SOLVENT DECONTAMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

摘要

A system and method for decontaminating a fluid like a non-azeotrope solvent such as water, wherein a transport gas is maintained at a temperature between the freezing point and boiling point at atmospheric pressure of the solvent and continuously circulated between an evaporation chamber and a condensation chamber, a contaminated solvent is introduced into the transport gas in the evaporation chamber under process heat and contaminant precipitates out, and the cleaned solvent cools in the condensation chamber releasing heat to be used in the evaporation chamber. A heat pump is used to promote evaporation and condensation within the system.

主权项

1. A system for at least partial decontamination of a contaminated fluid to produce a purified fluid, the system comprising:
a process fluid container for containing the contaminated fluid and the purified fluid; an evaporation region for at least partially evaporating the contaminated fluid to form an evaporated fluid; a condensation region for condensing the purified fluid; the evaporation region and the condensation region in fluid communication; the evaporation region and the condensation region retaining a transport gas for transporting the evaporated fluid to the condensation region, the transport gas becoming at least partially saturated with the evaporated fluid in the evaporation region, the transport gas releasing the purified fluid in the condensation region; an inlet for introducing the contaminated fluid to the evaporation region; a purified fluid outlet for withdrawing the purified fluid from the condensation region; a process fluid supply for supplying from the process fluid container a process fluid in the form of either the contaminated fluid or the purified fluid to cool the transport gas to promote condensation in the condensation region; and a heat exchanger; wherein the process fluid passes through the heat exchanger to remove heat from the process fluid to form a cooled process fluid, and the cooled process fluid subsequently draws heat from the transport gas to promote condensation of the purified fluid in the condensation chamber; and wherein the heat removed from the process fluid by the heat exchanger is transferred by a heat transfer arrangement using external work for introduction to the contaminated fluid before the contaminated fluid enters the evaporation region, to promote evaporation of the contaminated fluid in the evaporation region.