Energy efficient evaporation system

Abstract

An evaporation system that uses the weight of condensed liquid as an energy source. An inlet feed is introduced into an enclosure through an inlet. The inlet feed is vaporized in an evaporation region of an enclosure, and condensed to a liquid in a condensation region of the enclosure. The condensed liquid collects in a liquid region of the enclosure. The liquid region has an outlet. A blower between the evaporation region and the condensation region maintains the condensation region at a higher pressure than the evaporation region. The level of the liquid in the liquid region defines the volume and pressure of the evaporation and condensation regions, such that as the liquid is drained from the outlet, at least in part by the weight of the liquid, the pressure in the evaporation region decreases. The flow through the inlet and the outlet is regulated to maintain the pressure in the evaporation region at a pressure that tends to vaporize the inlet feed.

1 . An evaporation system comprising: 
 an enclosure defining an evaporation region, a condensation region, and a liquid region;    a liquid in the liquid region, a surface of the liquid defining a volume of the evaporation and condensation regions;    a inlet in the evaporation region of the enclosure adapted to introduce an inlet feed into the enclosure;    an outlet in the liquid region of the enclosure adapted to drain the liquid from the enclosure, wherein the liquid drains from the outlet at least in part by the weight of the liquid, and wherein as liquid is drained through the outlet, the volume of the evaporation and condensation regions increases and the pressure in the evaporation and condensation regions decreases; and    wherein the inlet feed introduced through the inlet vaporizes in the evaporation region, condenses to a liquid in the condensation region, and the condensed liquid collects in the liquid region and wherein the flow through the outlet and the flow through the inlet is regulated to maintain a pressure in the evaporation region that tends to vaporize the inlet feed.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  with a blower between the evaporation region and the condensation region to maintain the condensation region at a higher pressure than the evaporation region.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  with a heat transfer system adapted and arranged to transfer heat from the condensation region to the evaporation system.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  with an absorbing heat exchanger in the condensation region and a rejecting heat exchange in the evaporation region.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 5  with the heat transfer system being a Rankine cycle heat transfer system.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2  with a heat transfer system adapted and arranged to transfer heat from the condensation region to the inlet feed.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6  with an absorbing heat exchanger in the condensation region and a rejecting heat exchange in the inlet feed.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  with the heat transfer system being a Rankine cycle heat transfer system.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  with a degasifier connected to the inlet feed.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  the enclosure including a slurry section, and a refrigeration heat exchanged adapted and arranged to receive ice slurry from the slurry section and chill a fluid directed across the heat exchanger.