Means for improving thermal control in dual temperature systems

Claim 2

A COOPERATING ASSEMBLY FOR INCREASING THERMAL EFFICIENCY IN A GAS AND LIQUID PROCESSING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE WHICH COMPRISES: A. A FIRST MEANS FOR HEATING FROM A FIRST TEMPERATURE TO A SECOND TEMPERATURE A FLOW OF GAS, TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY PROCESSED AT A THIRD TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN SAID SECOND TEMPERATURE IN CONTACT WITH A VAPORIZABLE LIQUID, SAID FIRST MEANS HAVING AN INLET THERETO AND AN OUTLET THEREFROM FOR SAID FLOW. B. A SECOND MEANS, FOR FURTHER HEATING TO AND PROCESSING SAID FLOW OF GAS AT SAID THIRD TEMPERATURE IN CONTACT WITH THE VAPORIZABLE LIQUID, SAID SECOND MEANS HAVING A VAPORIZABLE LIQUID SUPPLY THERETO, A GAS INLET END WITH A GAS INLET THERETO AND A GAS OUTLET END WIHT A GAS OUTLET THEREFROM AND HAVING ITS GAS INLET CONNECTED TO THE OUTLET FROM SAID FIRST MEANS TO RECEIVE SAID FLOW THEREFROM, C. A THIRD MEANS, FOR COOLING SAID PROCESSED FLOW AND CONDENSING VAPORS OF SAID LIQUID THEREFROM, SAID THIRD MEANS HAVING AN INLET THERETO CONNECTED TO THE GAS OUTLET OF SAID SECOND MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE PROCESSED FLOW THEREFROM AND HAVING GAS AND LIQUID OUTLET MEANS FOR DISCHARGING FLOWS OF THE COOLED GAS AND LIQUID CONDENSATE THEREFROM, AND D. HEAT TRANSFER MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST AND THIRD MEANS AND COMPRISING AN INDIRECT CONTACT HEAT EXCHANGER FOR TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM SAID THIRD MEANS TO SAID FIRST MEANS, IN WHICH ASSEMBLY E. SAID FIRST MEANS FURTHER COMPRISES LIQUID INLET MEANS FOR PROVIDING A QUANTITY OF THE VAPORIZABLE LIQUID IN CONTACT WITH THE FLOW OF GAS BEING HEATED THEREIN, FOR EFFECTING IN SAID FIRST MEANS VAPORIZATION OF SAID LIQUID AND SATURATION OF SAID GAS WITH VAPOR OF THE LIQUID IN CONTACT THEREWITH BY HEAT TRANSFERRED TO SAID FIRST MEANS BY SAID HEAT TRANSFER MEANS, WHEREBY THE FLOW IN SAID FIRST MEANS IS ENABLED TO RECOVER FROM THE FLOW IN SAID THIRD MEANS ALL OF THE HEAT REQUIRED FOR BOTH HEATING SAID FLOW OF GAS IN SAID FIRST MEANS AND SATURATING THE SAME WITH VAPORS OF SAID LIQUID AT SAID SECOND TEMPERATURE, THUS CORRESPONDINGLY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF FURTHER HEATING WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE BE REQUIRED TO ATTAIN SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE IN SAID SECOND MEANS.

Claim 3

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat transfer means also comprises f. liquid circulating means connected between one side of said indirect contact heat exchanger and one of said first and third means for providing a circulation of the vaporizable liquid through said side and in a direct contact with the gas and liquid in said one of said first and third means.

Claim 4

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said liquid circulating means is connected between said one side of said indirect contact heat exchanger and said first means for providing said circulation of liquid in a direct contact with the gas and liquid in said first means.

Claim 5

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said liquid circulating means is connected between said one side of said indirect contact heat exchanger and said third means for providing said circulation of liquid in a direct contact with the gas and liquid in said third means.

Claim 6

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising f. vapor supply means connected to the gas inlet end of said second means for delivering thereto vapors of said liquid at a temperature greater than said first temperature, g. liquid inlet and outlet means, connected to thee gas outlet and gas inlet ends respectively of said second means, for passing a flow of said liquid in counter-current direct contact with the flow of gas in said second means and delivering said flow of liquid from said second means separate from the flow of gas therein, h. a stripping means for effecting dissolution and separation of gas dissolved in said flow of liquid delivered from said second means, said stripping means having a liquid inlet end and a liquid outlet end, i. an indirect contact heat exchanger means having two sides with each side thereof having inlet and outlet connections, j. delivering means, connected to the liquid outlet means of said second means and to the inlet connection of one side of said indirect contact heat exchange means and thence connected from the outlet connection of said side to the liquid inlet end of said stripping means, for delivering through said heat exchange means and to said stripping means the said flow of liquid delivered from said second means, k. means, connected to the liquid outlet end of said stripping means for delivering thereto into countercurrent direct contact with the flow of liquid therein a flow of vapors of said liquid, for effecting in said stripping means further heating of the flow of liquid therein and stripping of dissolved gas from said liquid, l. means, connected from the liquid inlet end of said stripping means to said vapor supply means for delivering to said second means from said stripping means at said greater temperature, together with the uncondensed portions of said flow of vapors of said liquid, gas stripped from the flow of liquid in said stripping means, and m. further delivery means, connected to the liquid outlet end of said stripping means and to the inlet connection of the other side of said indirect contact heat exchange means, for delivering through said other side and the outlet connection thereof the further heated flow of liquid from said stripping means, with the flow delivered from said outlet connection at a temperature less than said second temperature but higher than said first temperature.

Claim 7

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 5, further comprising n. a second indirect contact heat exchange device having liquid heating and liquid cooling sides, o. said exchange device having means connected through its liquid heating side from a source of liquid cooler than said first temperature and to the liquid inlet means referred to in clause (g) and p. said exchange device having further means connected from the outlet connection referred to in clause (m) and through its liquid cooling side, for effecting heating to said first temperature of the liquid passing from said source of cooler liquid to the liquid inlet means referred to in clause (g).

Claim 8

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said heat transfer means (d) also comprises n. liquid circulating means, connected between one side of said indirect contact heat exchanger and one of said first and third means, for providing a circulation of the vaporizable liquid through said side and in a direct contact with the gas and liquid in said one of said first and third means.

Claim 9

A cooperating assembly for increasing thermal efficiency in an apparatus for processing carrier and carried fluid materials capable of existing in liquid and gaseous phases, said assembly comprising: a. first means for heating from a first temperature to a second temperature one of said phases consisting of a flow of carrier material containing at said first temperature a content of carried material, said first means having an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom for said flow, and b. a second means, for further heating to and processing said flow at a third temperature higher than said second temperature, said second means having an inlet end, with an inlet thereto connected to the outlet from said first means for receiving said flow therefrom, and an outlet end with an outlet therefrom for said flow, c. a third means, for cooling the processed flow from said second means, said third means having an inlet thereto connected to said outlet from said second means for receiving the processed flow therefrom and having an outlet thereform, and d. heat transfer means inter-connecting said first and third means, and comprising an indirect contact heat transfer surface, for transferring heat from said third means to said first means, in which assembly, e. said first means comprises means for providing therein both liquid and gaseous phases containing said materials in direct contact with each other, for effecting in said first means, by heat transferred thereto by said heat transfer means, a change of phase of carried material from liquid to gaseous phase with adjustment of the content of carried material in the flow of carrier material to correspond essentially to saturation at said second temperature, whereby the flow in said first means is enabled to recover from the flow in said third means all of the heat required for both heating said flow in said first means and adjusting the content of carried material contained in the carrier material therein at said second temperature, thus correspondingly reducing the amount of further heating which would otherwise be required to attain said third temperature in said second means.

Claim 10

A cooperating assembly for increasing thermal efficiency in an apparatus for processing carrier and carried fluid materials capable of existing in liquid and gaseous phases, said assembly comprising: a. first means for heating from a first temperature to a second temperature one of said phases consisting of a flow of carrier material containing at said first temperature a content of carried material, said first means having an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom for said flow, and b. a second means, for further heating to and processing said flow at a third temperature higher than said second temperature, said second means having an inlet end, with an inlet thereto connected to the outlet from said first means for receiving said flow therefrom, and an outlet end with an outlet therefrom for said flow, c. a third means, for cooling the processed flow from said second means, said third means having an inlet thereto connected to said outlet from said second means for receiving the processed flow therefrom and having an outlet thereform, and d. heat transfer means inter-connecting said first and third means, and comprising an indirect contact heat transfer surface, for transferring heat from said third means to said first means, in which assembly, e. said first means comprises means for providing therein both liquid and gaseous phases containing said materials in direct contact with each other, for effecting in said first means, by heat transferred thereto by said heat transfer means, a change of phase of carried material from liquid to gaseous phase with adjustment of the content of carried material in the flow of carrier material to correspond essentially to saturation at said second temperature, whereby the flow in said first means is enabled to recover from the flow in said third means all of the heat required for both heating said flow in said first means and adjusting the content of carried material contained in the carrier material therein at said second temperature, thus correspondingly reducing the amount of further heating which would otherwise be required to attain said third temperature in said second means.

Claim 11

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein in said second means one of said materials exists in liquid phase containing a content of the other of said materials dissolved therein and the other of said materials exists in gaseous phase containing a content of said one material therein, and wherein in said first means said carrier material is the said one material in liquid phase and said carried material is the content of said other material dissolved therein, said cooperating assembly further comprising: f. supply means connected to said second means for introducing into direct contact with the materials therein a further flow comprising said one material in gaseous phase, g. said supply means being connected to said second means at said outlet end thereof, and h. said second means comprising second outlet means at said inlet end thereof for withdrawing therefrom carried material in gaseous phase.

Claim 12

A cooperating assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein in said second means one of said materials exists in liquid phase containing a content of the other of said materials dissolved therein and the other of said materials exists in gaseous phase containing a content of said one material therein, and wherein in said first means said carrier material is the said other material in gaseous phase and said carried material is the content of said one material contained therein, said cooperating assembly further comprising f. supply means connected to said second means for introducing into direct contact with the materials therein a further flow comprising said one material in gaseous phase, g. said second means comprising second inlet and second outlet means respectively connected to said outlet and inlet ends of said second means for delivering thereto and withdrawing therefrom a flow of said one material in liquid phase containing a content of said other material dissolved therein, and h. said supply means being connected to said second means at said inlet end thereof, for effecting said introduction and comprising means connected to said second outlet means for receiving the said flow of liquid phase withdrawn therefrom and for separating therefrom as gaseous phase substantially all of the said content of said other material contained therein and returning to said second means, together with said one material in gaseous phase, the so separated content of said other material in gaseous phase, at a fourth temperature higher than said third temperature.