# US 8,465,628 B1 · Floating solar energy conversion and water distillation apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,465,628 B1 - Document ID: US8465628B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 12/799,816 - Filed: 2010-05-03 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2010-05-03 - Applicants: Richard L. Henderson - Inventors: Richard L. Henderson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8465628B1 ## CPC - B01D 1/16: by spraying (B01D1/22 takes precedence) - B01D 1/0035: {Solar energy (for treatment of water C02F1/14)} - B01D 5/0018: {Dome shaped (B01D5/0066 takes precedence)} - B01D 5/006: {with evaporation or distillation} - C02F 1/14: using solar energy - F24S 20/70: Waterborne solar heat collector modules (for working fluids forming pools or ponds F24S10/10) - C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination - C02F 2201/008: Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle - Y02A 20/124: Water desalination - Y02A 20/212: Solar-powered wastewater sewage treatment, e.g. spray evaporation - Y02E 10/47: Mountings or tracking - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) - F24S: SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS (for producing mechanical power from solar energy F03G6/00) - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A solar energy conversion and distillation apparatus floats on a body of saltwater and includes a matrix of buoyant distillation modules that produce and collect distilled water for on-shore usage. The distillation modules and other buoyant structures are mutually joined within a peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, and each distillation module includes a submerged energy absorber layer to form an energy conversion chamber that confines a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater. Water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses on chilled heat exchanger conduits, and the energy absorber layer is water permeable so that confined water lost to evaporation and condensation is replenished with water from a thermal reservoir underlying the energy conversion chamber. Buoyant mistifier units in each distillation module enhance the evaporative surface area of the water vapor subject to condensation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A solar energy water distillation apparatus floating on a body of seawater, comprising: a buoyant peripheral seawall; an array of buoyant structures mutually joined within said buoyant peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, the buoyant structures including a distributed array of distillation modules for producing and collecting distilled water for on-shore usage, each such distillation module including a buoyant base, a domed solar collector mounted on said buoyant base, a submerged energy absorber layer affixed to said buoyant base to define a chamber, a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater confined in said chamber, a network of chilled heat exchanger conduits disposed in said chamber on which water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses, and a set of troughs for collecting the condensate for removal and delivery to a condensate storage vessel; and at least one buoyant mistifier unit in each distillation module for enhancing an evaporative surface area of the water vapor therein and increasing condensate formation on said chilled heat exchanger conduits, where said mistifier unit floats on said shallow volume of solar-heated seawater, and said mistifier unit includes a spinning disk and seawater delivery means for directing a stream of the solar-heated seawater onto said spinning disk, where said spinning disk of said mistifier unit is disposed above and substantially parallel to an upper surface of said solar-heated seawater and said seawater delivery means includes a nozzle disposed above said spinning disk through which said stream of said solar-heated seawater is directed onto said spinning disk. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The solar energy water distillation apparatus of claim 1, where: said peripheral seawall extends below the buoyant bases of said distillation modules to define a thermal reservoir beneath said chamber; and said energy absorber layer is light impermeable but water permeable so that seawater from the thermal reservoir passes through the energy absorber layer and into said chamber to replace water lost to evaporation and condensation within said chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The solar energy water distillation apparatus of claim 1, where: said peripheral seawall extends below the buoyant bases of said distillation modules to define a thermal reservoir beneath said chambers; and a network of submerged heat exchanger conduits is connected to each network of chilled heat exchanger conduits for transferring a heat of condensation of said water vapor to seawater in said thermal reservoir. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The solar energy water distillation apparatus of claim 1, where: multiple mistifier units are disposed in each distillation module. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The solar energy water distillation apparatus of claim 1, where: said at least one buoyant mistifier unit is tethered to said submerged energy absorber layer. ### Claim 6 A solar energy water distillation apparatus floating on a body of seawater, comprising: an array of buoyant structures mutually joined within a buoyant peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, the buoyant structures including a distributed array of distillation modules for producing and collecting distilled water for on-shore usage, each such distillation module including a domed solar collector mounted on a buoyant base, a submerged energy absorber layer affixed to said buoyant base to define a chamber in which a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater is confined, a network of chilled heat exchanger conduits disposed in said chamber on which water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses, and a set of troughs for collecting the condensate for removal and delivery to a condensate storage vessel; and one or more buoyant mistifier units floating on the solar-heated seawater confined in the chamber of each distillation module for atomizing a portion of said solar-heated seawater to enhance an evaporative surface area of the water vapor therein and increase condensate formation on said chilled heat exchanger conduits, where said mistifier units each include a spinning disk disposed above and substantially parallel to a surface of said solar-heated seawater and a nozzle disposed above said spinning disk through which a stream of said solar-heated seawater is directed onto an upper surface of said spinning disk, and where said spinning disk is slightly concave so that the solar-heated seawater directed onto the upper surface of said disk is directed laterally outward in a shallow upward arc. ### Claim 7 A solar energy water distillation apparatus floating on a body of seawater, comprising: an array of buoyant structures mutually joined within a buoyant peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, the buoyant structures including a distributed array of distillation modules for producing and collecting distilled water for on-shore usage, each such distillation module including a domed solar collector mounted on a buoyant base, a submerged energy absorber layer affixed to said buoyant base to define a chamber in which a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater is confined, a network of chilled heat exchanger conduits disposed in said chamber on which water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses, and a set of troughs for collecting the condensate for removal and delivery to a condensate storage vessel; and one or more buoyant mistifier units floating on the solar-heated seawater confined in the chamber of each distillation module for atomizing a portion of said solar-heated seawater to enhance an evaporative surface area of the water vapor therein and increase condensate formation on said chilled heat exchanger conduits, where said mistifier units each include a spinning disk disposed above and substantially parallel to a surface of said solar-heated seawater and a nozzle disposed above said spinning disk through which a stream of said solar-heated seawater is directed onto an upper surface of said spinning disk, and where said mistifier units include a buoyant platform, a motor mounted on said buoyant platform for driving said spinning disk, and a pump mounted on said buoyant platform for delivering said solar-heated seawater to said nozzle via a set of vertical pipes.