Method and apparatus for conducting chemical reactions at supercritical conditions
OwnerJames A. Titmasinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Continuously flowing water contaminated with organic and inorganic materials is treated by being fed to the top of a downdraft column (25) of a hydraulic column reactor (10) and conducted to the bottom thereof to a reaction chamber (18). The pressure and temperature conditions in the reaction chamber (18) are maintained at approximately the necessary pressure and temperature to create supercritical water conditions to thereby treat the water and its lower specific gravity. The treated water can then be separated in the reaction chamber (18) into a particulate and precipitate enriched portion and a particulate and precipitate depleted portion, which portions are conducted upwardly in separate updraft columns (29, 30) and continuously removed therefrom.
Claims39
A method of treating a continuously flowing water contaminated with organic and inorganic materials comprising the steps of feeding the contaminated water into the top of a hydraulic downdraft column;
- conducting the contaminated water from the bottom of said downdraft column into a reaction chamber;
- providing sufficient heat energy in said reaction chamber to maintain the temperature of the contaminated water at approximately the temperature necessary to create supercritical water conditions;
- maintaining the pressure in said reaction chamber at approximately the pressure necessary to create supercritical water conditions;
- said heat energy and pressure causing a chemical reaction to take place in said reaction chamber resulting in treated water, including at least water, particulates and precipitates, of a lower specific gravity;
- imparting centrifugal force to the treated water to divide the treated water into a particulate and precipitate enriched portion and a particulate and precipitate depleted portion;
- conducting one portion of the treated water into the bottom of a first hydraulic updraft column and the other portion of the treated water into the bottom of a second hydraulic updraft column whereby the pressure at the bottom of said updraft columns causes the portions of the treated water to rise separately in said updraft columns;
- and removing the portions of the treated water from the top of said updraft columns.
Apparatus for treating a continuously flowing water contaminated with organic and inorganic materials comprising means defining a first vertical passageway receiving the contaminated water near the top thereof and being of a height such that the pressure at the bottom thereof will be approximately the pressure necessary to create supercritical water conditions;
- a reaction chamber near the bottom of said first vertical passageway;
- means in said reaction chamber to heat the contaminated water to approximately a temperature necessary to create supercritical water conditions;
- said pressure and temperature causing a chemical reaction to take place in said reaction chamber whereby the contaminated water is converted to treated water at a lower specific gravity;
- said treated water including at least water, particulates and precipitates;
- means within said reaction chamber to impart a centrifugal force to said treated water to divide the treated water into a particulate and precipitate enriched portion and a particulate and precipitate depleted portion;
- and means defining separate second and third vertical passageways each communicating with said reaction chamber to respectively receive said particulate and precipitate enriched portion of said treated water and said particulate and precipitate depleted portion of said treated water;
- whereby the materials in said second and third passageways flow upwardly to the top thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.