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US 6,958,107 B1Granted
Cyclonic evaporator
AssigneeAlcos Technologies Pty. Ltd.
InventorsNeville Clarke, Paul Woodley
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AssigneeAlcos Technologies Pty. Ltd.
InventorsNeville Clarke, Paul Woodley
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for separating the components of a feed material prior to or simultaneously with at least partially vaporizing one of the components is described. The apparatus comprises at least one inlet (8) for admitting the feed material (10) containing the two components to the apparatus (2) wherein a device for introducing a first movement to the feed material is located, such as, for example, an in-line swirl generator (14), which imparts a swirling movement to the feed material to partially separate the components into two swirling flows. The partially separated material on emerging from the in-line swirl generator (14) is in an evaporation tube (20) in which the more volatile component is vaporized to further assist in separating the two components into a liquid component and a gaseous or vapor component. The liquid component and the vapor phase are discharged from the apparatus in two streams through the same outlet (36). Modifications of the method and apparatus include (i) having multiple evaporation tubes (20), each optionally provided with its own in-line swirl generator to facilitate better distribution and separation of the feed material, and (ii) having a reject nozzle (40) and reject conduit (42) located within the generator for allowing passage of vapor or gas through the in-line swirl generator (14) when there is an intermediate flow formed in the generator (14) and conveyed to the evaporation tube (20). The method and apparatus of this application are used as a pre-treatment in an overall separation plant.
A cyclonic evaporator apparatus for separating two or more components of a feed material prior to or simultaneously with at least partially vaporizing one of the components, said cyclonic evaporator including a swirl generator portion for imparting a swirling motion to the feed material, and said cyclonic evaporator also an evaporator portion having one or more evaporator tubes for heat exchange, said swirl generator portion having at least one inlet located at or towards one side of the swirl generator for admitting feed material containing the at least two components to the swirl generator in a direction substantially tangentially to the center line of the cyclonic evaporator, an arrangement located within the generator for imparting a swirling motion to the feed material about the center line of the cyclonic evaporator, and an outlet located at or towards one end of the swirl generator for discharging the at least two components of the feed material from the swirl generator in a swirling motion generally axially in a direction substantially parallel to the center line of the evaporator wherein at least one of the components of the feed material is subjected to at least partial flash vaporization on being discharged from the outlet of the swirl generator into the evaporator to further assist in separating the two components from each other so that the components are discharged from the swirl generator into the evaporator at least partially separated into at least two streams in which one stream forms a central core flow path and the other stream is an outer radial flow path.
A method of separating one component from another component of a feed material using a cyclone evaporation apparatus having a swirl generator portion and an evaporator portion, including admitting the feed material containing the two components to be separated from one another to the swirl generator portion forming one part of the evaporation apparatus to impart a swirling motion to the feed material for at least partially separating the components from each other and to enhance the vaporisation of at least one of the components, passing the feed material through the swirl generator, vaporizing at least part of the one component in the evaporator portion, separating the one component from the other component by the one component having a tendency to remain as a vapour in the apparatus whereas the other component has a tendency or propensity to be condensable to a liquid in the apparatus, and discharging the one and the other components from the apparatus in at least partially separated streams whereby separation of the two components is substantially maintained, wherein one of the components of the feed material undergoes at least partial flash vaporisation on emerging from an outlet of the swirl generator and there is a central core flow path and an outer radial flow path within the evaporator portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.