# US 8,771,478 B2 · Distillation apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,771,478 B2 - Document ID: US8771478B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/597,620 - Filed: 2008-04-24 - Published: 2010-08-12 - Granted: 2014-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2007-04-24 - Assignees: Equus Environmental Ltd. - Applicants: Dudley Edgar James Ward - Inventors: Dudley Edgar James Ward - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8771478B2 ## CPC - C02F 1/041: {by means of vapour compression} - B01D 1/221: {Composite plate evaporators} - B01D 1/28: with vapour compression - B01D 1/2887: {The compressor is integrated in the evaporation apparatus} - B01D 5/006: {with evaporation or distillation} - C02F 1/18: Transportable devices to obtain potable water - C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination - F28D 2021/0061: {for phase-change applications} - F28F 2265/18: for removing contaminants, e.g. for degassing - Y02A 20/00: Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use - Y02P 70/10: Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A modular distillation apparatus including at least one heat exchanger that preheats contaminated liquids: a heater that heats the contaminated liquid from the heat exchanger; an evaporator condenser adapted o boil the contaminated liquid coming out of the heater to produce water vapor and contaminant concentrate, and condenser the water vapor into distilled water; a vacuum chamber capable of operating at below atmospheric pressure, the vacuum chamber housing the evaporator condenser and including at least one partition to separate the distilled water from the contaminate concentrate; a vapor compressor operably associated with the vacuum chamber to receive water vapor from the evaporator condenser in the vacuum chamber and pump the water vapor at pressure back through the evaporator condenser, wherein the heat exchanger recovers sensible heat from outgoing condensed distilled water and contaminant concentrate recycled from the vacuum chamber. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A distillation apparatus for producing distillate from a contaminated liquid, comprising: a vacuum chamber and associated vacuum pump for creating a vacuum therein; an evaporator-condenser positioned within said vacuum chamber, said evaporator-condenser having a plurality of plates, each of said plurality of plates having a first surface for facilitating evaporation of the contaminated liquid into a vapor, and a second surface for facilitating condensation of a compressed vapor into a distillate; at least one partition positioned within said vacuum chamber for separating the distillate from the contaminated liquid; a vapor compressor for receiving the vapor from said vacuum chamber at a first temperature and pumping the compressed vapor back into said vacuum chamber at a higher temperature; at least one heat exchanger that recovers sensible heat from at least one of the distillate and a concentrate pumped from said vacuum chamber and preheats incoming contaminated liquid using the recovered heat; and a start-up heater for further heating the preheated contaminated liquid from said at least one heat exchanger before the preheated contaminated liquid enters said vacuum chamber, wherein condensation of the compressed vapor into the distillate by said second surface of said plurality of plates releases latent heat from the compressed vapor into said evaporator-condenser thereby evaporating the preheated contaminated liquid, and wherein said evaporator-condenser is a rising film or a falling film heat exchanger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said vacuum chamber includes at least one transparent and removable panel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said vapor compressor re-circulates a portion of the vapor inside said vacuum chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of plates is non-porous. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The distillation apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one of said first surface and said second surface of said plurality of plates is hydrophilic. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said vacuum chamber further includes at least one baffle to accelerate vapor velocity within said vacuum chamber and separate droplets of boiling liquid residues from the vapor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said vapor compressor maintains a higher pressure on said second surface than on said first surface of each of said plurality of plates. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of plates has a thickness between 0.1 mm and 0.25 mm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising pumps for pumping the contaminated liquid through said at least one heat exchanger and into said vacuum chamber, and the distillate and concentrate from said vacuum chamber through said at least one heat exchanger. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein a higher pressure on said second surface of said plurality of plates in said evaporator-condenser than a pressure on said first side of said plurality of plates ensures fail safe distillation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distillation apparatus operates as a standalone unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said evaporator-condenser boils the contaminated liquid in a temperature range of 40° C. to 100° C. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distillation apparatus may be transported with one or more distillation apparatus in international standard organization (ISO) shipping containers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The distillation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said vapor compressor is integral to said vacuum chamber. ### Claim 15 A distillation apparatus for producing distillate from a contaminated liquid, comprising: a vacuum chamber having an evaporator-condenser positioned therein, said evaporator-condenser having a plurality of non-porous plates, each of said plurality of non-porous plates having a thickness between 0.1 mm and 0.25 mm, a first surface for facilitating evaporation of the contaminated liquid into a vapor and a concentrate, and a second surface for facilitating condensation of a compressed vapor into a distillate; a vapor compressor for extracting the vapor from said vacuum chamber and transferring the compressed vapor back into said vacuum chamber; at least one heat exchanger that recovers heat from the distillate and the concentrate exiting said vacuum chamber and preheats incoming contaminated liquid using the recovered heat; and a heater for further heating the preheated contaminated liquid from said heat exchanger before the preheated contaminated liquid enters said vacuum chamber wherein said plurality of non-porous plates have hydrophilic outer surfaces. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The distillation apparatus of claim 15, wherein condensation of the compressed vapor into the distillate by said second surface of said plurality of plates releases heat from the compressed vapor into said evaporator-condenser thereby further heating the preheated contaminated liquid. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The distillation apparatus of claim 15, wherein said vacuum chamber includes at least one transparent panel. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The distillation apparatus of claim 15, wherein said evaporator-condenser boils the contaminated liquid in a temperature range of 40° C. to 100° C. ### Claim 19 A method of producing distillate from a contaminated liquid, comprising the steps of: positioning an evaporator-condenser having a plurality of plates within a vacuum chamber, said evaporator-condenser being a rising film or a falling film heat exchanger; creating a vacuum in said vacuum chamber; pumping a contaminated liquid into a heat exchanger for preheating the contaminated liquid using recovered heat; initially heating the preheated contaminated liquid from said heat exchanger before the preheated contaminated liquid enters said vacuum chamber; facilitating evaporation of the contaminated liquid into a vapor and a concentrate by contacting the contaminated liquid with a first surface of a plate of said plurality of plates; separating the distillate from the contaminated liquid using at least one partition positioned within said vacuum chamber; extracting the vapor from said vacuum chamber at a first temperature; compressing the extracted vapor and transferring the compressed vapor back into said vacuum chamber at a higher temperature; facilitating condensation of the compressed vapor into a distillate with a second surface of a plate of said plurality of plates; and heating the preheated contaminated liquid within said evaporator-condenser using latent heat released from the compressed vapor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of producing distillate from a contaminated liquid of claim 19, further comprising the step of recovering sensible heat from at least one of the distillate and the concentrate leaving said vacuum chamber; and using the recovered sensible heat for preheating the contaminated liquid in said heat exchanger. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of producing distillate from a contaminated liquid of claim 19, further comprising the step of accelerating vapor condensation inside said vacuum chamber using at least one baffle positioned therein. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of producing distillate from a contaminated liquid of claim 20, further comprising the step of re-circulating the vapor inside said vacuum chamber to accelerate vapor condensation on said plurality of plates. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The method of producing distillate from a contaminated liquid of claim 19, further comprising the step of pumping the distillate from said vacuum chamber and through said heat exchanger. ### Claim 24 (depends on 19) The method of producing distillate from a contaminated liquid of claim 19, wherein the step of facilitating evaporation occurs in a temperature range of 40° C. to 100° C.