Fresh water production from power plant waste heat

Abstract

Reaction turbine and pump apparatus includes: (a) a first nozzle or nozzles to receive heated fluid for expansion therein to form a two-phase discharge of gas and liquid, (b) a separator rotor having an axis and a rotating surface located in the path of said discharge for supporting a layer of separated liquid on said surface, (c) the rotor having a reaction nozzle or nozzles to communicate with said layer to receive liquid therefrom for discharge in a direction or directions developing torque acting to rotate the rotor, (d) and a pump associated with and driven by the rotor, the pump including an annular rim surface to receive impingement of liquid to be pumped, the liquid collecting as a rotating ring on the rim surface. In addition, the rim surface may be integral with the separator rotor; and the heated fluid may consist of a low vapor pressure fluid component which remains liquid and a high vapor pressure fluid component which at least partially vaporizes in the first nozzle or nozzles.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.