Fluid treatment apparatus

FLUID TREATMENT APPARATUS

TECHNICAL FIELD

0003This invention relates to the field of fluid treatment apparatus, in particular for the distilling and heating of fluids.

0004Reference throughout the specification shall now be made to use of the present invention as a distillation unit including a water heating system.

0005However, this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as the present invention can be used with fluids other than water.

BACKGROUND ART

0007Fluid distillation systems are well known in the water treatment industry as well as in various facets of the chemical industry.

0008Academic institutes will also have some form of distillation systems for use in the science department.

0009Distillation systems used in the chemical industry and in academia are generally specialised systems that can be cumbersome to set up and operate.

0010Historically there have been two main ways of cooling the vapour produced by the distillation system in order that the vapour can be condensed and either used straight away or placed within a container.

0011The vapour is generally passed through a coiled pipe or heat exchanger style matrix in order that it can be exposed to a flow of cold water or to air from a fan in order to reduce the temperature of the vapour and therefore force it to condensate.

0012There are however severe drawbacks with either of these systems in that the water jacket style assemblies are wasteful of water as they are generally connected to a mains source of water and the outlet from the jacket is flushed to the waste system.

0013This not only wastes a considerable volume of water but can also be expensive as the user of the system will generally have to pay higher charges to the local authority due to the amount of water usage, or will have to pay for the water on a pro rata basis.

0014This also has a further drawback in that the water will have been treated in order that it is usable and is then flushed back into the waste system, thereby requiring the same water to be re-treated prior to once again becoming available for use.

0015The cooling fan systems have several drawbacks; the main one being that they are connected to an energy source in order to drive them and therefore the operator of the equipment will incur extra costs associated with running the equipment.

0016Another significant drawback with the cooling fans is that they are generally noisy and this will limit the environment in which this system can be used, as in a confined environment the noise is considered unacceptable.

0017A further drawback that needs to be considered is the increased maintenance costs due to the fans needing servicing and/or repair on a regular basis.

0018It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

0019Further aspects and advantages of the present invention' will become apparent from the ensuing description, which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

0021According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a fluid treatment apparatus, including at least one heat source, and

0022at least two fluid reservoirs, and

0023at least one means of conducting vapour, and

0024at least two fluid inlets, and

0025at least two fluid outlets,

0026characterised in that

0027fluid enters the first fluid reservoir and is then heated until it evaporates, and

0028the vapour produced enters into a pipe that is routed through the second fluid reservoir which also contains a fluid at a lower temperature than that of the vapour and that is isolated from the vapour as the fluid remains outside of the pipe,

0029wherein the temperature difference between the vapour and the fluid causes the vapour to condense thereby increasing the temperature of the fluid contained in the second fluid reservoir.

0030It should be appreciated that throughout the present specification the term "reservoir" should be understood to mean any apparatus that is capable of containing a volume of fluid or vapour.

0031It should also be appreciated that throughout the present specification the term "pipe" should be understood to mean a conduit through which vapour or fluid can pass from an entry point to an exit point and that has walls impervious to the flow of a fluid.

0032According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treating fluid with a fluid treatment apparatus, including

0033at least one heat source, and at least two fluid reservoirs, and

0034at least one means for conducting vapour, and

0035at least two fluid inlets, and

0036at least two fluid outlets,

0037characterised by the steps of

0038a) placing a known amount of fluid into the first fluid reservoir and heating it until a vapour is produced,

0039b) passing the produced vapour through a pipe that is routed through the second fluid reservoir which contains a volume of fluid at a lower temperature than that of the vapour and with the pipe isolating the vapour from the fluid in the second fluid reservoir,

0040c) transferring heat energy from the vapour through the pipe to the fluid in the second fluid reservoir so that the temperature of the vapour drops far enough for the vapour to condensate back to a fluid which is then vented from the pipe,

0041d) once the fluid contained in the second fluid reservoir has absorbed enough heat energy from the vapour within the pipe, so that the fluid has reached a required temperature, the fluid can be drawn off as a hot fluid source or may be used as the energy source within a heating system.

0042It should be appreciated that throughout the present specification the term "fluid" should be understood to mean water.

0043However, this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as the present invention can be used with any material or combination of materials that exhibit fluid flow characteristics. It is envisaged that within preferred embodiments of the present invention the fluid treatment apparatus will be used not only as a source of distilled water but will also make use of the reclaimed energy, scavenged during the condensation process, to either provide a hot water source or to provide the hot water energy necessary for a radiation style heating system.

0044It can clearly be seen from the description within the present specification that the present invention has many significant advantages over the previous systems available.

0045One of the most significant being the fact that no fan is needed and therefore not only will an extra source of energy not be required but also the apparatus will be far quieter as the noisy fan will no longer be present.

0046Also in preferred embodiments of the present invention the first fluid reservoir will have one or more sensors to determine when the water level has dropped below a predetermined level.

0047It may also have one or more sensors to determine when the water exceeds a certain level, in order that the first fluid reservoir does not boil dry or fill to the point where water will enter the pipe.

0048It is envisaged that the heating source for reservoir one can be provided by an electrical input or a gas element however this should not be seen as limiting as in some embodiments an alternative energy source could be used.

0049In some preferred embodiments of the present invention a thermally activated switch will be fitted to the second fluid reservoir so that if the water within the second fluid reservoir exceeds a predetermined threshold then the heat source to the first fluid reservoir will be terminated until the temperature of the fluid within the second fluid reservoir returns to below the threshold level. In some embodiments of the present invention the hot water leaving the second fluid reservoir can be fed into a heat transfer matrix (for example a water jacket) around the clean water input to the first fluid reservoir so that the water entering the first fluid reservoir is preheated prior to entering the reservoir.

0050This can have the added benefit in that less energy is then needed to raise the water in the first fluid reservoir to the point where it produces vapour and this will also reduce the time taken for the water to vapourise.

0051In preferred embodiments of the present invention the first fluid reservoir has a drain outlet in order that the residue or deposits within the reservoir can be flushed periodically so as to ensure they do not detrimentally affect the performance of the apparatus.

0052It can therefore be seen that the present invention will have much wide applications than any of the current systems as the present invention is not only far quieter but also minimises the water use and is also self regulating.

0053The present invention is therefore not only suitable for domestic use but also for light and heavy industries where a supply of distilled water or heated water is required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

0055Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

0056Figure 1 is a diagrammatical representation of one preferred embodiment of the present invention, and;

0057Figure 2 is a diagrammatical representation of a further preferred embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

0058With reference to the figures there is illustrated a water treatment apparatus generally indicated by arrow 1.

0059The water treatment apparatus 1 consists of a first fluid reservoir 2 and a second fluid reservoir 3.

0060The first fluid reservoir 2 has an inlet for clean water 4, a drain 5 for removing sediment and deposits left from the evaporating water 6 and a means 7 for heating the water 6.

0061The heating means 7 is connected to either a gas inlet 8 or an electricity inlet 9.

0062The level of the water 6 is controlled so that it stays between the upper level 10 and the lower level 11. This is to ensure that no water 6 enters into the pipe 12 and at the other extreme, to ensure that the first reservoir 2 does not boil dry.

0063The water vapour (not shown) enters the pipe 12 in reservoir one 2 and is then passed along the pipe 12 into reservoir two 3 where it comes into thermal contact with the cool water 13 contained within the reservoir 3.

0064Heat is exchanged from the vapour through the pipe wall 12 and into the cool water 13 until the vapour drops below its condensation point and hence distilled water 14 is formed. The cool water 13 absorbs the heat energy from the vapour and is therefore raised in temperature and can then be drawn off from the second reservoir 3 as a source of hot water 15.

0065Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof.