| 主权项 |
1. A method of evaporating water, comprising:
providing a first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having first and second fluid paths there through; providing a closed-loop heating subsystem comprising:
an internal combustion genset;a heat exchanger configured to transfer thermal energy from genset exhaust gasses to a heating subsystem fluid;a fluid pump, anda fluid reservoirall configured and arranged to heat the heating subsystem fluid to less than an atmospheric boiling point of the fluid and to circulate the fluid through the first fluid path of the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger; providing an evaporation subsystem comprising:
a first flash tank configured to operate at a first pressure and having a fluid expansion device and a vapor extraction device,a second fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having third and fourth fluid paths there through;a second flash tank configured to operate at a pressure less than the operating pressure of the first flash tank, and having a fluid expansion device and a vapor extraction device, providing a third heat exchanger; pumping at least a first portion of a mixture through the second fluid path of the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger; transferring heat from the closed-loop heating fluid to the at least first portion of the mixture in the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger; flashing the heated mixture into its liquid and vapor phases in the first flash tank; extracting at least a portion of the vapor from the first flash tank through the third fluid path of the second fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger; pumping a second portion of the mixture through the fourth fluid path of the second fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger; transferring heat from the first flash tank vapor to the second mixture portion in the second fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to thereby condense the vapor to liquid; flashing the second heated portion of the mixture into its liquid and vapor phases in the second flash tank; and extracting the vapor from the second flash tank through the third heat exchanger to condense the vapor to liquid by transferring heat from the vapor. |
