An electric water desalination assembly for desalinating water without burning fossil fuels includes an evaporator and a renewable electrical power generation system. The renewable electrical power generation system is electrically coupled to the evaporator for providing power to the evaporator. The evaporator is fluidly coupled to a source of salt water for boiling the salt water into desalinated steam. Additionally, the evaporator is fluidly coupled to the water desalination system for processing the desalinated steam into freshwater. Additionally, the water desalinating system is fluidly coupled to a freshwater distribution system. In this way the freshwater distribution system receives freshwater from the water desalination system.

Desalination systems, apparatus, and related methods for use with saline fluids are disclosed. A disclosed desalination system includes an HDH system including a humidifier and a dehumidifier that, together, are configured to process a first saline fluid to produce freshwater in the dehumidifier. The desalination system also includes an AD system operatively coupled to the HDH system. The AD system includes a first bed, a second bed, an evaporator, and a condenser that, together, are configured to process a second saline fluid to produce freshwater in the condenser. The condenser is configured to transfer heat exhausted by the first or second bed from a vapor, obtained from the second saline fluid, to air circulating through the humidifier and the dehumidifier to drive the HDH system. The evaporator is configured to provide a cooling effect.

A solar vapor generator includes an absorber to absorb sunlight and an emitter, in thermal communication with the absorber, to radiatively evaporate a liquid under less than 1 sun illumination and without pressurization. The emitter is physically separated from the liquid, substantially reducing fouling of the emitter. The absorber and the emitter may also be heated to temperatures higher than the boiling point of the liquid and may thus may be used to further superheat the vapor. Solar vapor generation can provide the basis for many sustainable desalination, sanitization, and process heating technologies.

A method for separating a volume of salt from a volume of seawater and producing a volume of fresh water. The method includes steps of: providing a support structure and at least one set of colanders of a separation assembly inside of the vessel of an apparatus, heating the volume of seawater, via at least one heating tube assembly of the apparatus, inside of the vessel; evaporating the volume of seawater to a volume of steam inside of the vessel; separating a volume of salt from the volume of seawater, via at least one set of colanders of a separation assembly of the apparatus, inside of the vessel; eliminating water droplets and the salt from the volume of steam, via at least one mist evaporator, inside of the vessel; and converting the volume of steam into a volume of fresh water, via at least one condenser, remote from the apparatus.

Solar thermal devices are formed from a block of wood, where the natural cell lumens of the wood form an interconnected network that transports fluid or material therein. The block of wood can be modified to increase absorption of solar radiation. Combining the solar absorption effects with the natural transport network can be used for various applications. In some embodiments, heating of the modified block of wood by insolation can be used to evaporate a fluid, for example, evaporating water for extraction, distillation, or desalination. In other embodiments, heating of the modified block of wood by insolation can be used to change transport properties of a material to allow it to be transported in the interconnected network, for example, heating crude oil to adsorb the oil within the block of wood.

A thermal utilization system is capable of producing power, storing energy via a chemical or and a hydropower-elevation means. It also capable of transport fluid as vapor over obstacles and terrains, as well as desalinate water. It may in some embodiments do all or some of these tasks simultaneously and with the same amount of energy. It may run with any source of energy including renewable energy sources such as solar energy, and wind. The system may use that energy to run a heat engine and, at the same time, stores that energy via chemical separation. When energy is needed, the system may withdraw the chemical substances and lets them interact to claim the energy back, and then use it to run a heat engine and desalinate water. Some parts of the system can be used for cooling and heating. The system may be configured to be an air conditioner unit or a refrigerator that has an internal back up energy storage.

A solar membrane distillation apparatus includes a housing comprising a light transmitting wall. A solar distillation membrane is positioned in the housing to receive solar radiation transmitted through the light transmitting wall. The solar distillation membrane includes a porous graphitic foam and a coating of a hydrophobic composition on the surface and pores of the graphitic foam. A water chamber within the housing is provided for retaining water adjacent to the solar distillation membrane. A vapor chamber is provided for collecting water vapor distilling through the solar distillation membrane. A condenser is provided for condensing distilled water vapor from the vapor chamber into liquid water. A separation membrane and a method of solar distillation are also disclosed.

A salt water desalination assembly includes a tank for containing salt water. The tank has an inverted cone therein that is positioned above the salt water thereby facilitating water vapor from the salt water to condense on the inverted cone. An input pipe extends into the tank to fill the tank with the salt water. A condensate pipe extends upwardly into the tank and the condensate pipe is aligned with the inverted cone to collect the condensed water vapor for subsequent use. A stand is vertically oriented and is positioned adjacent to the tank. A reflector is pivotally coupled to the stand and the reflector is exposed to sunlight. The reflector focuses the reflected sunlight onto the tank for heating the tank and thereby facilitate the salt water in the tank to be heated for producing the water vapor.

An inflatable non-imaging solar concentrator based concentrating solar thermal and photovoltaic system powered water desalination system comprises a concentrating electricity and heat cogeneration subsystem, a battery storage subsystem, a thermal storage subsystem with electric heater, a thermal power regeneration subsystem, and a water distillation system with electric heater. The inflatable non-imaging solar concentrator makes the concentrating system substantially low cost, and the hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic panels used to construct the cogeneration receiver make the system ultra-high efficient. The cogenerated thermal energy is stored in a thermal storage and the cogenerated electric energy is stored in a battery storage to heat the stored thermal energy to pre-set high temperature for thermal power regeneration. The thermal energy after thermal power generation is used to desalinize water with assistance of electric heater powered by the stored electricity. An extra conventional photovoltaic system is added to compensate the concentrating hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic system.

An apparatus, system and method to remove purified vapor from a contaminated fluid using energy. The apparatus comprises an inlet wherein contaminated fluid flows in the apparatus through the inlet; at least two outlets wherein a first outlet exits purified vapor and a second outlet wherein contaminated fluid with a portion removed as purified vapor exits the apparatus; an energy source that causes the contaminated fluid to heat to a temperature wherein at least a portion of the contaminated fluid is converted to purified vapor; at least two different flow paths from at least one inlet to the first outlet and second outlet, the first and second flow paths flow through at least a portion of the apparatus wherein differences causes the lighter purified vapor to take a different path than the heavier contaminated with the purified vapor exiting the first outlet and the contaminated fluid exiting the second outlet.