METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM

A method and apparatus for generating steam from an inlet stream including impurities involves receiving the inlet stream at an inlet of a helical tubing circuit having a metal wall defining a bore. The bore has inwardly disposed bore portions and outwardly disposed bore portions. The inlet stream flows through the tubing circuit to a steam outlet at a flow rate sufficient to cause the liquid phase portion to be forced toward the outwardly disposed bore portions by centrifugal forces imparted by the flow through the helical tubing circuit. A heat flux is directed outwardly from within the helical tubing circuit toward the metal wall providing greater heating of the inwardly disposed bore portions, the greater heating being operable to cause generation of a steam portion proximate the inwardly disposed bore portions for convectively heating the liquid phase portion at an interface between the liquid phase portion and the steam portion to cause boiling of the liquid phase portion and reduce boiling at outwardly disposed bore portions.