Sea water heating

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR HEATING SEA WATER CONTAINING CALCUIM SULFATE AND OTHER SCALE FORMING COMPOUNDS TO TEMPERATURES ABOVE 250* F. IN A TWO STAGE INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGER AND OF CAUSING THE SCALE-FORMING COMPOUNDS IN SAID WATER WHICH SEPARATE OUT ON HEATING TO SUCH TEMPERATURE TO DEPOSIT PRIMARILY IN THE FORM OF A SOFT NON-ADHERENT LAYER IN THE FIRST STAGE, WHICH COMPRISES FORCING SAID WATER UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN A STREAM INTO A TUBE OF THE FIRST STAGE OF THE TWO STAGE HEAT EXCHANGER, PASSING THE WATER UNDER THE PRESSURE THROUGH THE SAID TUBE, HEATING THE WATER WHILE IN SAID TUBE TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SCALE-FORMING COMPOUNDS IN THE WATER DEPOSIT SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY AS A SOFT, NON-ADHERENT LAYER BY APPLYING HEAT TO THE WATER FROM THE HEAT EXCHANGER SURFACES AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT AT WHICH THE SCALEFORMING COMPOUNDS PRESENT IN THE WATER OF THE SPECIFIC SALINITY TREATED WILL DEPOSIT AS A HARD ADHERENT SCALE DURING THE PERIOD THE WATER IS PRESENT IN SAID STAGE, THEREAFTER FLOWING THE THUS ALTERED HOT WATER INTO AND THROUGH THE SECOND STAGE OF THE HEAT EXCHANGER UNDER THE PRESSURE, HEATING SAID WATER IN SAID SECOND STAGE TO A HIGHER TEMPERATURE BUT BELOW THAT WHICH CAUSES THE CALCIUM SULFATE PRESENT TO PRECIPITATE OUT IN SAID STAGE DURING THE PERIOD THE WATER IS PRESENT IN SAID STAGE BY APPLYING HEAT TO THE WATER FROM THE HEAT EXCHANGER SURFACES MAINTAINED AT TEMPERATURES BELOW THOSE AT WHICH THE CALCIUM SULFATE PRESENT IN THE ALTERED HOT WATER BEING HEATED WILL FORM A SCALE AT A PROHIBITIVE RATE DURING THE PERIOD THE WATER IS PRESENT IN SAID STAGE, FLOWING THE THUS HEATED WATER FROM THE SAID STAGE BEFORE THE SAID PRECIPITATION HAS OCCURRED AND PERIODICALLY FLUSHING THE SOFT LAYER FROM THE TUBE OF THE FIRST STAGE BY FORCING A FLUID AT HIGH VELOCITY THROUGH SAID TUBE, WHEREBY SAID TUBE IS RESTORED SUBSTANTIALLY TO ITS INITIAL HEAT TRANSFER RATE AND CAPACITY.