Abstract: Incoming wastewater is preheated in a heat exchanger before delivery to a flash chamber through an orifice for flashing into water vapor rising into an upper section of the flash chamber which also has a bottom section into which liquid waste oil or other contaminants settles. Rise of such water vapor into the upper chamber section is induced by a vacuum established therein by a vacuum pump withdrawing the water vapor in a superheated and compressed condition for cooling within a condenser from which the incoming wastewater is delivered to a heat exchanger for preheating. The water vapor during rise into the upper section of the flash chamber is filtered to extract contaminates therefrom while liquefied water vapor thereafter formed therein is collected before the remaining water vapor is cooled into the condensate for collection within a distillate tank from which it is withdrawn for overboard discharge after being monitored for oil content.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 11, 2004
Date of Patent:
June 24, 2008
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy