A heating system for use in the solar powered heating of water. The heating system is used in conjunction with a solar water farm to desalinate water. The water farm can be utilized on a variety of scales and can be applied to agricultural farms for large scale reclamation of deserts.

A system and method for decontaminating a fluid and recovered vapor, particularly processing and recycling water used in an oil zone steam process, utilizing a vaporizer-desalination unit to separate a contaminated water flow into a contaminated disposal flow and a clean water vapor flow. The contaminated water flow is recovered after separation from a combined oil and water flow from an oil well. The clean water vapor flow is preferably passed through a steam generator to produce the steam used in the oil zone steam process. The steam is injected into the oil zone of a designated well and then extracted as the combined oil and water flow. Once primed with sufficient external water, the system and method is designed to operate continuously with minimal replenishment because of the water/vapor/steam cycle.

A method and an apparatus for producing and providing sterile water comprising an inlet for process water; a recuperator for preheating process water and for cooling down the sterile water; a heating circuit comprising a pump, a heater for heating preheated process water and a heat retention section for keeping heated process water hot; a temperature sensor for measuring a current temperature of the sterile water leaving the heat retention section; a flow control valve located downstream of the temperature sensor; and a bypass between the flow control valve and the heater. The flow control valve keeps a volume flow in the heating circuit constant, the recuperator cools down the sterile water of a first partial volume flow, when such a first partial volume flow of sterile water is taken from the heating circuit, the bypass returns into the heating circuit a second partial volume flow of sterile water.

A continuous-feed vacuum distillation system with an integrated pre-heater is proposed. It operates continuously on the material to be distilled and heats such material to near-distillation or distillation temperature before it enters the distillation column. This eliminates the current practice of heating the feed material only to much lower temperatures in a feed vessel before it enters the distillation system and thereby eliminates the loss of distillation efficiency inherent in the conventional practice. Various alternative features of the claimed integrated pre-heater are also claimed.

Methods and systems for circulating hot air in a solar desalination system include a desalination structure having an air flow path defined between an external surface layer and an internal surface layer. A return flow conduit has a fan, a check valve, and a control valve. Saline water is delivered through a nozzle to provide a mist. An air flow within the air flow path is heated to form a hot air supply. The mist is heated with the hot air supply to form an evaporated fluid. The fan is operated to divert a diverted portion of the hot air supply into the return flow conduit to be mixed with an ambient air to form and heat the air flow. The volume of the diverted portion can be controlled with the control valve. The check valve prevents ambient air from entering the return flow conduit at a base end.

A method for circulating hot air in a solar desalination system includes providing a desalination structure having an air flow path defined between an external surface layer and an internal surface layer. A return flow conduit provides an internal fluid flow path. Saline water is pumped through a center column in a direction from the base towards the peak. The saline water is delivered through a nozzle that extends through a sidewall of the center column to provide a mist within the desalination structure exterior of the center column. An air flow within the air flow path is heated to form a hot air supply. The mist is heated with the hot air supply to form an evaporated fluid. A diverted portion of the hot air supply is delivered into the return flow conduit and mixed with an ambient air to form and heat the air flow.

A method may include providing a humidification-dehumidification unit proximate one or more abandoned wells, circulating a water feed through the one or more abandoned wells, using geothermal heat in the one or more abandoned wells to heat the water feed, directing the heated water feed to the humidification-dehumidification unit, and treating the heated water feed in the humidification-dehumidification unit to provide purified water.

A process for decontaminating a fluid and recovered vapor, particularly processing and recycling contaminated water, utilizing a vaporizer-desalination unit to separate a contaminated water flow into a contaminated disposal flow and a clean water vapor flow. The contaminated disposal flow may be dried and separated into recovered minerals utilizing heat from the clean water vapor flow to dry the contaminated disposal flow.

A water vending apparatus is disclosed. The water vending system includes a water vapor distillation apparatus and a dispensing device. The dispensing device is in fluid communication with the fluid vapor distillation apparatus and the product water from the fluid vapor distillation apparatus is dispensed by the dispensing device.

A method for water purification utilizing a cylindrical vessel containing a hydrocyclone nest. The heated contaminated water is fed into the nest, which includes a first set of hydrocyclones, at least one intermediate set of hydrocyclones, and a final set of hydrocyclones, the hydrocyclones in each set arranged in parallel, and each set arranged in series. The heated contaminated water is pumped into the cylindrical vessel such that the heated contaminated water enters a tangential inlet of each of the hydrocyclones, the hydrocyclones separate the heated contaminated water into steam and solids/concentrate, the steam exits through an overflow of the hydrocyclones and a first outlet of the cylindrical vessel, the solids/concentrate exit through an underflow of the hydrocyclones and into the subsequent set of hydrocyclones until the final set of hydrocyclones, and then out through a second outlet of the cylindrical vessel. The steam is condensed into purified water.