Vapor compression distillation assembly
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorRODNEY M. WELCH
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vapor compression distillation assembly for distilling influent liquid, the vapor compression distillation assembly comprising a housing defining an interior and having an inlet for influent liquid, an evaporator and a condenser provided within the housing interior, an outlet for distillate, and at least one compressor fluidly coupled with the housing interior.
Claims20
A vapor compression distillation assembly comprising:
- a housing defining a low pressure interior and having an influent inlet and distillate outlet;
- an evaporator located within the low pressure interior and fluidly coupled to the influent inlet;
- a condenser located within the lower pressure interior and fluidly coupled to the distillate outlet;
- and
- at least one compressor fluidly coupling the evaporator to the condenser;
- wherein liquid entering the influent inlet is evaporated by the evaporator to generate a vapor, the compressor pressurizes and increases the temperature of the vapor as the compressor supplies the vapor to the condenser, where the condenser condenses the vapor to liquid distillate while transferring heat to the condenser, with the liquid distillate exiting the distillate outlet, with the transferred heat being returned to the low pressure interior by the condenser.
A method of transforming an influent fluid to a distillate within a vapor compression distillation assembly having a housing defining an interior and including an evaporator and condenser within the interior, the method comprising:
- establishing an internal pressure below ambient within the interior;
- receiving through an influent inlet the influent fluid;
- transforming the influent liquid to a water vapor by flash boiling the influent liquid;
- compressing the water vapor within a manifold;
- condensing the water vapor into distillate within the condenser;
- and
- removing the distillate via a distillate outlet in the housing.
An appliance comprising a vapor compression distillation assembly, the vapor compression distillation assembly comprising:
- a housing defining a low pressure interior and comprising an influent inlet and a distillate outlet, a manifold for collecting water vapor, a compressor fluidly coupled with the low pressure interior for pumping water vapor from the low pressure interior to the manifold;
- and a condenser comprising an interior condensing portion for forming distillate and fluidly couple to the distillate outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.