Method and apparatus for improving the performance of liquid waste evaporators
AssigneeHea Associates, Inc.
InventorSamuel G. Travis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved method of and apparatus rendering water-based fluid waste stream evaporation operations environmentally and otherwise safe, involving separately and independently existing the hot gas stream produced by fuel combustion and the vaporized fluid-air exhaust stream resulting from heat-vaporizing of the fluid, independently directing the streams in opposite directions toward one another and to a common region, and applying fan suction immediately at said region to exert the sole control of withdrawing the streams simultaneously.
Claims13
In apparatus for converting a water-based fluid containing water-soluble and insoluble waste contaminants into environmentally safe vaporous exhaust, in which contaminated fluid in a tank is heated by combusting fuel and flowing the resulting hot gases through flue tubing with the fluid so as to heat and vaporize said fluid, means for flowing air above the fluid to cause the vaporized fluid and air stream to flow through an exit external to the tank, and at least one suction fan communicating with said means for flowing air external to the tank;
- the improvement which comprises means for funneling the hot gas stream along the said fluid tubing externally of the tank, and for separately and independently funneling the fluid vapor-air stream externally of the tank;
- means for exhausting said streams, wherein said exhaust means comprises means for directing said separate streams to a common region upstream of said at least one suction fan;
- and means for balancing the pressures of said separate streams within said means for directing.
In apparatus for converting a water-based fluid containing water-soluble and insoluble contaminants into an environmentally save vaporous exhaust, and comprising a lidded tank for holding said fluid, a combustion gas stream first flue tubing disposed within said tank for heat exchange with said fluid, and means for flowing air above the fluid between the same and the tank lid to cause the heat-vaporized fluid-air stream to be carried along a second independent flue tubing externally of the tank and separately from the first flue tubing;
- the improvement which comprises means for equalizing the pressure of said combustion gas stream and said fluid vapor-air stream upstream of a common outlet region;
- a common exit tubing disposed at said common outlet region and provided with suction fan means for withdrawing hot gas and fluid vapor-air stream simultaneously, thereby stabilizing the heat exchange process and maintaining the efficiency thereof while preventing air flow variation from causing flashback in the hot gas flue tubing and out through the burner.
In an improved liquid waste processing apparatus comprising a containing for a contaminated fluid, fitted with a combustion as heat source for supplying thermal energy to evaporate the fluid, a combustion flue assembly communicating with a burner assembly and located in the fluid for heat exchange with the fluid, and a draft mechanism for drawing off a stream of water vapor as it is formed, the improvement which comprises:
- (a) separate combustion gas and water vapor stream flue means to stabilize gaseous flow conditions and enable direct reading of gas/air ratio to determine combustion efficiency;
- (b) an adjustable knife gate means located in the combustion flue assembly;
- (c) a common manifold separately communicating with said combustion gas flue means and said water vapor stream flue means;
- and
- (d) a fan communicating with said common manifold for independently and simultaneously withdrawing the exhaust gas stream and said water vapor stream from said common manifold region.
In a method for converting a water-based fluid containing water-soluble and insoluble waste contaminants into environmentally safe vaporous exhaust wherein the contaminated fluid is heated in a tank by combusting fuel, and the resultant hot combustion gases are flowed through flue tubing in heat exchange contact with the fluid so as to heat and vaporize said fluid, and flowing air above the fluid to pick-up fluid vapor, the improvement which comprises separately and independently funneling the hot combustion gases and fluid vapor-air stream externally of the tank by directing separate stream of hot gases stream and fluid vapor-air stream of equal pressures from opposite directions to a common region and withdrawing both the hot gases stream and fluid vapor-air stream simultaneously from the common region by fan suction whereby said fan suction essentially controls the removal of the hot gas stream and fluid vapor-air stream, so as to prevent air flow variation that can cause flashback in the fluid tubing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.