Method and apparatus for treating sea water to remove objectionable hardness

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF TREATING WATER TO REDUCE THE CONTENT OF HARDNESS PRECIPITABLE BY INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL SCALE FORMATION, COMPRISING HEATING SAID WATER AND INCREASING ITS ACIDITY BY INTRODUCING INTO DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH, HOT FLUE GASES CONTAINING CARBON DIOXIDE THEREAFTER MAINTAINING SAID WATER UNDER SUPPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND INCREASING ITS TEMPERATURE TO THAT OF METASTABLE SUPERSATURATION, THEREAFTER SPONTANEOUSLY NUCLEATING SUCH HARDNESS IN THE WATER BY CARRYING THE TEMPERATURE TO A POINT OF LABILE SUPPERSATURATION IN THE PRESENCE OF A SLURRY OF FINELY DIVIDED SOLID PARTICLES COMPRISING SUCH HARDNESS BY INTRODUCING DIRECTLY INTO SAID WATER HEATED GASIFORM MATERIAL WHEREBY HARDNESS IS PRECIPITATED IN PART AT LEAST AS NEW SOLID PARATICLES AND IN PART ON THE PARTICLES OF SAID SLURRY AND SEPARATING SAID SLURRY AND THE RESULTANT SOLID PARTICLES FROM SAID WATER AND SEPARTING FROM SAID SLURRY AND PARTICLES, THE FURTHER WATER-TREATMENT.