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 method of removing water from a mixture, comprising:
providing a first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger having first and second fluid paths there through;
providing a closed-loop heating subsystem comprising:
a primary heat source,
a fluid pump, and
a fluid reservoir
all configured and arranged to heat a fluid to less than an atmospheric boiling point of the fluid and to circulate the fluid through the first fluid path of the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;
providing an evaporation subsystem comprising:
a tank configured to operate at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure and configured to separate a mixture into its liquid and vapor phases, and
a second fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger;
pumping a first water containing mixture through the second heat exchanger to heat the first mixture to a first temperature;
transferring heat from the closed-loop heating fluid to a second mixture in the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to heat the second mixture to a second temperature greater than the first temperature;
separating the second mixture heated to the second temperature into its liquid and vapor phases in the tank;
extracting at least a portion of the vapor from the tank;
pumping at least a first portion of the liquid phase from the tank through the second heat exchanger to transfer heat from the liquid phase to the first mixture;
mixing at least a second portion of the liquid phase from the tank with the first mixture heated in the second heat exchanger to create the second mixture; and
pumping the second mixture through the second fluid path of the first fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary heat source is an open flame boiler.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the open flame boiler is configured to combust natural gas.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary heat source comprises waste heat from an internal combustion engine.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary heat source comprises a water brake dynamometer driven by an internal combustion engine.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary heat source comprises an internal combustion engine, electrical generator and an electric boiler.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising condensing the extracted vapor and thereafter discarding at least a portion of the condensed vapor.
10. A method of removing water from a water-containing mixture, comprising:
providing a closed-loop heating subsystem comprising a hydrocarbon-fueled heater, a fluid pump, a fluid expansion tank and a first path through a primary fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger, all configured to heat and circulate a fluid to less than an atmospheric boiling point of the fluid;
providing a mixture subsystem comprising a second path through the primary fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger, and a tank configured to separate heated mixture into its vapor and liquid phases;
preheating a first water-containing mixture to a first temperature;
transferring heat from the closed-loop fluid to a second mixture in the primary fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to raise the temperature of the second mixture to a second temperature greater than the first temperature;
creating vacuum in the tank;
separating the second mixture into its liquid and vapor phases in the tank;
mixing at least a first portion of the liquid from the tank with the preheated first mixture to create the second mixture;
drawing the vapor from the tank into a condensing heat exchanger;
transferring heat from the vapor to condense the vapor to liquid; and
extracting at least a second portion of the liquid from the tank.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the heater is an open flame boiler.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the open flame boiler is configured to combust natural gas.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the heater comprises waste heat.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the waste heat is from an internal combustion engine.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the heater comprises a water brake dynamometer driven by an internal combustion engine.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the heater comprises an internal combustion engine, electrical generator and an electric boiler.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.
19. The method of claim 10 , further comprising removing condensed vapor from the evaporation subsystem.