Solar desalination system

A solar desalination system, comprising:

• a desalination chamber consisting of:
• a lower wall having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower wall having a thermally conductive central portion defining an absorber base and first and second thermally insulating portions extending on opposite sides of the absorber base;
• at least one sidewall having opposed upper and lower edges, the lower edge being secured to the upper surface of the lower wall, the least one sidewall having an inlet port and first and second condensate retrieval ports;
• an upper wall secured to the upper edge of the at least one sidewall, the upper wall, the at least one sidewall and the lower wall defining a hollow housing;
• and
• first and second hydrophobic membranes mounted parallel to each other within the hollow housing, a central chamber being defined between the first and second hydrophobic membranes, and first and second condensate chambers being defined between the at least one sidewall and the first and second hydrophobic membranes, the inlet port being in fluid communication with the central chamber, and the first and second condensate retrieval ports being in fluid communication with the first and second condensate chambers, the central chamber being positioned above the absorber base, and the first and second condensate chambers being positioned above the first and second insulation portions, respectively;
• a seawater conduit having an outlet in fluid communication with the central chamber through the inlet port;
• a condensate retrieval conduit having first and second inlets in fluid communication with the first and second condensate chambers through the first and second condensate retrieval ports, respectively;
• a closed, optically transparent housing secured to and covering the absorber base below the desalination chamber;
• and
• a linear Fresnel reflector array, the desalination chamber being suspended above the linear Fresnel reflector array such that the absorber base is positioned at a focal line of the linear Fresnel reflector array,
• whereby the seawater conduit delivers seawater to the central chamber, the seawater being heated by solar energy reflected by the Fresnel array to the absorber base to above 100° C. to produce water vapor, the water vapor passing through the first and second hydrophobic membranes into the first and second condensate chambers, respectively, wherein the temperature is below 100° C., where the water vapor cools to form pure water in liquid form, the liquid pure water being removed from the first and second condensate chambers by the first and second inlets, respectively, of the condensate retrieval conduit.