Apparatus and process for simultaneously dissipating industrial waste heat and removing dissolved solids from water.

摘要

In apparatus and a process for dissipating waste heat, e.g. from an electricity-generating plant, and at the same time removing dissolved solids from water, heat is transferred from the plant to liquid in a high temperature liquid circuit (11a) which exchanges heat with water in a lower temperature circuit (35a, 42, 35b) in which the dissolved solids are brought to a condition of super-saturation in a forced-draught cooling tower (56). The super-saturated water is then seeded with nuclei crystals and passed into a crystallizer (42), from which liquid is decanted and crystalline solids removed. Further solids-containing water is added to make up the decanted water for recirculation through the cooling tower. The need to dispose of heated and otherwise polluted water into the environment is avoided, and indeed industrially polluted water can be used in the process.