Method and apparatus for purifying water
OwnerRaymond C. Sherryinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A water purification system having an oil and vapor separation subsystem for removing many heavy duty and toxic contaminants from the water. The subsystem removes volatile vapors from the feed water, heats the feed water, and by imparting a swirling vortex action to the heated water, the oils are separated from the water. The water separated from the oil is pumped by a high pressure pump through a helical coil that is heated to a high temperature by the burner. The high temperature, hot water is then fed to an expansion nozzle in an expansion chamber to flash the hot water into steam. The steam is passed through a condenser which converts the steam to purified water.
Claims14
A flash evaporation system providing a purified form of water from a feed liquid having water and fluids of different densities, comprising:
- a feed liquid input for receiving the feed liquid which includes the water;
- a heater that generates thermal energy to heat the feed liquid between about 400° F.-700° F.;
- a heat exchanger through which said feed liquid passes and is heated by the thermal energy generated by said heater;
- a positive displacement pump for pumping the feed liquid through said heat exchanger, said positive displacement pump pumping a substantially constant volume of liquid for each cycle of operation thereof to pressurize said feed liquid in said heat exchanger with a pressure between about 3,500-5,000 psi;
- a flash evaporation chamber for receiving the pressurized feed liquid heated by said heat exchanger, said flash evaporation chamber having a nozzle through which said heated and pressurized feed liquid is discharged to flash at least a portion of the water in the heated and pressurized feed liquid into steam;
- said nozzle having a movable member that is movable with respect to a fixed member of said nozzle, said movable member providing a variable size orifice with respect to said fixed nozzle member, said nozzle operated by a spring responsive to the pressure of said heated and pressurized feed liquid to increase the orifice size in response to increases in the pressure of said heated and pressurized feed liquid, and said spring is responsive to decreases in the pressure of said heated and pressurized feed liquid to decrease the orifice size of said nozzle, whereby said spring operated nozzle maintains a substantially constant pressure of said heated and pressurized feed liquid in said heat exchanger to prevent premature flashing thereof in said heat exchanger;
- and
- a condenser for condensing said steam into the purified form of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.