Method for the concentration of solutions

Claim 1

A method for the concentration of a dissolved material from a solution of said dissolved material and a solvent, said method comprising: providing a first set of stages with exchange cells each having liquid and vapor sides, said exchange cells serially connected at said vapor side by turbines and at said liquid side by conduits including pumps providing a second set of stages with exchange cells each having liquid and vapor sides, said exchange cells being serially connected at said vapor sides by compressors and at said liquid sides by conduits including calibrated orifices; introducing as a working fluid a flow of dilute solution into a first endstage of said first set of stages; utilizing only work generated heat from a corresponding stage of said second set of stages to ebullate a portion of said dilute solution by indirect heat exchange; utilizing said pumps to transfer at least a portion of the remaining solution to succeeding stages of said first set of stages and towards a second endstage; utilizing only work generated heat from the corresponding stages of said second set of stages to ebullate a portion of said dilute solution in said succeeding ones of said first set of stages by indirect heat exchange; introducing a flow of concentrated solution into said second endstage of said first set of stages; returning the resulting solvent vapor to said first endstage through said turbines to thereby furnish work; returning from said succeeding stages to said first endstage of said first set of stages, a resulting concentrated solution having an amount of said dissolved material equal to the amount initially introduced in said first endstage, and exiting said concentrated solution from said first endstage of said first set of stages; introducing said returned resulting vapor from said first endstage of said first set of stages through a compressor and into a corresponding first endstage of said second set of stages; removing said work generated heat from said vapor in said first endstage of said second set of stages by indirect heat exchange to said corresponding first endstage of said first set of endstages so as to condense at least a portion of said vapor; transferring at least a portion of the remaining vapor through said compressors to succeeding stages of said second set of stages and towards a second endstage thereby absorbing work, while removing work generated heat by indirect heat exchange at each said stage to the corresponding stages of said first set of stages so as to condense said vapor; and returning from said succeeding stages of said second set of stages to said first endstage of said second set of stages, said condensed solvent vapor, and exiting said condensed solvent vapor from said first endstage of said second set of stages.

Claim 2

A method for the concentration of a dissolved material from a solution of said dissolved material and a solvent, said method comprising: providing a first set of stages with exchange cells each having liquid and vapor sides, said exchange cells serially connected at said vapor side by turbines and at said liquid side by conduits including pumps providing a second set of stages with exchange cells each having liquid and vapor sides, said exchange cells being serially connected at said vapor sides by compressors and at said liquid sides by conduits including calibrated orifices; introducing as a working fluid a flow of dilute solution into a first endstage of said first set of stages; utilizing only work generated heat from a corresponding stage of said second set of stages to ebullate a portion of said dilute solution by indirect heat exchange; utilizing said pumps to transfer at least a portion of the remaining solution to succeeding stages of said first set of stages and towards a second endstage; utilizing only work generated heat from the corresponding stages of said second set of stages to ebullate a portion of said dilute solution in said succeeding ones of said first set of stages by indirect heat exchange; introducing a flow of concentrated solution into said second endstage of said first set of stages; returning the resulting solvent vapor to said first endstage through said turbines to thereby furnish work; returning from said succeeding stages to said first endstage of said first set of stages, a resulting concentrated solution having an amount of said dissolved material equal to the amount initially introduced in said first endstage, and exiting said concentrated solution from said first endstage of said first set of stages; introducing said returned resulting vapor from said first endstage of said first set of stages through a compressor and into a corresponding first endstage of said second set of stages; removing said work generated heat from said vapor in said first endstage of said second set of stages by indirect heat exchange to said corresponding first endstage of said first set of endstages so as to condense at least a portion of said vapor; transferring at least a portion of the remaining vapor through said compressors to succeeding stages of said second set of stages and towards a second endstage thereby absorbing work, while removing work generated heat by indirect heat exchange at each said stage to the corresponding stages of said first set of stages so as to condense said vapor; and returning from said succeeding stages of said second set of stages to said first endstage of said second set of stages, said condensed solvent vapor, and exiting said condensed solvent vapor from said first endstage of said second set of stages.

Claim 5

The method in accordance with claims 1 or 2 wherein said liquid solvent is used as the heat-transmitting fluid, a flow of said liquid solvent being drawn from said second endstage of said second set of stages and made to traverse the stages of said first set of stages thereby furnishing heat to said first set of stages, a quantity of said solvent also being drawn from each stage of said second set of stages and introduced in a dispersed condition into the corresponding stage of said first set of stages in order to cool said first set of stages.