Methods and apparatuses for heating, concentrating and evaporating fluid
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are provided for heating a fluid comprising an opened-loop heating circuit or a closed-loop heating circuit both comprising a rotary heating device, such as a water brake, and a closed-loop direct-fired boiler heating circuit; and systems and methods for evaporating a fluid and systems and methods for concentrating a fluid based on these heating circuits.
1. A method of heating a fluid, comprising:
providing a closed loop heat transfer system comprising:
a internal combustion engine adapted to convert chemical energy into at least mechanical energy and waste heat energy;
a rotary heating device operatively coupled to the engine and adapted to heat a liquid flowing there through by converting mechanical energy from the engine into thermal energy;
a tank vented to the atmosphere and fluidly coupled to the rotary heating device and adapted to contain a portion the liquid in the closed loop system;
a circulation pump adapted to pump the liquid through the closed loop system;
a exhaust heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the tank and adapted to transfer thermal energy from a first portion of the waste heat to the liquid;
a portion of a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the exhaust heat exchanger and to the rotary heating device; and
wherein the closed loop heat transfer system is configured to operate at atmospheric pressure and to heat the liquid to less than an atmospheric boiling point of the liquid;
providing an open system comprising:
a third heat exchanger adapted to transfer thermal energy from another portion of the waste heat to the fluid;
a second portion of the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the third heat exchanger; and
a pump adapted to pump the fluid through the open system so that thermal energy in the closed-loop liquid is transferred across the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to the fluid;
operating the closed loop system to heat the liquid to below its boiling point;
pumping the fluid through the open system; and
transferring thermal energy from the closed-loop liquid to the open system fluid, thereby heating the fluid.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotary heating device is a water brake.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the rotary heating device is a water brake dynamometer.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising: providing an electrical generator operatively coupled to the internal combustion engine to generate electricity.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the internal combustion engine comprises an air supercharger and further comprising: providing a charge air heat exchanger to transfer thermal energy from the charge air to the closed-loop liquid, thereby cooling the charge air.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: locating the charge air heat exchanger in the closed loop system downstream of the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger.
7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: locating the charge air heat exchanger in the open system downstream of the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger upstream of the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the closed-loop liquid is a water-based mixture.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a natural gas engine.
11. A fluid heating system comprising:
a closed loop heat transfer system comprising:
a internal combustion engine adapted to convert chemical energy into at least mechanical energy and waste heat energy;
a rotary heating device operatively coupled to the engine and adapted to heat a liquid flowing there through by converting mechanical energy from the engine into thermal energy;
a tank vented to the atmosphere and fluidly coupled to the rotary heating device and adapted to contain a portion the liquid in the closed loop system;
a circulation pump adapted to pump the liquid through the closed loop system;
a exhaust heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the tank and adapted to transfer thermal energy from a first portion of the waste heat to the liquid;
a portion of a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the exhaust heat exchanger and to the rotary heating device; and
wherein the closed loop heat transfer system is configured to operate at atmospheric pressure and to heat the fluid to less than an atmospheric boiling point of the liquid; and
an open system comprising:
a third heat exchanger adapted to transfer thermal energy from another portion of the waste heat to the fluid;
a second portion of the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the third heat exchanger; and
a pump adapted to pump the fluid through the open system so that thermal energy in the closed-loop liquid is transferred across the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to the fluid, thereby heating the fluid.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the rotary heating device is a water brake.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the rotary heating device is a water brake dynamometer.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the closed-loop liquid is a water-based mixture.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a natural gas engine.
17. The system of claim 11 , further comprising: an electrical generator operatively coupled to the internal combustion engine to generate electricity.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the internal combustion engine comprises an air supercharger and further comprising: a charge air heat exchanger to transfer thermal energy from the charge air to the closed-loop liquid, thereby cooling the charge air.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the charge air heat exchanger is located in the closed loop system downstream of the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger.
20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the charge air heat exchanger is located in the open system upstream of the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger.