Industrial water purification and desalination
AssigneeSylvan Source, Inc.
InventorEugene Thiers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to the field of water purification and desalination. In particular, embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods of removing essentially all of a broad spectrum of impurities from water in an automated industrial process that requires minimal cleaning or maintenance during the course of several months to several years, with relatively high yields of product water per unit of input water, flexibility with respect to energy sources, compact design with a low industrial foot-print, the ability to recover valuable by-products, and ultra-low energy requirements.
Claims28
A water purification system comprising a series of vessel assemblies for heat transfer and recovery,
- wherein each vessel assembly forms a single stage comprising a condenser, a separator plate with sealed heat pipes, and a boiler or evaporation-chamber, wherein the single stage is contained by a top and a bottom not shared with any other stages,
- wherein the series of vessel assemblies comprises at least a first stage comprising a heat input vessel and a first boiler or evaporation chamber;
- and a second stage comprising a first condenser, a first separator plate with heat pipes, and a second boiler or evaporation chamber, wherein the separator plate is between the first condenser and the second boiler or evaporation chamber, with the heat pipes extending through the separator plate from within the condenser to within the boiler or evaporation chamber;
- wherein the system is configured so that contaminated water enters the first boiler or evaporation chamber and is boiled to create steam, wherein the steam enters the first condenser and is condensed on the heat pipes to create a condensed steam, wherein the heat pipes recover a heat of condensation from the condensed steam and transfer the heat of condensation to contaminated water in the second boiler or evaporation chamber, wherein the condensed steam is collected as product water;
- wherein the system reduces one or more contaminants from a contaminated water sample, while transferring or recovering energy of distillation once or multiple times by means of the heat pipes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.