Liquid desiccant vapor separation system

A method of extracting water from atmospheric air comprising the steps of:

• passing said air in an absorber vessel over a surface containing a liquid desiccant having a concentration such that it is below its supersaturation level, the major part of said liquid desiccant being circulated across said surface;
• extracting a part of said circulating liquid desiccant from said absorber tower, and passing it through an expansion valve to a flash drum vapor desorber at a sub-atmospheric pressure;
• heating said liquid desiccant in said flash drum vapor desorber to desorb water vapor from said liquid desiccant;
• passing said water vapor emitted in said flash drum vapor desorber to a vapor condenser;
• cooling an element of said vapor condenser to a temperature of less than 20° C. to condense said water vapor into water;
• and
• collecting said water in a storage vessel,
• wherein desorbed hot liquid desiccant from said flash drum vapor desorber is returned to said absorber tower through a heat exchanger such that it transfers part of its sensible heat content to said liquid desiccant passing from said absorber vessel to said flash drum vapor desorber.

A method of extracting water from atmospheric air, comprising the steps of:

• charging liquid desiccant having a concentration below supersaturation, with water vapor from said atmospheric air in contact with said liquid desiccant flowing along a surface in an absorber vessel;
• desorbing said water vapor by heating said charged liquid desiccant in a flash drum desorbing vessel at a sub-atmospheric pressure;
• cooling said water vapor to a temperature below 20° C. such that water is condensed therefrom;
• and
• returning said heated desorbed liquid desiccant to said absorber vessel through a heat exchanger, in which at least part of its heat content is transferred to said charged liquid desiccant passing from said absorber vessel to said flash drum desorbing vessel.