Water desalination using freeze crystallization and acoustic pressure shock waves
AssigneeSanuwave, Inc.
InventorsIulian Cioanta, John Jackson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of desalinating water through application of acoustic pressure shock waves to a slush to separate ice crystals from brine and recovering desalinated water from the separated ice crystals.
Claims13
A method of desalinating salt water provided into an enclosure comprising cooling the salt water to produce a slush, applying acoustic pressure shock waves directed by a reflector in an upward direction away from a bottom of the enclosure and against gravity to provide unidirectional movement of the shock waves to the slush to cause ice crystals to move toward a top of the enclosure and brine to settle at the bottom of the enclosure, recovering ice crystals separately from the brine, and thawing the ice crystals to obtain desalinated water.
A water desalination system comprising:
- at least a first enclosure with a top portion and bottom portion, wherein the first enclosure includes a salt water inlet, a brine-slurry outlet nearer the bottom portion of the first enclosure and a desalinated ice outlet nearer the top portion of the first enclosure;
- a cooling means coupled to the first enclosure;
- one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices including a reflector configured to provide unidirectional movement of the shock waves, wherein the one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices are coupled to the first enclosure to direct shock waves away from the bottom portion of the first enclosure;
- and
- an ice collection pipe or containment coupled to the desalinated ice outlet of the first enclosure that includes a heat source to melt ice into desalinated water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.