Wind powered solar still

Apparatus for producing distilled or potable water from salt water, the apparatus comprising:

• inlet means for cold salt water;
• condenser means having walls defining a chamber which contains first heat exchanger means, said first heat exchanger means being connected to said inlet means and having an outlet from said chamber;
• solar still means, said still means having wall means defining a trough and also being capable of transmitting solar energy thereto, said trough receiving salt water from the outlet of said chamber which is evaporated in said still means and collected as a water condensate on said wall means, said still means also being provided with water condensate collecting means for collecting the condensate on said wall means;
• means for extracting air and vapour from said still means to the atmosphere;
• means for conducting water vapour from said still means to said chamber of said condenser means;
• brine storage means for receiving brine from said trough consequent to said evaporation, said brine storage means having a pair of spaced electrodes for resistively heating brine therein;
• valve means provided between said trough and said brine storage means for controlling the flow of brine to said brine storage means;
• means responsive to brine concentration for automatically controlling said valve means;
• second heat exchanger means for heating the salt water in said trough;
• means for withdrawing heated brine from said brine storage means and for passing same through said second heat exchanger means;
• wind-powered electricity generating means;
• electricity storage means for storing the output of said wind-powered electricity generating means, said spaced electrodes being connected to said electricity storage means;
• and
• means for collecting water condensate from said condenser means and the water condensate from said collecting means in said still.

Apparatus for producing distilled water from salt water comprising solar still means for evaporating salt water to form condensate therefrom, said solar still means including means for supporting a body of salt water and wall means for transmitting solar energy therethrough whereby at least a portion of the salt water body is evaporated forming water vapour which condenses upon said wall means as a condensate, means for conducting the condensate to condensate storing means, condenser means for forming further condensate from water vapour,condenser means including a condenser chamber having therein first heat exchanger means, means for introducing salt water into said first heat exchanger means, means for conducting salt water from an outlet of said first heat exchanger means to said solar still means to form the salt water body, means for conducting water vapour from said solar still into said condenser chamber whereby the latter-mentioned water vapour is condensed by said first heat exchanger means to form the further condensate, means for conducting salt water from said solar still means to salt water storing means, means for heating the stored salt water, second heat exchanger means for heating the salt water body, means for conducting heated salt water from said salt water storing means through said second heat exchanger means thereby heating the salt water body and in part forming the first-mentioned condensate, means for converting wind power into electrical energy, means for storing said electrical energy, and means for utilizing the stored electrical energy to energize said heating means.