Inventors:
Glenn E. Coury - Lakewood CO
International Classification:
F28D 1300, F28D 1500
Abstract:
A heat exchanger used in the multi-stage flash distillation process is provided at the cool end with a gas injection device that creates two-phase flow within the tube side of the heat exchanger. At the hot end, the two-phase flow is degasified and the gas recycled through the cool end. Alternatively, where multiple heat exchanger modules are used, the two-phase flow from each tube in the first exchanger is directly routed to a tube of the second exchanger, or the two-phase flow from the first exchanger is separated and the individual phases are recombined in the entrance of the second exchanger. A gas injection device is used for creation of the two-phase flow, and this employs a gas chamber with gas supply tubes running into the liquid inlet ends of the heat exchanger tubes to introduce the gas uniformly into each tube.