Apparatus for solar-assisted water distillation using waste heat of air conditioners

An apparatus for water purification, comprising:

• a membrane distillation (MD) cell including a cold channel, a hot channel, and a membrane, and configured to distill water;
• an air conditioner, including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator;
• a photovoltaic solar collector (PVSC) cell including a transparent photovoltaic cell configured to generate electricity, an absorber plate configured to absorb solar radiation, and a flow tube configured to receive the fluid;
• a first heat exchanger including a first fluid input and a second fluid input;
• a second heat exchanger including a first fluid input and a second fluid input;
• and
• a fluid source storing a fluid, the fluid source configured to circulate the fluid through the apparatus, wherein
• the fluid circulating in the apparatus carries heat generated by the condenser to the PVSC cell where the fluid interacts with the PVSC cell to increase a temperature of the fluid to become a heated fluid;
• and
• the heated fluid circulates to the hot channel where the heated fluid drives the distillation of water in the MD cell,
• wherein the fluid source is fluidly connected to the first fluid input of the first heat exchanger, the first fluid input of the first heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the cold channel of the MD cell, the cold channel of the MD cell is fluidly connected to the condenser, the condenser is fluidly connected to the second fluid input of the second heat exchanger, the second fluid input of the second heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the PVSC cell, the PVSC cell is fluidly connected to the hot channel of the MD cell, the hot channel of the MD cell is fluidly connected to the first fluid input of the second heat exchanger, the first fluid input of the second heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the fluid source, and the evaporator is fluidly connected to the second fluid input of the first heat exchanger.