Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110056822 | Water Separation Under Reduced Pressure - Water is separated from a liquid mixture (e.g., sea water) using a humidification chamber and a dehumidification chamber that are each operated at a pressure less than ambient atmospheric pressure (e.g., at least 10% less than ambient atmospheric pressure). A carrier gas is flowed through the humidification chamber; and inside the humidification chamber, the carrier gas directly contacts the liquid mixture to humidify the carrier gas with water evaporated from the liquid mixture to produce a humidified gas flow. The humidified gas flow is directed through the dehumidification chamber, where water is condensed from the humidified gas flow and collected. | 03-10-2011 |
20110079504 | Water Separation Under Varied Pressure - Water is substantially separated from a liquid mixture (e.g., saline water) that includes water using a humidification chamber at a lower pressure and a dehumidification chamber at a higher pressure. A carrier gas is flowed through the humidification chamber; and inside the humidification chamber, the carrier gas directly contacts the liquid mixture to humidify the carrier gas with evaporated water from the liquid mixture to produce a humidified gas flow. The humidified gas flow is then directed through the dehumidification chamber, where water is condensed from the humidified gas flow and collected. The absolute pressure inside the humidification chamber is at least 10% lower than the absolute pressure inside the dehumidification chamber. | 04-07-2011 |
20110108481 | Water Desalination Using Directional Solvent Extraction - Substantially pure water is produced via desalination using a directional solvent that directionally dissolves water but does not dissolve salt. The directional solvent is heated to dissolve water from the salt solution into the directional solvent. The remaining highly concentrated salt water is removed, and the solution of directional solvent and water is cooled to precipitate substantially pure water out of the solution. | 05-12-2011 |
20120138532 | Water Desalination Using Directional Solvent Extraction - Substantially pure water is produced via desalination using a directional solvent that directionally dissolves water but does not dissolve salt. The directional solvent is heated to dissolve water from the salt solution into the directional solvent. The remaining highly concentrated salt water is removed, and the solution of directional solvent and water is cooled to precipitate substantially pure water out of the solution. | 06-07-2012 |
20120205236 | High-Efficiency Thermal-Energy-Driven Water Purification System - Water can be separated from a liquid composition, such as salt water, by directing a flow of a carrier gas through at least one evaporator and directly contacting the carrier gas flow with the liquid composition in the evaporator to humidify the carrier gas with water evaporated from the liquid composition, producing a humidified gas flow. The humidified gas flow is then compressed by injecting a fluid that includes steam and/or an organic compound at an elevated pressure at least five times greater than the pressure in the evaporator and at a temperature at least as high as a saturation temperature of the steam/organic compound at the elevated pressure of the fluid. After being compressed, the humidified gas flow is directed through at least one condenser where water is condensed from the compressed humidified gas flow and collected. The dehumidified gas flow is re-circulated from the condenser back through the evaporator, where the dehumidified gas is reused as the carrier gas. | 08-16-2012 |
20130015051 | Separation of a Vaporizable Component Under Reduced Pressure - The productivity of a combined heat and mass transfer device is improved by directing a flow of a carrier-gas mixture through a fluid flow path in a combined heat and mass transfer device operating at a pressure below atmospheric pressure. Heat and mass are transferred from or to the carrier-gas mixture by a direct or indirect interaction with a liquid composition that includes a vaporizable component (e.g., water) in a liquid state to substantially change the content of the vaporizable component in the carrier-gas mixture via evaporation of the vaporizable component from the liquid composition or via condensation of the vaporizable component from the carrier-gas mixture, producing a flow of carrier-gas mixture having a concentration of the vaporizable component that differs from the concentration of the vaporizable component in the carrier-gas mixture before the heat and mass transfer process. | 01-17-2013 |
20130277199 | Solar-Driven Air Gap Membrane Distillation System - Membrane distillation system. The system includes a solar radiation absorbing porous membrane positioned to receive solar radiation to heat the membrane. A transparent cover is spaced apart from the membrane to form a channel through which a saline feed stream flows. A condensation structure is spaced apart from an opposite side of the porous membrane forming an air gap channel there between. Means are provided for coolant flow along an outside surface of the condensation structure so that distilled water will condense on the condensation structure for collection from the air gap channel. | 10-24-2013 |
20140014212 | Thermodynamic Balancing of Combined Heat and Mass Exchange Devices - A carrier-gas mixture is directed through a fluid flow path in a combined heat and mass transfer device, which can be operated at sub-atmospheric pressure. Heat and mass are transferred from or to the carrier-gas mixture via interaction with a liquid composition that includes a vaporizable component in a liquid state to substantially change the content of the vaporizable component in the carrier-gas mixture via evaporation or condensation. The mass flow rate of the carrier-gas mixture is varied by extracting or injecting the carrier-gas mixture from at least one intermediate location in the fluid flow path, and/or the mass flow rate of the liquid composition is varied by extracting or injecting the liquid composition from at least one intermediate location in the fluid flow path; and the flow of the carrier-gas mixture or the liquid composition is regulated to reduce the average local enthalpy pinch in the device. | 01-16-2014 |
20140367871 | Multi-Stage Bubble Column Humidifier - A feed liquid flows into a second-stage humidifier chamber to form a second-stage humidifier bath. A first remnant of the feed liquid from the second-stage humidifier chamber then flows into a first-stage humidifier chamber to form a first-stage humidifier bath having a temperature lower than that of the second-stage bath. A second remnant of the feed liquid is then removed from the first-stage humidifier. Meanwhile, a carrier gas is injected into and bubbled through the first-stage humidifier bath, collecting a vaporizable component in vapor form from the first remnant of the feed liquid to partially humidify the carrier gas. The partially humidified carrier gas is then bubbled through the second-stage humidifier bath, where the carrier gas collects more of the vaporizable component in vapor form from the feed liquid to further humidify the carrier gas before the humidified carrier gas is removed from the second-stage humidifier chamber. | 12-18-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130074694 | Bubble-Column Vapor Mixture Condenser - In a bubble-column vapor mixture condenser, a fluid source supplies a carrier-gas stream including a condensable fluid in vapor phase. The condensable fluid in liquid form is contained as a bath in a chamber in each stage of the condenser, and the carrier gas is bubbled through the bath to condense the fluid into the bath. The bubble-column vapor mixture condenser can be used, e.g., in a humidification-dehumidification system for purifying a liquid, such as water. | 03-28-2013 |
20130075940 | Bubble-Column Vapor Mixture Condenser - In a bubble-column vapor mixture condenser, a fluid source supplies a carrier-gas stream including a condensable fluid in vapor phase. The condensable fluid in liquid form is contained as a bath in a chamber in each stage of the condenser, and the carrier gas is bubbled through the bath to condense the fluid into the bath. Energy from condensation is recovered to a liquid composition in a conduit that passes through the liquid in the stages of the condenser. The bubble-column vapor mixture condenser can be used, e.g., in a humidification-dehumidification system for purifying a liquid, such as water. | 03-28-2013 |
20130341810 | Bubble-Column Vapor Mixture Condenser - In a bubble-column vapor mixture condenser, a fluid source supplies a carrier-gas stream including a condensable fluid in vapor phase. The condensable fluid in liquid form is contained as a bath in a chamber in each stage of the condenser, and the carrier gas is bubbled through the bath to condense the condensable fluid into the bath. Energy from condensation is recovered to a coolant in a conduit that passes through the liquid in the stages of the condenser. The bubble-column vapor mixture condenser can be used, e.g., in a humidification-dehumidification system for purifying a liquid, such as water. | 12-26-2013 |