Flash economizer

Claim 2

In a flash changing apparatus having the capability of flash separation and heat recovery from contaminated blow-down discharge fluid supplied under positive pressure from a boiler or pressure vessel, a vertically elongated enclosed container having side and top and bottom end walls defining an elongated compartment therein, a blow-down inlet fitting extending through said side wall and open to said compartment adjacent an upper end portion thereof, a flash separating and pure steam venting assembly projecting through said top end wall into said compartment within the upper end portion thereof and cooperating with said blow-down inlet fitting to define a flashing chamber within the upper end portion of said compartment, a drain assembly in a vertically extending relation along a lower end portion of said compartment defining a condensate and liquid collecting and conditioning lower chamber therein, a vertically elongated portion of said compartment connecting said flashing chamber with said lower collecting chamber and defining an intermediate chamber, a closed tubular heat-exchange assembly positioned in said lower chamber in a cooperative relation with said drain assembly for removing heat from liquid in said lower chamber and reducing its temperature before discharge by said drain assembly, said drain assembly having vertical wall members extending upwardly within said lower chamber in a spaced relation with respect to said side wall and defining a passageway for upward movement of liquid between said members over an upper edge of an inner one of said members and downwardly outwardly along said inner member and through the bottom end wall of said container.

Claim 3

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, an upper end wall connected to and enclosing upper end portions of said drain assembly, and port means extending through an upper end portion of said inner wall member to pass an upward flow of the liquid from an outer one of said wall members into and downwardly along said inner wall member.

Claim 4

In a flash changer as defined in claim 2, said upper end wall being of upwardly facing convex shape.

Claim 5

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, said inner wall member having a lower end portion extending through the bottom end wall of said container in a sealed-off relation with respect thereto and having an upper lip edge over which the liquid flows and which defines the level of liquid in said lower chamber.

Claim 6

In a flash changer as defined in claim 4, said drain assembly having an intermediate wall member, and a bottom end wall connecting a bottom end portion of said intermediate wall member to said inner wall member and defining a bottom enclosure between said inner and intermediate wall members.

Claim 7

In a flash changer as defined in claim 4, said drain assembly having an outer wall member extending in a radially outwardly spaced relation along said inner wall member and terminating at its lower end in an upwardly spaced relation with respect to said bottom end wall, and said heat-exchange assembly having spiral tubular convolutions extending along the inside of said outer wall member within said lower chamber.

Claim 8

In a flash changer as defined in claim 6, said outer wall member having a cross-extending closed upper end wall connected to said inner wall member in an upwardly spaced relation with respect to said lip edge to close-off the upper end of said outer wall member with respect to said intermediate chamber.

Claim 9

In a flash changer as defined in claim 7, an open port portion through said cross-extending upper end wall for equalizing pressure within said drain assembly and preventing an air lock.

Claim 10

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, said heat-exchange assembly being a tubular coil assembly extending about said drain assembly and thereabove into and along said intermediate chamber.

Claim 11

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, said heat exchange assembly being a tubular coil assembly extending along and about said drain assembly upwardly from said lower chamber along said intermediate chamber and into said flashing chamber, and terminating at a position below and adjacent to said blow-down inlet fitting.

Claim 12

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, said heat exchange assembly having a continuous tubular coil spirally extending along said bottom chamber into said intermediate chamber, means supporting said heat exchanger assembly in a spaced relation along said drain assembly, a fluid inlet fitting connected to a lower end of said coil and extending in a sealed-off relation through a lower portion of said side wall from said lower chamber, and a fluid outlet fitting connected to an upper end of said coil and extending in a sealed-off relation through said side wall from said intermediate chamber.

Claim 13

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, said heat exchange assembly having inner and outer tubular coil parts that are continuously connected at ends of said heat exchange assembly and that are positioned about said drain assembly, and fluid inlet and outlet fittings extending in a sealed relation through said container and connected to said coil parts.

Claim 14

In a flash changer as defined in claim 12, said fluid inlet and outlet fittings extending through said bottom end wall of said container.

Claim 15

In a flash changer as defined in claim 12, said outer coil part extending above said drain assembly along said intermediate chamber into a lower end portion of said flash chamber, said fluid inlet fitting extending through said side wall of said container adjacent an upper end portion of said lower chamber, and said fluid outlet fitting extending through said side wall adjacent a lower portion of said flashing chamber.

Claim 16

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, said flash assembly having a centrally disposed open-end flash vent member extending in a sealed-off relation through said top end wall of said container, and having a dish-shaped flash baffle extending radially ouTwardly from a lower end of said vent member for, in combination with said vent member and said blow-down inlet fitting, separating-out relatively pure steam and moving it upwardly through said vent member and discharging heavier density portions of the blow-down through said intermediate chamber into said lower chamber.

Claim 17

In a flash changer as defined in claim 15, said heat exchange assembly being a continuous coil assembly extending upwardly from said lower chamber about said flash baffle and along a lower portion of said flash vent member below said blow-down inlet fitting.

Claim 18

In a flash changer as defined in claim 1, said drain assembly having a group of vertically extending baffle wall members in a flow-space defining relation with respect to each other and with respect to said inner wall member, passageway means and end walls defining a continuous reversing up and down liquid flow path between said baffle wall members and into an upper end portion of said inner wall member, said tubular assembly defining vertically extending and radially spaced-apart and endwise-connected coil parts extending along the spacing between said baffle wall members and along the spacing between an outermost baffle wall member and the inside of side wall of the container, a cooling liquid inlet connected to the end of an innermost coil part, a liquid outlet connected to the end of an outermost coil part, and said inlet and outlets extending in a sealed relation out through said container.

Claim 19

In a flash changer as defined in claim 17, said tubular assembly having a substantially midway positioning horizontally-transversely of the spacing between said baffle wall members and between said outermost baffle wall member and the side wall of the container.

Claim 20

In a flash changer having the capability of flash separation and heat recovery from contaminated blow-down discharge fluid supplied under positive pressure from a boiler or pressure vessel, a vertically elongated enclosed container having a circumferentially rounded side wall and rounded top and bottom end walls defining an elongated compartment therein, a blow-down inlet fitting extending tangentially through said side wall and open to said compartment adjacent an upper end portion thereof, a tubular flash discharge member extending centrally downwardly through said top end wall in a sealed relation with respect thereto and terminating in an outwardly downwardly sloped annular flash baffle to define a flashing chamber within the upper end portion of said compartment, a drain assembly in a centrally disposed vertically extending radially inwardly spaced relation in a lower end portion of said compartment defining a condensate and liquid collecting and conditioning lower chamber therein, an intermediate chamber in said compartment between said flashing and said lower chambers for receiving higher density material from said flashing chamber that passes downwardly between said side wall and an outer edge of said flash baffle, a closed tubular heat-exchange assembly in a radially spaced relation vertically along said drain assembly for removing heat from liquid freely falling from said flashing chamber through said intermediate chamber into said lower chamber; said drain assembly comprising, a tubular drain pipe extending in a sealed relation centrally outwardly through said bottom end wall and in a centrally spaced relation vertically upwardly along and within said lower chamber, and a sleevelike partition member having a lower open end portion and a closing upper end wall; said closing upper end wall being secured to an upper end portion of said drain pipe, said partition member extending in a radially outwardly spaced relation along and with respect to said drain pipe within said lower chamber, said drain pipe having an upper edge defining a side window portion open between said drain pipe and said closing upper end wall of said partition member, whereby liquid may enter through the lower open end portion of said partition member to pAss upwardly along the spacing between said partition member and said drain pipe over said upper edge and through said window portion into said drain pipe and downwardly outwardly from within said drain pipe, and a pressure equalizing port portion through said closing upper end wall that is open to said intermediate chamber.

Claim 21

In a flash changer having the capability of flash separation and heat recovery from contaminated blow-down discharge fluid supplied under positive pressure from a boiler or pressure vessel, a vertically elongated enclosed container having a circumferentially rounded side wall and rounded top and bottom end walls defining an elongated compartment therein, a blow-down inlet fitting extending tangentially through said side wall and open to said compartment adjacent an upper end portion thereof, a tubular flash discharge member extending centrally downwardly through said top end wall in a sealed relation with respect thereto and terminating in an outwardly downwardly sloped annular flash baffle to define a flashing chamber within the upper end portion of said compartment, a drain assembly in a centrally disposed vertically extending radially inwardly spaced relation in a lower end portion of said compartment defining a condensate and liquid collecting and conditioning lower chamber therein, an intermediate chamber in said compartment between said flashing and said lower chambers for receiving higher density material from said flashing chamber that passes downwardly between said side wall and an outer edge of said flash baffle, a closed tubular heat-exchange assembly in a radially spaced relation vertically along said drain assembly for removing heat from liquid freely falling from said flashing chamber through said intermediate chamber into said lower chamber; said drain assembly comprising, a tubular drain pipe extending in a sealed relation centrally outwardly through said bottom end wall and in a centrally spaced relation vertically upwardly along and within said lower chamber, and a sleevelike partition member having a lower open end portion and a closing upper end wall; said closing upper end wall being secured to an upper end portion of said drain pipe, said partition member extending in a radially outwardly spaced relation along and with respect to said drain pipe within said lower chamber, said drain pipe having an upper edge defining a side window portion open between said drain pipe and said closing upper end wall of said partition member, whereby liquid may enter through the lower open end portion of said partition member to pAss upwardly along the spacing between said partition member and said drain pipe over said upper edge and through said window portion into said drain pipe and downwardly outwardly from within said drain pipe, and a pressure equalizing port portion through said closing upper end wall that is open to said intermediate chamber.

Claim 22

In a flash changer as defined in claim 19, an innermost first and an outermost second baffle member extending along the spacing between said drain pipe and said partition member in a radially spaced relation with respect to each other and with respect to said drain pipe and said partition member, said second baffle member being connected to and being closed-off at its upper end by said upper end wall, a closing bottom end wall extending upwardly inwardly from a bottom end of said first baffle member to said drain pipe in a downwardly spaced relation with respect to said first baffle member to define a passageway about the lower end of said first baffle member, said first baffle member having its upper end in a downwardly spaced relation with respect to said upper end wall to define a passageway about the lower end of said second baffle member, the spacing between said first baffle member and said partition member being open to said lower chamber, pressure equalizing port means opening through said closing upper end wall to spacing between said first baffle member and said partition member and between said first baffle member and said second baffle member, and said heat-exchange assembly having parts that extend in a continuous manner along the spacing between said drain pipe, baffle and partition members.