Methods and systems for heating and manipulating fluids
Systems and methods are provided for heating and manipulating a fluid to heat the fluid, evaporate water from the fluid, concentrate the fluid, separate the fluid into fractions; and/or pasteurize the fluid, comprising a closed-loop heating subsystem coupled to a primary fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger, and one or more fluid manipulation subsystems also coupled to the primary fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger.
1. A fluid manipulation system, comprising:
a first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having first and second fluid paths there through;
a closed-loop heat transfer subsystem comprising:
a primary heat source having a fluid path there through configured to transfer heat to a heat transfer fluid,
a heat transfer fluid pump, and
a heat transfer fluid reservoir,
all configured and arranged to heat the heat transfer fluid to a temperature less than an atmospheric boiling temperature of the heat transfer fluid and to circulate the heat transfer fluid through the first fluid path of the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;
a fluid manipulation subsystem comprising:
a pump for moving a contaminated fluid through the fluid manipulation subsystem;
a tank having an inlet and configured to receive contaminated fluid heated in the second fluid path of the first heat exchanger, and
a second fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having third and fourth fluid paths there through, and configured to transfer heat between the third and fourth fluid paths,
all configured and arranged so that contaminated fluid in the third fluid path of the second heat exchanger can be heated by the contaminated fluid from the tank passing through the fourth fluid path, and the heated contaminated fluid within the fluid manipulation subsystem from the tank inlet to, but not including, the second heat exchanger resides therein for at least 15 seconds.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a residence time of the contaminated fluid in the tank is at least about 15 seconds.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the primary heat source is an open flame boiler.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the open flame boiler is configured to combust natural gas.
5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the primary heat source comprises waste heat from an internal combustion engine.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.
7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the primary heat source comprises a water brake dynamometer driven by an internal combustion engine.
8. The system of claim 2 , wherein the primary heat source comprises a diesel engine genset and an electric boiler.
9. The system of claim 2 , wherein the contaminated fluid passing through the third fluid path has not passed through the second fluid path.
10. The system of claim 2 , wherein the contaminated fluid in the tank has been heated to a predetermined temperature of between about 161° F. and about 171° F., inclusive.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined temperature is 162° F.
12. The system of claim 2 , wherein the tank further comprises an orifice adjacent the inlet and configured to flash the contaminated fluid entering the tank into a gas and liquid phase, the system further comprising a third fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having fifth and sixth fluid paths there through, the system configured so that gas phase from the tank is condensed in the third heat exchanger.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the gas phase from the tank passes through the fifth fluid path at a first temperature and contaminated fluid at a temperature less than the first temperature passes through the sixth fluid path.
14. A fluid manipulation system, comprising:
a closed-loop heat transfer subsystem comprising:
a primary heat source having a fluid path there through configured to transfer heat to a heat transfer fluid,
a heat transfer fluid pump,
a heat transfer fluid reservoir,
a first fluid path through a first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger, and
all of which are configured and arranged to heat the heat transfer fluid to a temperature less than an atmospheric boiling temperature of the heat transfer fluid and to circulate the heat transfer fluid through the first fluid path of the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;
a fluid manipulation subsystem comprising:
a second fluid path through the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger,
a pump for moving a contaminated fluid through the fluid manipulation subsystem,
a tank having an inlet and configured to receive contaminated fluid heated in the second fluid path of the first heat exchanger,
a second fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having third and fourth fluid paths there through,
a volume defined by the fluid manipulation subsystem from the tank inlet to, but not including, the fourth fluid path, and
all of which are configured and arranged so that heated contaminated fluid can reside in the volume for at least 15 seconds, and heated contaminated fluid from the volume can pass through the fourth fluid path to transfer heat to contaminated fluid in the third fluid path.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the contaminated fluid in the tank is at a predetermined temperature between about 161° F. and about 171° F., inclusive.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined temperature is 162° F.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the tank operates at less than atmospheric pressure and is configured to flash the contaminated fluid entering the tank into a gas and liquid phase, the system further comprising a third fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having fifth and sixth fluid paths there through, the fluid manipulation subsystem configured so that gas phase from the tank is condensed by the third heat exchanger.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the gas phase from the tank passes through the fifth fluid path at a first temperature and contaminated fluid at a temperature less than the first temperature passes through the sixth fluid path.