The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 23, 2026
Filed:
Oct. 09, 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, SA;
Prakash Narayan Govindan, Singapore, SG;
Gregory P. Thiel, Belmont, MA (US);
Ronan K. Mcgovern, Cambridge, MA (US);
John H. Lienhard, Lexington, MA (US);
Mostafa H. Elsharqawy, Guelph, CA;
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, SA;
Abstract
A method for condensing a vapor uses a multi-stage bubble-column vapor mixture condenser that includes at least a first stage, a second stage, and a third stage, each with a carrier-gas inlet and outlet as well as a condensing bath and a volume of carrier gas above the condensing bath. The carrier-gas inlet of the second and third stages is in the form of a sieve plate. The first-stage condensing bath is at a temperature of 60° C. to 90° C. Carrier gas flows at a temperature above 60° C. and up to 93° C. into and through the carrier-gas inlet of the first stage, then into and through the condensing bath in the first stage, and then into and through the volume of carrier gas above the condensing bath in the first stage. The carrier gas then similarly flows through the second- and third-stage condensing baths, each of which is at least 5° C. cooler than the temperature of the condensing bath in the preceding stage. Additional carrier gas is injected through an intermediate-exchange inlet into the volume of carrier gas above the condensing bath in at least one of the first and second stages to control the heat and mass profile of the carrier gas flowing through the stages of the multi-stage bubble-column vapor mixture condenser and to thereby maintain the temperature differentials between the condensing baths in the first, second, and third stages.