US 8,034,217 B2Granted

Liquid condensation system

AssigneeHitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd.

InventorsYuzuru Ito, Yoshishige Endo, Hidekazu Tsudome, Fumiaki Numajiri

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Abstract

A liquid condensation system heats a liquid raw material under a decompressed circumstance and evaporates a volatile component from a liquid surface to condense the liquid raw material. Therefore, the liquid condensation system includes: liquid condensers, each of which condenses the liquid raw material; a vacuum pump that is in communication with the liquid condensers; and a warm water circulation system as a heating source that heats the liquid raw material in the liquid condensers. The volatile component evaporated in the liquid condensers is led to the outside of the liquid condensers through vapor lines. The condensed liquid that is not evaporated in the liquid condensers is led to the outside of the liquid condensers through condensed-liquid lines. Condensed-liquid-line adjusting valves are interposed on the condensed-liquid lines, and heaters are attached to the condensed-liquid lines. A control unit controls the heaters and the condensed-liquid-line adjusting valves.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A liquid condensation system that heats a liquid raw material under a decompressed circumstance and evaporates a volatile component from a liquid surface to condense the liquid raw material, the system comprising:

liquid condensers, each of which condenses the liquid raw material;
a vacuum pump that is in communication with the liquid condensers;
a warm fluid circulation system as a heating source that heats the liquid raw material in the liquid condensers with a warm fluid in the warm fluid circulation system;
vapor lines through which the volatile component evaporated in the liquid condensers is led to the outside of the liquid condensers;
condensed-liquid lines through which the condensed liquid that is not evaporated in the liquid condensers is led to the outside of the liquid condensers;
condensed-liquid-line adjusting valves that are interposed on the condensed-liquid lines;
heaters attached to the condensed-liquid lines;
and
a control unit that controls the heaters and the condensed-liquid-line adjusting valves,
wherein each of the liquid condensers has a double-cylinder structure having an outer pipe and an inner pipe, and is structured in such a manner that:
the axis of the cylinder is arranged in a vertical axis direction;
a cylindrical space where a warm fluid led from the warm fluid circulation system flows is formed between the outer pipe and the inner pipe;
a plurality of grooves extending in the axis direction are formed on an inner circumferential face of the inner pipe;
a hollow vapor-discharge-pipe, one end of which protrudes inside a processing space that is formed inside the inner pipe and the other end of which extends to the outside from the inner pipe, is arranged at a lower portion of the inner pipe;
a supplying pipe through which the liquid raw material is supplied to the groove portions of the inner pipe is formed at an upper portion of the inner pipe;
a condensed-liquid discharge pipe through which the separated condensed liquid is discharged is provided at a position that is located at a lower portion of the inner pipe and is different from that where the vapor discharge pipe is arranged;
the vapor line is connected to the vapor discharge pipe;
and the condensed-liquid line is connected to the condensed-liquid discharge pipe.

15 more elements

liquid condensers, each of which condenses the liquid raw material;
a vacuum pump that is in communication with the liquid condensers;
a warm fluid circulation system as a heating source that heats the liquid raw material in the liquid condensers with a warm fluid in the warm fluid circulation system;
a raw material buffer from which the liquid is fed to each liquid condenser;
a raw material supplying pump that supplies the raw material to the raw material buffer;
vapor lines through which the volatile component evaporated in each of the liquid condensers that are connected in parallel to the raw material buffer is led to the outside of the liquid condensers;
condensed-liquid lines through which the condensed liquid that is not evaporated in the liquid condensers is led to the outside of the liquid condensers;
condensed-liquid-line adjusting valves that are interposed on the condensed-liquid lines;
a temperature-adjusting heater that is attached to the condensed-liquid lines;
and
a control unit that controls the temperature-adjusting heater and the condensed-liquid-line adjusting valves,
wherein each of the liquid condensers has a structure having an outer pipe and an inner pipe overlapped, and is structured in such a manner that:
warm fluid is led from the warm fluid circulation system to between the outer pipe and the inner pipe;
the inside of the inner pipe is made to be under a decompressed circumstance by using the vacuum pump;
the liquid raw material in a thin membrane state that falls along a plurality of grooves that are formed on an inner circumference of the inner pipe and extend in the axis direction is evaporated by heat exchange with the warm fluid;
and generated vapor is led to a vapor discharge pipe inserted into the inner pipe and a non-evaporated liquid is led to a condensed-liquid discharge pipe arranged at a lower portion of the inner pipe for condensation of the liquid raw material.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/027,302Filed 7 Feb 2008
Priority: JP 2007-0299389 Feb 2007
Published: US 2008/0230366 A125 Sep 2008
Granted: 11 Oct 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B01D 1/221
By bringing a thin layer of the liquid into contact with a heated surface: composite plate evaporators
C12J 1/10
Vinegar; Preparation or purification thereof: apparatus
Y10S 159/16
Concentrating evaporators: vacuum
Y10S 159/901
Concentrating evaporators: promoting circulation