Vapor absorption system

Abstract

Provided herein is a vapor absorption system, adapted to receive a vapor comprising a vacuum pump having an operating liquid, where the vapor is received by an operating liquid and condensed therein to provide condensed liquid mixed with the operating liquid.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 433,165 filed Jan. 14, 2011, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 443,705, filed Feb. 16, 2011, which applications are entirely incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a system and method for absorption of a vapor into a liquid. The system has many applications but is particularly useful for distillation of a liquid mixture such as water with impurities. It also has application as a heat transfer system. However, the system is not limited to these two applications.[0003]Absorption, in chemistry, is a physical or chemical phenomenon or a process in which atoms, molecules, or ions enter some bulk phase by being taken up by the volume. In this application we are particularly concerned about the absorption of a vapor into a liquid.[0004]Usual vapor absorption techniques have specific applications. They are usually relatively slow p...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]According to a preferred feature of the invention, the absorption of vapor within the system is effective to cause production of more vapor.

[0025]According to the preferred embodiment, the venturi pump has a venturi throat section configured to receive the gas from the evacuation chamber and the fluid flow is the primary liquid so that the venturi pump is operative to cause the reduced pressure of the gas in the evacuation chamber by receiving the gas into the primary liquid.

[0042]According to a further aspect, the invention resides in a heat transfer system comprising an evacuation chamber adapted to receive a first liquid, at least one venturi vacuum pump associated with the evacuation chamber to cause, in use, the pressure within the evacuation chamber to be reduced to promote vaporization of liquid in the chamber and to thereby cause cooling, and a first heat exchanger having a fluid pathway for a heat exchange fluid to pass through the first heat exchanger and being associated with the evacuation chamber to provide heat to the first liquid in the chamber to support the vaporization and thereby to cool the heat exchange fluid.

[0043]According to a preferred feature of the invention, vapor from the vaporization of the first liquid is received and condensed within a flow stream of a second liquid which passes through the at least one venturi vacuum pump to cause the reduced pressure.

Problems solved by technology

They are usually relatively slow process unless some chemical reaction is occurring.

Because of this, absorption processes have relatively limited application.

However, the present invention has identified a method of obtaining a much faster rate of absorption where chemical interaction is not involved, with the result that vapor absorption systems may be used in applications where they were never previously considered, or at least not considered viable.

It is used often where traditional filtration techniques have not been effective at purifying a liquid mixture.

While conventional distillation is generally effective at purifying liquids such as water, the energy cost is substantial and often uneconomic.

Improvements to the process have increased efficiency significantly, but the process has remained too expensive for purification of water for general use.

However, such systems have had limited success due to difficulty and expense associated with an evacuating system in conjunction with the evaporation and condensing subsystems.

It was particularly applicable to a marine environment but retained some complexity in that it still incorporated a condenser.

Images