Brine Concentrators

Brine Concentrator at AES Ironwood

GE’s brine concentrators and evaporators can recover up to 95% of industrial wastewater as high purity distillate. This can be used for boiler makeup, Nox control, cooling tower makeup and process use. The remaining five percent is a slurry concentrate that may be sent to a small solar pond, reduced to dry solids in a crystallizer or spray dryer, or used for ash wetting.

Brine Concentrators and Evaporators can recycle nearly all types of wastewaters including:
Cooling tower blowdown
SAGD produced water
Frac water
Coal Seam Gas produced water
FGD and IGCC wastewater
Acid Mine Drainage
RO reject
Chlor-alkali wastewater

Benefits:
Energy-efficient operation - In the vapor compression configuration, the brine concentrator uses 21 to 37 BTU per pound of waste feed. This converts to 50 to 90 kWh per 1,000 gallons of feed, which is 25 to 50 times more efficient than conventional single-effect, steam-driven evaporators
Corrosion resistant titanium - High-grade construction materials mean GE’s brine concentrators will last for decades and provide reliable operation.
Scale control - Proprietary seeded slurry technology controls scale, often limiting cleanings to only once per year.
Variable waste flows - GE’s largest single brine concentrator treats 1,200 gpm, while small units treat as little as 10 gpm.
Ability to run on electricity or steam-Typical operation is by mechanical vapor compression, but brine concentrators may also run on steam in a multiple-effect configuration.
Fully automated operation-Maintain precise system control while minimizing operator interaction
Patented brine distributors - Individual tube distributors ensure a smooth flow of brine, avoiding scale formation.

Brine Concentrator Flow Diagram

1
 The wastewater enters a feed tank (not shown) where the pH is adjusted between 5 and 6 for deaeration, decarbonation, and residual H2S removal.  The acidified wastewater is pumped through a heat exchanger that raises its temperature to the boiling point.
5
 The vapor passes through mist eliminators and enters the vapor compressor.  Compressed vapor flows to the outside of the heat transfer tubes.
2
 Wastewater passes through a deaerator, which removes non-condensable gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and volatile organics.
6

Heat from the compressed vapor is transferred to the cooler brine falling inside the tubes, causing some of the brine to evaporate.  As the compressed vapor gives up heat, it condenses as distillate.
3

Hot feed combines with the brine slurry in the sump.  The brine slurry is constantly circulated from the sump to a floodbox at the top of a bundle of heat transfer tubes.
7

The distillate is pumped back through the heat exchanger, where it gives up heat to the incoming wastewater.
4
 Some of the brine evaporates as it flows in a falling film down through the heat transfer tubes and back into the sump.
8

A small amount of waste brine is blown down from sump to control the brine density.

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