US Patent:
20130186576, Jul 25, 2013
Inventors:
Daniel P. Bjorklund - Waukesha WI, US
Robert T. Chapados - Edgerton WI, US
James M. Marlett - Menomonee Falls WI, US
Robert W. Sweetman - Waukesha WI, US
International Classification:
B01D 1/30
B01D 1/06
Abstract:
Evaporation technology is commonly used to to treat process waters that contain low solubility salts. The technology typically used is a brine boncentrator which uses seeded slurry techniques internal to the falling film evaporator which allows these scaling salts to co-precipitate with the seed crystals instead of scaling on the heat transfer surface. Such systems often employ hydroclones to recover and recycle seed crystals that would otherwise leave the process with the brine blowdown stream. These hydroclones (or other separation devices) often have regions of tight clearance that are susceptible to plugging which can lead to suboptimal process availability and greater maintenance obligations. The inventors have developed an apparatus called a “settling chamber” for separating large solid particles from the feed stream to the hydroclone to eliminate plugging, improve availability and reduce maintenance requirements.