Chicago Bridge & Iron Company

James B Maher

Gerald E Engdahl

Matloob Husain

Elmer W Rothrock

Ban-Yen Lai

Craig T Bouchard

A method of crystallizing or freezing out a component of a mixture composed of a liquid and a dissolved or suspended solid material, or both, by passing the mixture upwardly through a column containing a mass of insoluble solid particles having a specific gravity greater than that of the mixture; by heat exchange to a cold fluid, indirectly cooling the mixture to a temperature at which the component crystallizes or freezes out of solution, as it flows upwardly in the column; said component being the liquid or dissolved solid material; and said flow of the mixture through the column being at a sufficient velocity to fluidize the insoluble solid particles into turbulent action to scour the column inside surface and thereby prevent build up thereon of the crystallized or frozen out component. Apparatus for practicing the method is also disclosed.

Fluidized bed crystallization apparatus and method

Spent steam from a steam driven electric generating power plant is condensed by heat rejection to a refrigerant in a closed loop. The closed refrigerant loop contains an expander and a compressor, and a heat exchanger in a cooling tower. The compressor and expander are integrated so that (1) in an upper cooling cycle at the upper end of the ambient or air temperature range, only the compressor is operated within its operating range, (2) in a lower cooling cycle at the lower end of the ambient or air temperature range, only the expander is operated and (3) in a middle cooling cycle at the middle range of the ambient or air temperatures, when the turn-down of either the compressor or the expander is a limiting factor, both of them are operated. The characteristics of the compressor and the expander are advisably matched such that when both are operated the duties on both are balanced above their respective turn-down limits thus minimizing the energy loss and enhancing the power producing capability of the system. The integrated compressor/expander operation, during the middle range of the ambient or air temperatures in which the system is designed to operate, will also provide smoother operation, as the discontinuity going to and from the compressor to the expander mode of operation is eliminated.

Power producing dry cooling apparatus and method

A dry-type cooling system for condensing steam in a steam operated electric power generating plant and disposing of the heat withdrawn, by converting some of the heat to a form of power or work, such as electric power, and rejecting some of the heat to the air. The system requires a power input at relatively high ambient air temperatures, but such power consumption is offset by power produced during cooling with ambient air at lower temperatures. The cooling system utilizes a closed loop containing a suitable refrigerant fluid. The loop contains a steam condenser in the hot-well of a steam system of an electric generating plant, and a heat exchanger in a cooling tower through which air enters at atmospheric temperature and exits at an elevated temperature. The closed loop is branched to incorporate two consecutively operable cooling cycles employing the same refrigerant fluid. One of the cooling cycles operates when the atmospheric temperature of the air is comparatively high, and the other cooling cycle operates when the atmospheric temperature of the air is comparatively low, such as below 80.degree. F. The cooling cycle operating at the higher temperatures is a power consuming cycle while the cooling cycle operating at the lower temperatures is a power generating cycle. Overall, efficiency of an electric power plant may be increased 2 to 3%. The cooling system produces as much as twelve times more power than it consumes over a yearly period. The cooling system employs no water so there is no water loss or environmental disturbance and no thermal pollution.

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Oak Brook, IL, United States of America

James B Maher