Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

An orbital evaporator has a vertical heat transfer tube or tubes mounted in a container driven in an orbital motion. A stiff whip rod is freely movable within the tube. Its lower end rests on a horizontal plate. The orbital motion causes the rod to roll over the interior surface of the tube to distribute the liquid in a thin film and to control fouling. A set of fins is mounted on the exterior of the tube to collect and channel the condensate to improve heat transfer through the tube. The fins are preferably longitudinal and the whip rod is preferably hydrophobic. Operating the evaporator with boiling temperatures substantially below 100.degree. C. in combination with the fins and a rolling whip rod allows operation as a desalinization unit for an indefinite period of time with a high total heat transfer coefficient. The evaporator preferably also includes a degasser to control the formation of a gas barrier at the exterior surface of the tube.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim