DEVELOPMEXT OF D\RECT CONTACT FLASH DISTILLATION

CONCEPTSq

Dc’tsiled ccrnsidzration of tht \txy successful fl rtsh distili~tion tcwhniqucy currently

employed suggests that their further improvement will come through a rculuction in
power requirements for brine circuktion. raising the top temperature bcl> ond the
prtyent limits set by deposition of solid scaled and reduction in irrcwrsiblc tempt-
r;lture differences. Typical values of irreversibk temperature diftr~nct~ (I) in ;t

TABLE I
BREARDOWS OF TEMPERATURE LOS!% IN A TYPICAL FLAW STAGE

Infcrstage brine flashing 190.7t186.5 4.25

Boiling point elev;ition 186.5-185 1.5
pressure drop 135-l&4
Hut tnnsfcr 184-177.3 2:

Total 13-15

l This article is essentially thr Qrnc s that submitted to the Second Europxn Symposium on
Fresh Water from the Sea. May 9- 12, 1967, Athens, GrrB, xkirh the cxccption of Fig. t 1 which
here appears with a slightly different flow scheme,

196
L?esufinuriurr, 2 ( 1967) 196-206
 DIRECT CCWTACT FLASH DiSTlLLATlOX CONCEPTS 197

flash stage are shown in Table 1. Major fractions of the temperature losses are Gue to
the need in practical designs for 3 reasonable temperature drkg force. Improved
equihbration in flashing and reduction in heat transfer resistances on either side of a
tube wall would be advantageous.
This paper examine some possible methods of achieving the above aims, which
aims are assumed to be good per se_ Their economic evaluation is outside the scope cf
this presentation.

2. VAPOUR REHEAT
The vapout reheat method described separately by Thomas, Othmer nnd Woodward
($3.-1) promises a means of direct heat transfer btween condensing steam and
(eventually) brine fed to rhe plant, through the steps of condk’nsation. liquid/liquid
transfer of heat to oil, and liquid/liquid transfer from oil to brine. However, the
arrangement (Fig. 1) has disadvantages in that it involves three heat transfer steps,

Fig. I_ Conventional vapour reheat scheme_

the whole of the circulating brine must be pumped to the top af a column from
whence it descends through a number of flashing stages, an&.&e countercurrent
heat-recovering flow of fresh water is pumped from stage to stage up a pressure
gradient in a column which requires at least one pump per stage. The plethora of
pumps (failure of any one of which can shut down the plant operation) and the
excessive pumping work can in principle be overcome by using a flowsheet of a type
which we have named “Ciementioe” as was first shown at the Washington Symposium
in 1965.
19s P. T. WALKER, 1. NEWSON ASD K, D. B. IOI1BSOS

3. “C’LEMI:?cfl?d’* FLOWSIiI:LTS

In fhis the energy released by flashing is partly extracted as work in making the
foaming brine lift against grnvify, and steam is condensed directly onto a liquid
heat-transfer medicm.
This concept (Fig. 2) recognises the need for brine to flow countcrcurrenffy to a
heat recovc~stre~m. In principte. though it may not ncccssrtril_v gi\e the best economic
optimum in practice. the brine circulatll; without aid of pumps prohid that the

Fig. 1. Clementine fiaw diagxxm. (Using an “oil” huvicr than brine).

mean density of steam and brine in the flashing cofumn is less than the mean density
of the brinejoil mixture, in the external heat exchanger.. In principle, also. the depo-
sition of insolubfe solids should occur at the liquidjiiquid interface or, at worst,
on solid surfxes which are not called upon to transfer heat, and therefore higher
top operating temperatures may be possible. Variants of the proposal depend upon
the density of the chosen heat transfer liquid. Fig, 3, for example, assumes an oil
lighter than brine, but requires an additional small heat-eschanger to cool the fresh
water product which first emerges from the hot end of the condenser,
lkdinulion. 2 (i%7) 1962Q6
 I99

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I I

4. \‘tRTICAL FLASWXG FLOW

A theoretical ~~rtly:sis can bc made of the energy rcquiremcnts for flashing flow to
provide lift against gravity. For the simple crlsc of nucleation and growth of steam
bubbles in bulk volume of the brine, with no frictional loss at the walls of rl riser and
no “slip” between vapour and liquid phase the flashing brine can be shown to POSSCSS
enough energy to provide significant lift. A detailed treatment must await publication
elsewhere but the outline of one simple theory of adiabatic flashing flow with comput-
ations of the physical lift/mixture velocity relationship is discussed Mow.
Consider Fig. 4 which represents a riser connecting two vertically nlounted stages 1
and 2, wherein saturated pressure and temperature conditions are pr, pz and Tl, T2
r=pcctively. Applying the mechanical-energy balance per unit mass of fluid flowing
in the riser gives

= - Vdp-dz-df 0)

where U is the fluid velocity in the kc-r, z the height lifted and f is the frictional
Desalination, 2 (1967) 196-206
energy loss. The specific volume V of the mixture can be expressed in terms of the
specific volumes of liquid and vapour V, and V, respectively.

v =(i - x)V, f xi; (3

where x is the vapour quality i.e. (mass of vapourjmass of initial liquid). Eq. (I)
becomes

d(g-=,=
,
- V*dp - X(~~ - F’,ldp - dz - df

Integrating and as a first approximation neglecting frictional losses JJ, we get

Silver (5) has shown that the expression

- x(l’, - VJdp = - BcW(T, - W .

dT and that
T

_ @-- I,, ‘* (T, -T T) dT= @=$T -. =z)’ (6)

1
where J is the mechanical equivalent of heat, C, the specific heat of the liquid and 0
the “frrtction of equilibration” defined by Silver as

fku&~lt* 2 (1967) f96-206

 DtRLCT COSI-ACT FLASH DISTILLATION COSCEPTS 201

where 7’is the saturation tcmpcrltture corrtrponding to the absolute pr~xare at some
height in the riser and T* the rtctual temperature of the liquid at this level. If equilibr-
ation is incompktc then I-* will be grwtcr than 7’ and 11Ias than 1. Henct Eq. (4)
becomes

(7)

This equ;ltion can he wed to praiict the rekttionship between L’. the exit velocity of
the two-phase mixture from the riser (point 2 1x1 Fig. J), and z the height lifted
bctwen two starcx
L
Fig:. 5 shows such 3 relationship computed for stages at atmospheric conditions
with on interstage tcnqwmturc differencr of 5-F and the parameter p. Useful lift
and vciocitk arc sew to hc itchiC\-rthIc and comparison of curve CD and EF with XB
ftw ali liquid Ilow Aws the additiomd USC uhich csn be mdc of the I-tat cncrgy in the
flashing brine. For the Ilmiting cast’ of zero relocity OA may be compared with OE
whcrc the diffcrcncc A& is the ,lddltion;ll lift due to flashing cnerg?: over and nhovc
the interstage diflerentisl prcssurc. Fig. 6 shows similar computrttions for a slightly
Ioucr tcmpcr,lturr which I> of intcrcxt when discussinS flowsherts fatrr in the script.

Fig. 5. Cun~r of physical lift 1s. mixture \elaaty at exit from rkr.

Such studies indicate that the riser should increa~ss in cross section from bottonx
to top to avoid acceleration of the sterrm!;brinr mixture as it flashes, and hence for
the ideally shaped riser the entry telocity of liquid 3s the bottom will be the same as
the exit Aocity of the two-phase mixture at the top. It is alho obvious that nucterrtion
at numerous discrete sites in the brine volume is important in minimising “slip” of
steam past brine. In practice, valuable lift is relatively easy to obtain at temperatures
DesalkzPkx, Z 119673, 196-106
202 P. T. WALKER, I. ?iE\VsON AND K. D. 8. JOHNSUN

Fig. 6. Curves of physical left vs. mixture v&city at exit from riser.

above 200°F <93’C). where increase of saturation vapour pressure with temperature
is Inrge, hut incrcGn& diffkult to obtain at lowr temperatures. The values of p.
the slip and the friction iosscs arc signifknt in practice and some knowltdge of them
is necessrrry to the designer- Experiments near atmospheric pressure, usins the ap-
parritus shown in Fig. 7 have shown that the principks nrc sound. Fig. 8 shows
cxperimentd data obtained with sea water for uxious single riser designs working
xross an interstage height of 3 ft (0.914 m). Correct design can achieve verticlrl
brine vekxities exceeding 8 ft/sx (I!.44 m,lsec) at entry with interstag temperature
difkcnces of 4’F (2.2’C).

Fig. 7. Experimental equipmat for vertical flashing flow

stud&.
Desrriirtorion,2 (1967) x9+206
204 p. If. WALKER, f. SE:\YSOS A?Xl );. D. n. JC)II?i~s
,_.___‘__ - _ _ -_ -_ -_.- . --* - - - * -y- :

Fig. 10. Results of mcasuremcnts of direct condensation of steam into water.

that of water, and the \&me coefficients 6-7 times lower than t‘or condensation
under water.

6. LtQL;lD;LfQI_JD HEAT ESCW4SGERS

The small density difkrences between brine and heat transfer oils of sufficiently low
cost to be considetcd useful, is now the limitation upon a design of the “Clementiae”
Desahztion, 2 (1967) 196-X6
 DIRECT COSTACl- FLASH DISTILLATIOS CO?KEPTS 205

type. The heat transfer rates px unit volume of simple spray towers do not match
the high tlashins ar?d condensation r;~cs which are possible. Further study of agitated
liquid liquid cxchangcrs based upc~n the sophisticarcd mass transfer s)stcms of
solvent extraction would bc useful.

The princrplc c~f using Hashing brine Itf’t is not limit4 to the original “Clcmrntine”
concept. dncf m:iny karistiws arc possihk. Fig.
11 show5 an cxarnpk in which the
brine fl,tshn and ltfrs itscli up ;I \crtic.ll tower and the srcnm flashed from each stage
condxsa upon bertically installed condenser tubing. A MEMS lmultiple ctkct
rnultr~t;lgr) flow diagrdm is used so that ;1 rap brlnc temperature of 190 F( 143.3 -C) IS
passitk. Thcrc nrc clear satings in pumping worh compared with a normal horizontal

3, f
-7.
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‘-.
_ 8
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_.._,

I ._ . . c.

..: _f
2’ ,
. ._ . .
-_ _,

.
*’ _‘.

flash plant, e.g. a plant bascxl on Fig. I I rrquires Icss than 0.2 MW pumping work
per IO’gpd production while n conventional plant operating over the same tempe-
rnturc range requires 0.5 to 0.6 MW. This low pumFin_c requirement is due mainly
to the capacity for energy rcco\er> inherent in this concept. The more orderly flashing
phenomenon xhiekcd b) vcrticnl risers also permits savings in the plant volume
rtllocatcd to the drsenggcment of steam from brine.

8. coscLcsIoss

The “Clementinc” t>pe of EloHshert utilising the energy of flashing brine to provide
vertical lift, hence making possibte a vertical arraryement of flash slages, has been
shown to embrace several improvements over conventional flash plants.
Desdinahm, 2 (1967) 196-206
206 P. T. WALKER, 1. ?GWsOS AND K. D. B. JOHW5OX

Most important is the scope for energy recovery provided by this vertical arrang+
mew, so that the pumpin g work required is about one half to one third that of a
conventional horizontal plant operating oker the same temperature interval. The
fusibility of the flashing lift has been demonstrated in 1aborritor-y cqxrimznts at
atmospheric conditions. These csperiments have also shown that the ordcrIy flashing
process u*hich occurs in ths verticrrl risers ktwecn stages so rtviuces the entrainment
of brine droplets that significant reductions in flash chamber volume are possible.
The use of an oil for dircccly condensing and ruco\*ering heat from the flash&
steam reduc’ti the overall temperature dcgadation between steam and recovery
Uuid tempcraturt‘z. and also by-passes the upper tcm~rature limitation due to the
occurrtlnce of calcium sulphate scale. However the low countercurrr’nt oil;brinc flow
ratlcs in direct contact liquid/liquid heat transfer towers eff~tiucly prwsnt this from
being LI vi:lblc process.
Under present conditions a multipk eti;lr-t multistage flo~vshect is 5-t for this
concept of vertic;lily arrang4 flash chambers and takes t’uII advantage of the potential
savings in pumping work and flash chamber volume. The vertical arrangement
beccmti more beneficiaI as the top brine temperature increxzs so that this concept
is IV& p’Ix& to take advantage of current trends in distillation technology.

REFERESCES

1. J. D. .IrtxwGos ASD R. S. SJL\ ER, E.tpirrecriq?, I94 ( 1962) 130.

7
_. P. H. Ttiox~, U.S. Patent 2,803,585, (August lath, 1957).
3. D. F. O~MER, ct al.. Athens Symposium 196 2. Lkchema .~funogruphien, 47 (1962) 73.
4. T. W'CKNN-ARD, Principles of Dcsalinurion, Ed. K. S. Spieglcr, Academic Press. London {1966).
Ch;ipter 4
5. R. S. SIL~XW. Procrtxiin~s First Inr~wruriona/ Synporiwrt on CC‘ut~r D~sdi~~don, Washington,
DC., October 3-9, 1965. in press.

Desulinoricln. 2 (1967) 19tGXl6