Bubble-column vapor mixture condenser
AssigneesMassachusetts Institute of Technology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
InventorsPrakash Narayan Govindan, Gregory P. Thiel, Ronan K. McGovern, John H. Lienhard, Mostafa H. Elsharqawy
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Abstract
In a bubble-column vapor mixture condenser, a fluid source supplies a carrier-gas stream including a condensable fluid in vapor phase. The condensable fluid in liquid form is contained as a bath in a chamber in each stage of the condenser, and the carrier gas is bubbled through the bath to condense the fluid into the bath. The bubble-column vapor mixture condenser can be used, e.g., in a humidification-dehumidification system for purifying a liquid, such as water.
Claims14
A method for condensing a fluid from a carrier-gas stream, comprising:
- bubbling a carrier-gas stream comprising a condensable fluid in vapor phase through a first bath of the fluid in liquid phase in a first stage of a bubble-column condenser, wherein the carrier-gas stream contacts the first bath, and wherein some of the fluid in vapor phase in the carrier-gas stream condenses into the first bath;
- exhausting the carrier-gas stream with a reduced content of the fluid in vapor phase from the first stage of the bubble-column condenser;
- and
- passing a coolant through a conduit that passes through the liquid in the first stage to recover energy from condensation in the condenser to the coolant passing through the conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.