Title of Invention

EVAPORATIVE ENERGY SAVER

Abstract

An Evaporative Energy Saver having a boiler operated steam jacket distillate reactor including an evaporative condenser cooled by the jacket steam condensate comprising of: a steam trap to receive steam jacket exit steam condensate for entry into a closed condensate vessel where flash steam and condensate liquid is collected; a closed evaporative condenser vessel, having cooling tubes to receive condensate for cooling distillate from said reactor, and a boiler feed water vessel to receive said cooling tube condensate and discharge the condensate as boiler feed water,

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENT ACT, 1970 (39 OF 1970) COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See Section 10 EVAPORATIVE ENERGY SAVER Dr. CHANDRAKANT S. SHAH; a US National of 133, Progress Heights, Gloversville, NY 12078, USA. The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed. 7lft 12002 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the chemical industry and other process industries using steam for steam jacketed reactor system containing distillate in which liquid is evaporated, heat of evaporated vapor from reactor, if recovered, results into fuel saving in the boiler. The fuel saving reduces pollution as well as annual fuel cost. The steam jacketed type of reactor system, which is mainly used for distillation or for concentration, consumes maximum amount of boiler steam in the reactor, as it has to evaporate all or most of the liquid in it to vapor. The saving can be also achieved if reactor is provided with limpet coil or full coil instead of jacket. At present the reactor vapor is condensed in a water-cooled condenser. The heat received by the cooling water is lost in the cooling tower that cools the condenser water, which is returned back to the condenser. As a result of the above process, part of the steam condensate, which is at higher pressure than atmospheric, flash over into steam due to pressure drop. The flash steam is lost into atmosphere and also the heat it carries. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus and method to save the lost heat energy of the evaporated vapor from the jacketed reactor system. This is accomplished by using reactor jacket condensate, after passing through a steam trap into a condensate vessel which also collects flash steam, as the cooling medium in the evaporative condenser and utilizing the steam flashed from the condensate. Use of condensate as the cooling medium minimize the scale formation in the evaporative condenser tubes, whereby permitting higher heat transfer across the tube. 2 Also, the steam generated in the evaporative condenser vessel is used as reactor jacket steam, and may be used directly in a lower pressure reactor jacket or by pumping it to the higher -pressure jacket. If the vapor removed from boiling liquid in the reactor is steam and it is pure enough, then it can be used m another reactor jacket, in which the jacket pressure is less than or equal to the above steam. If the above vapor from the reactor is not pure steam or it is a vapor other than steam, then its heat can be used indirectly in an evaporative condenser for generating steam. This steam can be used as jacket steam directly m another lower pressure reactor or pumped back to the reactor jacket. The evaporative condenser steam can be pumped in its own reactor or another reactor as jacket or coil steam by steam ejector operated by boiler steam sup to supplied to the reactor-jacket It can be pumped by steam pump operated by steam engine supplied with boiler steam and the exhaust of the steam engine and the compressed steam from the steam pump used as the reactor jacket steam. For pumping large of quantity of steam from the condenser, a centrifugal compressor driven by a steam turbine can be used, and the exhaust from the steam turbine and the compressed steam from the compressor are used as the reactor jacket steam. The steam pump or the centrifugal compressor can be provided with the electrical or other drive but they will be consuming extra power. A compressor driven by separate motor or combination of steam ejector and a motor-driven compressor can also pump the evaporative condenser steam to the reactor jacket. In all the above cases, except the motor driven compressor, the work obtained due to the adiabatic expansion of steam from the boiler pressure to the reactor jacket pressure, is used for pumping the steam generated in the evaporative condenser. For maximum utilizing of condenser steam, when it is to be pumped, first send it to the reactor jacket or coil operating at the lowest pressure by sucking the steam 3 from the highest-pressure evaporative condenser and then to the higher -pressure reactor jacket or coils in multi reactor system. When steam is to be supplied directly to reactor jacket or coil, it is sent first to the reactor jacket or coil operating at the pressure equal to the evaporative condenser steam pressure and then to the lower pressure reactor jackets or coils because the latter can be supplied by the steam from the lower pressure evaporative condenser in multi reactor system for the maximum utilization of condenser steam in the reactor jacket. In the above cases the system efficiency increases as less steam is required from the boiler and the fuel required in the boiler reduces resulting in reduction of pollution and saving in the cost of fuel. To maximize the fuel saving in the boiler, the pressure rise of wet steam from evaporative condenser to jacket steam pressure and the corresponding saturation temperature rise must be minimum. The saturation temperature difference between the jacket steam of a reactor and the steam generated in the evaporative condenser depends on the sum of the temperature difference between steam condensing side of jacket and nuclear boiling temperature of the liquid and that across the condenser tubes. To convert existing watercooled condenser as evaporative condenser, nuclear boiling is used. Nuclear boiling is a condition of high heat transfer and is desired in the evaporative condenser and may be provided by having the necessary wall temperature difference between the condenser tubes and fluid. The necessary wall temperature difference for nucleate boiling is greater than 10° F. and less than 60° F on a solid wall surface. The method of nucleate boiling can be used to increase the evaporating capacity of the boiler and condenser. When a new evaporative condenser is to be designed, then convective heat transfer is used and it occurs with minimum wall temperature difference below 10° F. 4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS. Fig.1 is a diagrammatic and schematic circuit diagram of an embodiment of the invention with a single reactor; Fig 2. Is a schematic circuit diagram of an embodiment of the invention having a multi-reactor system. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In Fig.1, steam from boiler 3 enters by pipe line 48 into the steam jacket 2 of the reactor 1 through the ejectors 4 and 5. The temperature difference across the reactor jacket inner wall 17 is maintained to achieve preferably nucleate boiling of liquid in reactor 1. The vapor of the boiling liquid leaves the reactor 1 from the top by pipe line 49, and enters the top of evaporative condenser 7 where it is condensed into liquid by transferring its latent heat to the condensate circulated through the evaporative condenser tubes 18 by the evaporative condenser pump 11 and pipe lines 50 and 57. Condensed liquid is removed from the evaporative condenser 7 by valve 15 and pipe line 52, located at the bottom of condenser 7, as condensed product. Steam Condensate from reactor jacket 2 passes by pipe line 53 through the steam trap16 and part of it flash over as stream in condensate vessel 6 due to vessel 6 pressure being lower than that in reactor jacket 2. The flash steam is then sucked by the ejector 4 through pipe line 54, and delivered to the reactor jacket 2 along with the boiler steam supplied to ejector 4 by pipe line 48. The condensate liquid collected at the bottom of condensate vessel 6 is supplied by pipe line 51 as cooling water in the evaporative condenser 7. Level of condensate is maintained in condensate vessel 6 by the pipe lines 55 and level control valve 13 which when open transfers water from the feed water! lien 56 going to the boiler 3. The condensate while passing through the evaporative condenser tubes 18 5 receives latent heat and gets converted partially into steam and incurs pressure drop and at this lower pressure the mixture enters by pipe line 57 the feed water heat energy saver vessel 8 where steam is separated from the condensate. The steam from feed water vessel 8 is sucked by the steam ejector 5 by pipe line 58 along with the boiler steam from pipe line 48 and is supplied to jacket 2. > The amount of the steam sucked by steam ejectors 4 and 5 is used as jacket 2 steam so that much less steam is required from boiler 3 resulting m fuel saving in boiler 3. If more steam required than that is supplied by ejectors 4 and 5, then it is supplied directly by pressure regulating valve 20, pipe line 59; which also maintains the reactor jacket 2 pressure and also the discharge pressure of ejectors 4 and 5. Extra steam, which is not sucked by steam ejector 5, passes from vessel 8 pipe line 60 through the back pressure valve 19 to the water cooled condenser 9. Condenser 9 has water cooling tubes 92 connected to a water cooling tower, not shown, by pipeline 91 and returns cool water to condenser 9 tubes 92 by pipeline 90. The steam condensed in condenser 9 is pumped by pump 10 pipe line 61 into the line going from vessel 8 to feed pump 12 pipe line 62 which pumps feed water to boiler 3 pipe line 56 through the feed check valve 14. The back pressure valve 19 maintains set pressure of steam in feed water vessel 8 to allow maximum steam to be sucked by ejector 5. A non-return vaJve 21 is used to prevent flow when pump 10 shuts off. Non-return valve 93 is used to prevent reverse flow to the condensate vessel 6. The heat transfer coefficient of the boiling side of wall 17 of the reactor jacket 2 and the tubes 18 of evaporative condensers 7 is increased by roughing them to proper grade depending on the properties of the boiling liquids. This will reduce the temperature drop across them for same heat transfer heat. Fig.2 shows a schematic diagram of multi-reactor system with four reactors 63, 65, 66 and 67 and two evaporative condensers 77 and 78. The steam jacket 68 6 of reactor 64 is supplied with steam from the boiler 45 through steam stop valve 47 and the pressure regulating valve 37 which supplies steam to nozzle 25 which maintains high tangential velocity in the jacket 68. The high velocity in jacket 68 increases heat transfer coefficient of condensing steam and removes water particles from it on the outer wall 63 of reactor jacket 68 due to centrifugal force. The steam pressure In the reactor jacket 68 is highest compared to the other reactors in the system. The temperature difference across the reactor jacket inner wall 41 is maintained to achieve nucleate boiling of liquid in reactor 64. The vapor of the boiling liquid Is a pressure greater than atmospheric to achieve higher temperature drop across condenser tubes 43 of evaporative condenser 77. This vapor leaves the reactor 64 from the top and enter the evaporative condenser 77 where it is condensed into liquid by transferring its latent heat through the evaporative condenser tubes 43. The condensed liquid is then passed through a water-cooled condenser 81 to bring its temperature below saturation temperature at atmospheric pressure so that it does not flash over into vapor at atmosphere pressure. The cooled liquid from the condenser 81 is taken out thorough the level control valve 30 as finished product. Steam condensate from reactor jacket 68 passes through the steam trap 72 to the condensate vessel 75 where part of it flash over in steam due to vessel 75 pressure being lower than that of the reactor jacket 68. The condensate collected in condensate vessel 75 is pumped by pump 84 through tubes 43 of the evaporative condenser 77. It receives latent heat and gets converted partially into steam and incurs pressure drop and at this lower pressure the mixture returns back to condensate vessel 75 where steam is separated from the condensate. The steam from vessel 75 is sucked by the ejector 26 with the help of boiler steam and the mixture is supplied to the steam jacket 69 of reactor 65, which operates at pressure lower than that of the jacket 68 of reactor 64. The remaining steam from vessel 75 passes through the throttle valve 34 and is directly 7 supplied to the steam jacket 70 of reactor 66. Jacket 70 pressure is lower than that of jacket 69 of reactor 65. The valve 34 maintains suction pressure of ejector 26 same as that in the condensate vessel 75. The level of condensate is maintained in condensate vessel 75 by the level control valve 38 which when open transfers water from the feed water line going to the boiler 45. Steam required in the steam jacket 69 of reactor 65is supplied by the ejector 26. If more steam is required it is supplied directly by pressure regulating valve 38, which also maintains the discharge pressure of ejector 26. If steam supplied directly from condensate vessel 75 to steam jacket 70 of the reactor 66 is not sufficient, then the remaining steam is supplied from boiler 45 through the pressure-regulating valve 39. If steam collected in vessel 75 is more than the total of the steam that is sucked by ejector 26 and directly supplied to the full requirement of steam jacket 70 of reactor 66, then the remaining steam leaks out from the safety valve 27 and supplied to the reactor 67, steam jacket 71, which operates at the lowest pressure. The vapor of the reactor 65 leaves from the top and enters the evaporative condenser 78 where it is condensed into liquid by transferring its latent heat into the evaporative condenser tubes 44. The liquid from the condenser 78 is taken out through the value 31 as finished product. Steam condensate from reactor jacket 69 passes through the steam trap 73 and part of it flashover into steam in condensate vessel 76 due to tower pressure in vessel 76. The condensate collected in condensate vessel 76 is pumped by pump 22 through tubes 44 of the evaporative condenser 78. It receives latent heat and gets converted partially into steam and incurs pressure drop and at this tower pressure the mixture returns back to condensate vessel 76 where steam is separated from the condensate. The steam from vessel 76 passes directly to the steam jacket 71 of reactor 67, which operates at lowest pressure. (The steam 8 from vessel 76 is also sent as a low-pressure process steam in the plant if required). If steam collected in vessel 76 is more than that required for steam jacket 71 of reactor 67, then the remaining steam leaks from the safety valve 35 &nd is condensed in the water cooled condenser 82. The condensed water is pumped by pump 23 through the non-retum valve 36 to the water line connecting feed water heat energy saver vessel 83 to the boiler feed pump 24. The level of condensate is maintained in condensate vessel 76 by the level control value 29 which when open transfers water from the feed water line going to the boiler 45. When extra steam is required for the steam jacket 71 of reactor 67 it is supplied automatically through the pressure regulating valve 40. Steam condensate from reactor jacket 70 of the reactor 66 passes through the steam trap 74 and part of it flashes over into steam m feed water heat energy saver vessel 83 due to lower pressure in vessel 83. The flash steam Is sent to the steam jacket 71 of the reactor 67. Steam condensate from the steam jacket 71 of the reactor 67 flow to feed water heat saver energy vessel 83 by gravity and condensate from it is pumped by the boiler feed pump 24 to the boiler 45 through the fed check valve 46. The vapor of the reactor 66 leaves from the top and enters the water-cooled condenser 79 where it is condensed into liquid. The cooled liquid from the condenser 79 is taken out through valve 32 as finished product. In Fig. 2, cooling water to all water-cooled condensers 79, 80, 81 and 82 is supplied from a cooling tower and pump, not shown. Cooling water pipe connections for the cooling tower and pump m Fig.2 are not shown. The vapor of the reactor 67 leaves from the top and enters the water-cooled condenser 80 where it is condensed into liquid. The liquid from condenser 80 is taken out through the valve 33 as finished product. The heat transfer coefficient of the boiling side of wall 41 of the reactor jacket 68 and wall 42 of the reactor jacket 69 is increased by roughing them to proper :9: I Claim: 1. An Evaporative Energy Saver having a boiler operated steam jacket distillate reactor including an evaporative condenser cooled by the jacket steam condensate comprising of: a steam trap to receive steam jacket exit steam condensate for entry into a closed condensate vessel where flash steam and condensate liquid is collected; a closed evaporative condenser vessel, having cooling tubes to receive condensate for cooling distillate from said reactor, and a boiler feed water vessel to receive said cooling tube condensate and discharge the condensate as boiler feed water, 2. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 wherein Feed water vessel steam passes through a cooling condenser and returning to said boiler as feed water, 3. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed m claim 1, wherein an ejector is used to pass condensate vessel steam to said same reactor jacket; 4. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressure-regulating valve maintains the said reactor jacket pressure and ejector pressure; 10 5. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 having steam jacketed concentrator reactor; 6. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 having steam jacketed reactor producing vapour; 7. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 having reactor using steam heated coil in place of steam jacket; 8. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 having evaporative condenser of falling film type; 9. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 having evaporative condenser of type suitable to vapor produced in jacketed reactor; 10.A method for converting lost heat energy in a multi-jacketed , distillate liquid reactor system having a common boiler and steam jacket having a jacket inner wall and having different pressure using a Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 consisting of: (a) producing a first multi-reactor jacket having a higher generating steam pressure compared to other jacket pressures in the system; (b) maintaining in said first jacket a temperature difference across said inner wall to achieve nucleate boiling of liquid; and 11 (c) cooling said distillate liquid by passing it through a cooled condenser to bring its temperature below saturation at atmospheric pressure; 11.A method for converting lost heat energy in a multi-jacketed \ .- ■ distillate liquid reactor system as claimed in claim 10 wherein steam from said condensate vessel is used as distillate reactor jacket steam; 12.A method for converting lost heat energy in a multi-jacketed distillate liquid reactor system as claimed in Claim 10 wherein steam from said Evaporative condenser cooling tubes is pumped to a steam jacketed reactor jacket; 13.An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 1 for saving flash steam condensate lost heat energy in a multi-jacketed distillate liquid reactor system having a jacket inner wall to separate steam from distillate consisting of: Means to maintain a temperature difference across a first reactor jacket inner wall to achieve a nucleate boiling of said distillate; A closed condensate vessel to receive flash steam and condensate from first reactor jacket; A second reactor jacket at a pressure lower than said first reactor jacket to receive steam from said condensate vessel; and A evaporative condenser having cooling tubes to receive condensate from said condensate vessel to cool said evaporative condenser saving heat and energy; 12 14.An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 13 wherein the said jacket inner wall have a micro-roughness surface to increase heat transfer rate; 15. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 13 having steam jacketed reactor producing vapour at pressure higher than atmospheric to increase temperature difference across evaporative condenser tubes; 16. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 13 wherein said evaporative condenser cooling tubes have a micro-roughness surface to increase heat transfer rate; 17.An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 5 including increase velocity of ejector steam before entering said reactor, 18. An Evaporative Energy Saver as claimed in claim 5 using a compressor instead of the said ejector. Dated this 7th day of January 2002 13

Documents:

07-mum-2002-cancelled pages(20-12-2004).pdf

07-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(20-12-2004).pdf

07-mum-2002-correspondence(03-01-2005).pdf

07-mum-2002-form 1(04-01-2002).pdf

07-mum-2002-form 19(30-10-2003).pdf

07-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(20-12-2004).pdf

07-mum-2002-form 26(04-01-2002).pdf

07-mum-2002-form 3(03-01-2005).pdf

07-mum-2002-form 5(10-07-2002).pdf

07-mum-2002-petition under rule 138(20-12-2004).pdf

7-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(20-12-2004).doc

7-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(20-12-2004).doc