Multi-stage bubble column humidification and dehumidification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053373-B2
Application number	US-201514806357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2015
Priority date	Jun 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A feed liquid flows into a second-stage humidifier chamber to form a second-stage humidifier bath. A first remnant of the feed liquid from the second-stage humidifier chamber then flows into a first-stage humidifier chamber to form a first-stage humidifier bath having a temperature lower than that of the second-stage bath. A second remnant of the feed liquid is then removed from the first-stage humidifier. Meanwhile, a carrier gas is injected into and bubbled through the first-stage humidifier bath, collecting a vaporizable component in vapor form from the first remnant of the feed liquid to partially humidify the carrier gas. The partially humidified carrier gas is then bubbled through the second-stage humidifier bath, where the carrier gas collects more of the vaporizable component in vapor form from the feed liquid to further humidify the carrier gas before the humidified carrier gas is removed from the second-stage humidifier chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for humidification of a vaporizable component from a feed liquid into a carrier gas, the method comprising:
flowing the feed liquid including the vaporizable component into a second-stage humidifier chamber of a multi-stage humidifier to form a second-stage humidifier bath at a second humidification temperature;
flowing a first remnant of the feed liquid from the second-stage humidifier chamber into a first-stage humidifier chamber of the multi-stage humidifier to form a first-stage humidifier bath at a first humidification temperature, wherein the first humidification temperature is lower than the second humidification temperature;
removing a second remnant of the feed liquid from the first-stage humidifier chamber;
injecting the carrier gas into the first-stage humidifier bath in the first-stage chamber and bubbling the carrier gas through the feed liquid in the first-stage humidifier bath, where the carrier gas collects the vaporizable component in vapor form from the first remnant of the feed liquid to partially humidify the carrier gas with the vaporizable component;
directing the partially humidified carrier gas from the first-stage humidifier chamber into the second-stage humidifier bath in the second-stage humidifier chamber and bubbling the carrier gas through the second-stage humidifier bath, where the carrier gas collects more of the vaporizable component in vapor form from the feed liquid to further humidify the carrier gas with the vaporizable component;
removing the humidified carrier gas from the second-stage humidifier chamber;
condensing the vaporizable component from the humidified carrier gas in a dehumidifier after the humidified carrier gas is removed from the second-stage humidifier chamber, wherein the vaporizable component is condensed in the dehumidifier from the humidified carrier gas by bubbling the humidified carrier gas through a first-stage dehumidifier bath in a first-stage dehumidifier chamber at a first dehumidification temperature, wherein the first dehumidification temperature is lower than the second humidification temperature;
flowing the feed liquid through a feed-liquid conduit passing through a second-stage dehumidifier bath and then through the first-stage dehumidifier bath before the feed liquid flows into the second-stage humidifier chamber, wherein the feed liquid is heated by thermal energy extracted from the second- and first-stage dehumidifier bath as the feed liquid flows through the feed-liquid conduit passing through the dehumidifier baths; and
extracting a portion of a remnant of the feed liquid from at least one intermediate location in the multi-stage humidifier and feeding the portion of the remnant of the feed liquid from each extracted intermediate location to a corresponding intermediate location in the dehumidifier, allowing for manipulation of feed liquid flows and for greater heat recovery.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feed liquid that flows into the second-stage humidifier chamber is a remnant of a liquid from a third-stage humidifier bath at a third humidification temperature in a third-stage humidifier chamber, wherein the third humidification temperature is higher than the second humidification temperature, the method further comprising directing the humidified carrier gas from the second-stage humidifier chamber into the third-stage humidifier bath in the third-stage humidifier chamber and bubbling the humidified carrier gas through the third-stage humidifier bath before the humidification carrier gas is directed into the dehumidifier, where the humidified carrier gas is further humidified with more of the vaporizable component in vapor form from the third-stage bath.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizable component is water.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the feed liquid is sea water or brackish water.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the feed liquid is flowback water or produced water from oil or gas extraction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier gas, when exiting the second-stage humidifier bath, has a temperature 3-8° C. higher than the temperature of the carrier gas exiting the first-stage humidifier bath.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the humidifier baths have a width, measured perpendicular to the flow of the carrier gas through the bath, and a height, measured parallel to the flow of the carrier gas, wherein the width is at least twice as great as the height.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using an additional heat source to further heat the feed liquid after the feed liquid flows through the conduit passing through the dehumidifier chambers and before the feed liquid flows through the humidifier chambers.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dehumidifier baths have substantially the same composition, in liquid form, as the vaporizable component from the liquid feed.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dehumidifier is a multi-stage dehumidifier including a plurality of dehumidification chambers.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the carrier gas is extracted from at least one intermediate location in the multi-stage humidifier and fed from each extracted intermediate location to a corresponding intermediate location in the dehumidifier, allowing for manipulation of gas mass flows and for greater heat recovery.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-stage humidifier is an integral structure, with the stages separated only by a sparger plate, and wherein the partially humidified carrier gas is directed directly from the first humidifier chamber through the sparger plate into the second-stage humidifier bath without exiting the integral structure, and wherein the first-stage humidifier bath is separated from the second-stage humidifier bath by a top gas region in the first-stage humidifier chamber filled with the partially humidified carrier gas from the bubbling in the first-stage humidifier bath before the partially humidified carrier gas passes through the sparger plate.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology
• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals
• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Govindan Prakash Narayan
• Elsharqawy Mostafa H
• Lam Steven
• St John Maximus G
• Lienhard John H

Classifications

• B01D3/32

  Other features of fractionating columns {; Constructional details of fractionating columns not provided for in groups B01D3/16 - B01D3/30} · CPC title

• C02F2103/10

  from quarries or from mining activities · CPC title

• B01D3/065

  Multiple-effect flash distillation (more than two traps) · CPC title

• B01D19/0015

  in contact columns containing plates, grids or other filling elements · CPC title

• C02F1/06

  Flash evaporation · CPC title