Low energy vacuum distillation system using waste heat from water cooled electrical power plant

Abstract

An electric power generating plant using nuclear or fossil fuel to produce steam in a boiler which powers a turbine to generate electricity is disposed adjacent to a body of sea water or fresh water. Spent steam from the turbine is cooled in a primary heat exchanger with water from the body. The heated water from the heat exchanger is cooled in a near-vacuum chamber at the upper end of a column having its lower end in the body of water. The vapor produced in the evaporator is fed to a near-vacuum space in a second condenser supported below the sea level so as to be cooled by the sea water. The condenser has its lower end disposed in a sump of fresh water which is vented to atmosphere or sealed and pressurized, to provide support for the column. Fresh water produced by the condensation may be used for drinking water or other purposes and is pumped for utilization. In an alternative embodiment, the output of the cooling channel of the primary heat exchanger is fed to a cooling tower which further cools the output before it is fed to the vaporizer chamber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.