Vapor pump employing counterflow exchange between air and combustion products without an intermediate fluid

A vapor pump having a mass and heat exchanger providing energy and mass transfers between inlet combustion air and combustion products from a thermal process that provides exchanges with a thermal load via a wall, wherein the vapor pump comprises:

• an outer enclosure;
• a set of tubes constituting an exchanger disposed lengthwise inside the closure and opening out at their ends in respective first and second radial planes in which positioning and supporting means are provided for positioning and supporting the tubes relative to the enclosure and for closing empty spaces in a section of the enclosure situated outside the tubes, thereby defining between the radial planes a first gaseous fluid flow circuit inside the tubes and a distinct second gaseous fluid flow circuit inside the enclosure but outside the tubes;
• an inlet orifice for admitting a first gaseous fluid into the enclosure in the second circuit;
• an outlet orifice for exhausting from the enclosure the first gaseous fluid flowing in the second circuit;
• an inlet orifice for admitting a second gaseous fluid into the enclosure in the first circuit;
• an outlet orifice for exhausting from the enclosure the second gaseous fluid as a counterflow in the first circuit, wherein one of the first and second gaseous fluids is constituted by hot moist combustion products while the other gaseous fluid is constituted by new combustion air;
• humidifier means for moistening the air admitted into the enclosure, the humidifier means comprising a set of nozzles disposed to spray a fine mist of water to occupy a volume of the entire inlet section of the air flow circuit such that only those faces of walls of the tubes that are in contact with the air are moistened, the tubes defining a counterflow exchanger between the air and the combustion products inside the enclosure without using an intermediate fluid in which energy is transferred form the combustion products to the air, from the combustion products to the sprayed water, and from condensates of the combustion products to the sprayed water via the walls of the tubes while energy is transferred from the sprayed water to the air by means of direct contact;
• and
• deriving means for deriving from the condensates at least a portion of the sprayed water;
• wherein the enclosure is disposed vertically, and
• wherein the humidifier means comprises a first set of nozzles directed downwards and disposed in a top portion of the enclosure so as to spray the water over the entire section of the enclosure situated above ends of the tubes, and a second set of nozzles directed upwards and disposed at a bottom of the enclosure so as to spray the water over the entire section of the enclosure situated beneath the tubes.