METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR HEATING AND MANIPULATING FLUIDS

1 . A method of concentrating a fluid, comprising:

providing a closed-loop heating subsystem comprising a thermal energy device, a fluid circulation pump, a first path through a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger, all configured to heat and circulate a first fluid to less than its atmospheric boiling point;

providing a fluid concentrating subsystem comprising a flash tank, a second path through the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger and a condensing heat exchanger;

pumping a second fluid through the second path in the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;

transferring heat from the first fluid to the second fluid in the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;

flashing the second fluid into its liquid and vapor phases in the flash tank to evaporate at least a portion of water from the second fluid;

drawing the second fluid vapor from the flash tank into the condensing heat exchanger to condense the vapor to liquid by transferring heat from the vapor; and

removing a portion of the liquid phase from the flash tank as concentrated fluid when a pre-determined property of the liquid phase is reached.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal energy device is selected from the group consisting of: a direct-fired, hydrocarbon-fueled boiler; a rotary heating device driven by an internal combustion engine; and a Diesel-Electric generator set powering an electric boiler.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

operating the flash tank at less than atmospheric pressure.

4 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

preheating the second fluid by transferring heat from the concentrated fluid.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the condensing heat exchanger is a fluid-to-fluid condensing heat exchanger and further comprising:

providing a retention area holding a quantity of the second fluid;

extracting a portion of the second fluid from the retention area to be pumped to the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger; and

using another portion of the second fluid in the retention area to cool the vapor phase in the condensing heat exchanger.

6 . The method of claim 2 , comprising

operating the condensing heat exchanger at less than atmospheric pressure.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second fluid is diluted completion fluid and the concentrated fluid is a completion fluid.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second fluid is produced water and the concentrated fluid is a concentrated brine solution.

9 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

withdrawing a portion of the liquid phase from the flash tank;

determining a property of the withdrawn liquid phase; and

mixing the withdrawn liquid phase with the incoming second fluid.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

using the property determined from the withdrawn liquid to control the removal of the portion of the liquid phase from the flash as concentrated fluid.

11 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the condensing heat exchanger is an air-to-fluid condensing heat exchanger.

12 . A fluid concentrating system, comprising:

a closed-loop heating subsystem comprising a thermal energy device, a fluid circulation pump, a first path through a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger, all configured to heat and circulate a first fluid to less than its atmospheric boiling point;

a fluid concentrating subsystem comprising:

a second path through the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;

a pump for pumping a second fluid through the second path in the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to transfer heat from the first fluid to the second fluid in the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;

a flash tank having an orifice through which the heated second fluid is flashed into its liquid and vapor phases to evaporate at least a portion of water from the second fluid;,

a condensing heat exchanger to condense vapor withdrawn from the flash tank to liquid by transferring heat from the vapor; and

an extraction system for removing a portion of the liquid phase from the flash tank as concentrated fluid when a pre-determined property of the liquid phase is reached.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the thermal energy device is selected from the group consisting of: a direct-fired, hydrocarbon-fueled boiler; a rotary heating device driven by an internal combustion engine; and an Diesel-Electric generator set powering an electric boiler.

14 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising:

A vacuum system to operate the flash tank at less than atmospheric pressure.

15 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising:

a fluid-to-fluid preheating heat exchanger for preheating the second fluid by transferring heat from the extracted concentrated fluid to the incoming second fluid.

16 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising:

a retention area holding a quantity of the second fluid; and

wherein the condensing heat exchanger is a fluid-to-fluid condensing heat exchanger for transferring heat from the vapor to portion of the second fluid from the retention area.

17 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising

a vacuum system for operating the condensing heat exchanger at less than atmospheric pressure.

18 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the second fluid is diluted completion fluid and the concentrated fluid is a completion fluid.

19 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the second fluid is produced water and the concentrated fluid is a concentrated brine solution.

20 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising:

a liquid phase flow path between the liquid phase in the flash tank and a second fluid inlet to the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;

a device for determining a property of the liquid phase in the liquid phase flow path.

21 . The system of claim 20 , further comprising:

a control signal from the property-determining device to the extraction pump to control the removal of the portion of the liquid phase from the flash tank as concentrated fluid when the determined property reaches a desired value.

22 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the condensing heat exchanger is an air-to-fluid condensing heat exchanger.