Desalination method
AssigneePrince Mohammad Bin Fahd University
InventorsFeroz Shaik, Faizan Ahmed
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A desalination system and method for controlling the desalination system include thin-filmed photocatalyst coated glass tubes which perform a photocatalytic cleaning reaction to remove contaminants. A first flow control valve directs the contaminant-free feed water either to a feed water heater for pre-heating or to a geothermal energy-based heat exchanger. A second flow control valve directs a first portion of the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water to a thermal energy storage tank and a second portion to a flash chamber for steam generation. A condenser connected to the flash chamber includes a nano-fluid cooling coil that condenses steam into potable water.
Claims18
A desalination method, comprising:
- removing contaminants from a feed water by pumping, by a feed pump fluidly connected to a feed tank, the feed water through a plurality of thin-filmed photocatalyst coated glass tubes;
- measuring, by a light sensor, an intensity of solar radiation falling upon a feed water heater;
- when the intensity of the solar radiation is equal to or above a threshold intensity,
- in a first mode of a first flow control valve connected to an outlet of the thin-filmed photocatalyst coated glass tubes,
- directing the contaminant-free feed water to the feed water heater;
- pre-heating, by the feed water heater, the contaminant-free clean water;
- directing, by a second flow control valve, a first portion of the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into a thermal energy storage tank and a second portion of the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into a flash chamber,
- when the intensity of the solar radiation is below the threshold intensity,
- in a second mode of the first flow control valve,
- directing the contaminant-free feed water through a geothermal energy based heat exchanger,
- pre-heating the contaminant-free feed water in the geothermal energy based heat exchanger,
- directing the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into the thermal energy storage tank, and injecting the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water into the flash chamber;
- generating, within the flash chamber, steam by flash heating the pre-heated contaminant-free feed water;
- condensing, within a condenser connected to the flash chamber, wherein the condenser includes a nano-fluid cooling coil, the steam into potable water;
- and
- collecting the potable water in a distillate collection tank located beneath the condenser,
- wherein the thin-filmed photocatalyst coated glass tubes comprise a photocatalyst thin film present as substantially equal-area continuous quarter sections extending along the length of the glass tubes with four quarter sections equally spaced on the interior of the glass tubes, and
- wherein the photocatalyst thin film comprises a titanium dioxide thin film onto which copper metal islands are dispersed, wherein the copper metal islands are in the form of metal particulates projecting from the surface of the titanium dioxide thin film, and wherein the copper metal islands are present in a weight ratio to the titanium dioxide of from 0.01 to 1:10 to 1000.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.