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US 4,336,999 AGranted
Selective mixer for solar pond and method of using same
AssigneeSolmat Systems, Ltd.
InventorGad Assaf
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSolmat Systems, Ltd.
InventorGad Assaf
Estimating the term…
The density profile of a halocline, which increases monotonically with depth, is modified by drawing water from different levels of the halocline (and therefore of different densities) into a mixing chamber, mixing the water in the mixing chamber and discharging the water in the mixing chamber into the halocline intermediate the levels from which the water is drawn. In one technique, a closed chamber is inserted into the halocline, the chamber having a vertically oriented slot defining a preselected layer of the halocline. The contents of the chamber are mixed to establish a uniform density equal to the average density of the water in the preselected layer. As a consequence, the vertical variation in density across the slot between the water inside and outside the chamber establishes a static pressure differential which causes water in the layer to flow into and out of the chamber until the density of the layer is uniform. In another technique, water is pumped into a mixing chamber from two different levels in the halocline and discharged into the halocline intermediate the levels from which the water is drawn. With this arrangement, the density of the water in the mixing chamber can be adjusted in accordance with the relative amount of water pumped from each level.
A method for modifying the vertical density profile of a halocline in a solar pond comprising the steps of inserting into the pond a chamber having vertically oriented opening means which defines a preselected layer of the halocline having a density that increases monotonically with depth and which connects the interior of the chamber to the layer, and mixing the water in the chamber to establish a uniform density therein whereby the vertical variation in density across the opening means between the water inside and outside the chamber establishes a pressure differential that varies vertically and which causes water in the layer to flow into and out of the chamber.
A method for modifying the density profile of a halocline whose density increases monotonically with depth comprising the steps of:
A method for utilizing an elongated chamber having a closed end and provided with a side opening means to modify the vertical density profile of a halocline in a stratified solar pond, the method comprising:
In combination with a stratified solar pond having a halocline, a selective mixer for modifying the profile of the halocline, said mixer comprising:
A selective mixer comprising a mixing chamber in the form of an elongated tube;
A method for modifying the vertical density profile of a halocline in a solar pond having a wind mixed layer which is of uniform density and located at the surface of the solar pond, the method comprising the steps of providing at least one evaporating pond for producing uniformly dense water, and injecting water from said at least one evaporating pond into the halocline at a depth where the density is not greater than the density of the injecting water.
In a selective mixer for modifying the vertical density profile of the halocline of a solar pond, the mixer having an elongated tubular member defining a mixing chamber and having means for mixing the contents of the chamber the improvement being in that the bottom end of the tubular member is closed and the sides of the tubular member have a pair of vertically disposed inlet openings and an outlet opening allowing the mixer to be inserted into the pond closed end first until predetermined layers of the halocline are connected to the chamber by the openings whereby liquid from the halocline is drawn into the mixing chamber through the inlet openings and the contents of the mixing chamber are discharged through the outlet means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.