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US 2009/0173617 A1Published application
Desalinization by evaporation from capillary material
OwnerGeorge E. Wilsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for desalinizing raw water are disclosed. The method can include wicking the raw water into a porous material by capillary action and heating the raw water in the porous material with a heating element to form water vapor. The water vapor then can be condensed to form purified water. The apparatus can include a chamber for holding raw water, a heating element, a sheet of porous material and a chamber for collecting water vapor evaporated from the raw water in the porous material.
Claims24
A method, comprising:
- wicking raw water from a raw-water source into a porous material by capillary action, where the porous material is positioned above the raw-water source and the porous material is partially submersed in the raw-water source;
- heating the raw water in the porous material with a heating element substantially adjacent to the porous material;
- evaporating water from the raw water in the porous material to form water vapor and a salt residue;
- collecting the salt residue on a surface of the porous material;
- and
- condensing the water vapor to form purified water.
3 more elements
A method for providing desalinized water at remote locations, comprising:
- transporting a desalinization apparatus to a remote location on board an ocean vessel, where the desalinization apparatus comprises a porous material;
- desalinizing ocean water by absorbing the ocean water into the porous material, heating the ocean water in the porous material to form water vapor, and condensing the water vapor to form purified water;
- providing for removal, in substantially solid form, of salt from the ocean water;
- and
- transporting the purified water from the ocean vessel to a location on land.
2 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a lower chamber configured to hold raw water;
- a heating element extending over the lower chamber and configured to be positioned above or partially submersed in the raw water;
- a sheet of porous material extending over the heating element and configured to have a submersed portion in contact with the raw water and a non-submersed portion above the raw water, where the heating element is in contact with the non-submersed portion of the porous material;
- and
- an upper chamber above the sheet of porous material for collecting water vapor evaporated from raw water in the porous material.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.