Bubble-column vapor mixture condenser
In a bubble-column vapor mixture condenser, a fluid source supplies a carrier-gas stream including a condensable fluid in vapor phase. The condensable fluid in liquid form is contained as a bath in a chamber in each stage of the condenser, and the carrier gas is bubbled through the bath to condense the fluid into the bath. The bubble-column vapor mixture condenser can be used, e.g., in a humidification-dehumidification system for purifying a liquid, such as water.
1. A method for condensing a fluid from a carrier-gas stream, comprising:
bubbling a carrier-gas stream comprising a condensable fluid in vapor phase through a first bath of the fluid in liquid phase in a first stage of a bubble-column condenser, wherein the carrier-gas stream contacts the first bath, and wherein some of the fluid in vapor phase in the carrier-gas stream condenses into the first bath;
exhausting the carrier-gas stream with a reduced content of the fluid in vapor phase from the first stage of the bubble-column condenser; and
passing a coolant through a conduit that passes through the liquid in the first stage to recover energy from condensation in the condenser to the coolant passing through the conduit.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
passing the carrier-gas stream through a humidifier, where additional vapor-phase fluid is added to the carrier-gas stream after the carrier-gas stream is exhausted from the first stage; and then
reintroducing the carrier-gas stream to the first stage of the bubble-column condenser and again passing the carrier-gas stream through the first bath.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
passing the carrier-gas stream from the first stage of the bubble-column condenser to a second stage of the bubble-column condenser;
bubbling the carrier-gas stream through a second bath of the fluid in liquid phase in the second stage of the bubble-column condenser, wherein the carrier-gas stream contacts the second bath, and wherein at least some of the fluid in vapor phase in the carrier-gas stream condenses into the second bath; and
exhausting the carrier-gas stream with a reduced content of the fluid in vapor phase from the second stage of the bubble-column condenser.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the liquid in the first stage is at least 5° C. warmer than the liquid in the second stage.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is water.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the vapor in the carrier-gas stream by evaporating the water from a saline solution.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the saline solution is heated with a solar heater or a waste-heat source before the water is evaporated from the saline solution.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the saline solution serves as the coolant that passes through the conduit in the first stage of the bubble-column condenser to pre-heat the saline solution for water evaporation.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising extracting the fluid in liquid phase from the first bath.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coolant passing through the conduit is a liquid composition including the condensable fluid in liquid phase.
11. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
passing the carrier-gas stream through a humidifier, where additional vapor-phase fluid is added to the carrier-gas stream after the carrier-gas stream is exhausted from the second stage; and then
reintroducing the carrier-gas stream to the first stage of the bubble-column condenser and again passing the carrier-gas stream through the first and second baths.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the coolant is an aqueous solution, the method further comprising passing the aqueous solution through the conduit in each of the stages of the bubble-column condenser to pre-heat the aqueous solution for water evaporation.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising passing a portion of the condensable fluid in liquid phase via an intermediate exchange conduit between (a) the conduit carrying the aqueous solution at a location between the first stage and the second stage of the bubble-column condenser and (b) the humidifier at an intermediate stage.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first bath has a height-to-diameter aspect ratio less than 1.