Membrane distillation module and multi-effect process

A method for obtaining a distillate with a membrane distillation module, the method comprising:

• providing a hot feed outside a porous membrane, wherein the porous membrane prevents the hot feed to pass through the porous membrane inside an enclosure;
• providing a cold feed to a non-porous conduit located inside the enclosure the non-porous conduit having an inlet for receiving the cold feed and an outlet for expelling the cold feed;
• evaporating water from the hot feed to form vapors;
• condensing the vapors on the non-porous conduit to generate distilled water;
• and
• collecting the distilled water.

A distillation system for generating a distillate, the system comprising:

• a first distillation module that receives a hot feed at an evaporation part;
• intermediate distillation modules that receive the hot feed from the first distillation module;
• and
• a last distillation module that receives the hot feed from the intermediate distillation modules,
• wherein at least the first distillation module uses an output feed of the evaporation part as a coolant for a condensation part of the first distillation module.

A method for obtaining a distillate with a distillation system, the method comprising:

• receiving a hot feed at a first distillation module;
• evaporating water from the hot feed at an evaporation part of the first distillation module, to form a vapor;
• routing the hot feed exiting the evaporation part as a coolant, to a condensation part of the first distillation module;
• condensing the vapor at the condensation part;
• and
• supplying the coolant from the condensation part of the first distillation module to an intermediate distillation module for repeating the above steps.