Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

Caradon Mira Ltd.

Colin Ramshaw

William T Cross

John E Porter

Roger H Mallinson

Terence Leslie Winnington

Arthur Gough

John C Middleton

Michael J Cliff

Thermal cracking

The turbine agitator assembly including a reservoir for liquid, a rotor mounted in the reservoir and with a plurality of radially extending blades, and sparger means for introducing a fluid into liquid in the reservoir. The fluid sparger means and the rotor are so constructed and arranged that, in use, the rotor blades (submerged in the liquid) and/or the liquid flow they generate disperse the sparged fluid. Each of the blades is hollow and has a discontinuous leading edge, only a single trailing edge along an acute angle, no external concave surface and an open radially outer end.

Agitators

An absorption-cycle heat pump comprises a rotary assembly including a vapor generator (GE,14), a condenser (CO,23), an absorber (AB,22), an evaporator (EV) and a solution heat exchanger (X,16). The vapor generator, the condenser and the absorber each include a wall (14, 23, 22 respectively) across which the volatile component (preferably water) and/or a liquid absorbent therefore are caused to flow under the action of the forces generated during rotation of the assembly. The evaporator comprises a plurality of finned heat exchange tubes 31 into which the volatile component is injected with a radially inwardly-directed component of motion, the tubes being of generally elliptical configuration disposed with their major axes extending generally radially. To maintain the evaporator heat exchange surfaces continuously wetted, excess volatile component is supplied such that a major part of the latter remains unvaporised after flow across the evaporator heat exchange surfaces and is collected in a reservoir (26), which also receives the condensate from the condenser, for re-injection into the evaporator tubes (31).

Heat pumps

An electrode assembly for organic electrosynthesis (and a cell cascade comprising a plurality of such assemblies) for electrochemical reaction between a liquid first phase and a liquid (organic) second phase. The assembly comprises a non-permeable, electrically charged, rotated electrode, in use in contact with the first phase, to which the second phase is charged, and the reaction product of the two phases is removed from the electrode. Also, a process using the assembly or cascade.

Process for effecting electrochemical reaction

Electrochemical cell

A vapor compression heat pump is described which comprises an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser and in which at least the evaporator or the condenser is in the form of one or more rotatable plates across the thickness of which plate(s) a heat transfer takes place. Such a heat pump can be designed in compact form.

Centrifugal heat pump

An electrode assembly for effecting electrochemical reaction between two fluid phases, the first of which is liquid, which apparatus is characterized by

An evaporator comprises a plurality of substantially parallel plates mounted for rotation about a common axis and in which provision is made for a condensible vapor to flow across a first face of each of said plates and for a liquid, at least a portion of which is to be evaporated, to flow across the second face of each of said plate, which plates are arranged to be rotatable at such a mean acceleration, measured in a radial direction with respect to said axis of rotation, greater than the acceleration due to gravity, said first face of each of said plates has a surface designed to discourage formation of a continuous liquid film thereon. The evaporator may be used to concentrate solutions, e.g. of depleted brine or aqueous caustic soda.

Evaporator

A rotary device comprising a rotor which comprises (i) a first annular compartment in which is disposed a permeable element, and (ii) a second annular compartment and which is adapted such that a liquid to be degassed flows radially outwards, in counter-current flow to a displacing gas, as a continuous phase, through the pores of the permeable element and then radially inwards through the second compartment to be discharged from the rotor adjacent the axis of rotation thereof. The device is particularly suitable for the deaeration of water.

Degassing of liquids

One or more components of a fluid fossil fuel are separated by subjecting the fluid fossil fuel to a centrifugal force in a rotor. A lighter component is withdrawn from adjacent the axis of the rotor and a heavier component is withdrawn from adjacent its periphery. Thus crude oil may be stabilized or dehydrated or natural gas may be dried by this method.

Separation process utilizing centrifugal rotor

A centrifugal absorption heat pump in which the heat released on condensation of the vapor of a first working fluid is used to generate a vapor from a solution of a second working fluid, and/or heat released on absorption of a third working fluid in an absorbent is used to evaporate a fourth working fluid.

In a centrifugal mass transfer device comprising a rotary annular permeable element, annular plates are mounted adjacent the radially inner or outer face of the permeable element and gaseous or liquid material flowing from the permeable element across one surface of the annular plates is cooled or heated by a heat exchange fluid on the opposite surface of the plates. In this way condensed or vaporized material is returned to the permeable element.

Centrifugal device

An absorption heat pump is described comprising at least an evaporator, an absorber, a vapor generator and a condenser and in which at least one of the components is in the form of one or more rotatable plates across the thickness of which plate(s) a heat transfer takes place. Such a heat pump can be designed in compact form.

In a centrifugal device for contacting a liquid with a gas or with a second liquid, high rates of mass transfer are achieved by carrying out the contacting on a rotating plate whose surface is capable of creating perturbations in liquid flowing across it.

Contacting device

Apparatus for effecting mass transfer between two fluid phases, at least the first of which is a liquid, which apparatus comprises an annular permeable element which is rotatable about its axis of symmetry, means to charge the first fluid to the permeable element, means to charge the second fluid to the permeable element, and means to discharge at least one of the fluids or a derivative thereof from the permeable element characterized in that the permeable element is formed by winding a tape under tension around the said axis and anchoring the tape to maintain it under tension.

Growing community of inventors

Norley, United Kingdom

Colin Ramshaw