초록 ▼

A vapor compression distillation/product concentration device includes an evaporator/condenser core, with alternating boiling and condensing chambers with edge manifolds such that substantially the entirety of each plate surface is used as a heat transfer surface. Seals are conveniently formed betwe

A vapor compression distillation/product concentration device includes an evaporator/condenser core, with alternating boiling and condensing chambers with edge manifolds such that substantially the entirety of each plate surface is used as a heat transfer surface. Seals are conveniently formed between adjacent plates by laying a bead of liquid gasketing material such that as the plates are laid atop each other and cured, a waffle-like seal is formed surrounding the contact points between adjacent plates which interlocks the seal with the plates. A truly perpendicular fluid flow is achieved between the alternating boiling chambers and condensing chambers as each fluid traverses the entirety of each chamber in a unidirectional flow as it passes through the evaporator/condenser core.

대표청구항 ▼

A vapor compression distillation-product concentration device comprising: a plate-heat exchanger having a plurality of spaced apart plates arranged in a face-to-face configuration with the spaces therebetween forming a plurality of boiling chambers for evaporating a feed liquid into a vapor and a pl

A vapor compression distillation-product concentration device comprising: a plate-heat exchanger having a plurality of spaced apart plates arranged in a face-to-face configuration with the spaces therebetween forming a plurality of boiling chambers for evaporating a feed liquid into a vapor and a plurality of alternating condensing chambers for condensing said vapor into a distillate, said boiling chambers extending from a first edge of the heat exchanger to a second edge of the heat exchanger, said condensing chambers extending from a third edge of the heat exchanger to a fourth edge of the heat exchanger; a compressor for pressurizing said vapor as it passes between said boiling chambers and said condensing chambers; a first edge manifold adjacent the first edge of said heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the boiling chambers for supplying the feed liquid to the plurality of boiling chambers along the first edge of said heat exchanger; a second edge manifold adjacent the second edge of said heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the boiling chambers for collecting the vapor escaping from the boiling chambers along the second edge of said heat exchanger; and a third edge manifold adjacent to the third edge of said heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the condensing chambers for feeding said compressed vapor to the plurality of condensing chambers along the third edge of said heat exchanger; a fourth edge manifold adjacent the fourth edge of said heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the condensing chambers for collecting the distillate exiting said condensing chambers along the fourth edge of said heat exchanger; each of said edges being offset from each of the other of said edges. A method for producing a distillate from a feed material which is at least in part liquid utilizing a vapor compression distillation device having a plate-heat exchanger with alternating boiling and condensing chambers, the method comprising the steps of: continuously feeding a circulating supply of said feed material into bottom edges of said boiling chambers, evaporating a portion of said feed material into a vapor, channeling the vapor upward through top edges of the boiling chambers, collecting said vapor exiting through the top edges of said boiling chambers, compressing said vapor after it exits through the top edges of said boiling chambers, channeling said compressed vapor into first side edges of said condensing chambers to feed the compressed vapor laterally into the condensing chambers, cooling the compressed vapor laterally fed through the condensing chambers by the feed material being channeled upwardly through the boiling chambers such that the feed material is heated by the compressed vapor, collecting the distillate produced in said condensing chambers along second edges thereof, and collecting non-evaporated feed material after it circulates through the boiling chambers, the collected feed material comprising a concentrate.