacted aqueous solution;
- and
- (b) separating from each other, by a fractionation process comprising one of fractional sublimation, fractional evaporation, and fractional elution while there are at least two solid phases in the magna:
- (i) the hydrate forming fluid constituent and at least part of the water constituent of said solid hydrate, and
- (ii) at least part of said solid solute;
- and
- (c) recovering a substantially hydrate forming fluid free product comprising the solute of said solid solute and any remaining water.
A process for producing a vinegar concentrate by removing water from vinegar comprising:
- (a) contacting the vinegar with a hydrate forming fluid at a temperature below the maximum temperature at which said hydrate forming fluid forms a solid hydrate in the presence of the vinegar and at a temperature at which there is precipitation of at least one of solid acetic acid and solid aqueous solution remaining after solid hydrate formation, so as to form a magma comprising solid hydrate, at least one of solid acetic acid and solid aqueous acetic acid solution, any unreacted hydrate forming fluid, any unreacted aqueous vinegar solution, and minor vinegar constituents;
- and
- (b) separating at least part of said solid acetic acid and at least part of said minor vinegar constituents from said hydrate forming fluid and at least part of the water constituent of the solid hydrate so as to produce a vinegar concentrate substantially free of said hydrate forming fluid, the separating being effected by at least one of fractional sublimation, fractional evaporation and fractional elution while there are at least two solid phases present in the magna.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.