A system and method for distilling water is disclosed. The system comprises a heat source, and a plurality of open-cycle adsorption stages, each stage comprising a plurality of beds and an evaporator and a condenser between a first bed and a second bed, wherein each bed comprises at least two vapor valves, a plurality of hollow tubes, a plurality of channels adapted for transferring water vapor to and from at least one of the condenser or the evaporator, a porous media, a hygroscopic material, and a plurality of graphite flakes, and wherein each vapor valve connects a bed to either the condenser or the evaporator. The method utilizes a number of open-cycle adsorption stages operate in an alternating cycle of forcing and relaxing, whereby both the latent heat of vaporization and the latent heat of adsorption are multiply reused to distill water.

A laminar path distillation device receives gaseous and/or liquid condensate material from a condenser. The liquid material exits through a bottom-side portal while the gaseous material is further cooled by way of a chilled coil. Some, all, or substantially all of the gaseous material which enters the laminar path distillation device passes there-through in a laminar manner until exiting via an exit portal into an apparatus housing a cold trap. As such, the laminar path of the gas is pulled through via a vacuum and also, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, extends on a diagonal slant downwards through the laminar path distillation device or cow.

A laminar path distillation device receives gaseous and/or liquid condensate material from a condenser. The liquid material exits through a bottom-side portal while the gaseous material is further cooled by way of a chilled coil. Some, all, or substantially all of the gaseous material which enters the laminar path distillation device passes there-through in a laminar manner until exiting via an exit portal into an apparatus housing a cold trap. As such, the laminar path of the gas is pulled through via a vacuum and also, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, extends on a diagonal slant downwards through the laminar path distillation device or cow.

There is disclosed a desalinization apparatus, and methods related to desalinization. In an embodiment, a desalinization apparatus includes at least one port for receiving airflow therethrough, at least one port for receiving salt water therethrough, at least one output for providing outflow of pure water vapor, and at least one output for proving outflow of a mixture of water, salt and air; and a plurality of chambers for evaporating the salt water into the airflow, at least one of the chambers forming a plurality of ports arranged in a plurality of rows. In an embodiment, a method includes providing airflow to a desalinization apparatus; providing salt water to the desalinization apparatus; forming a vortex in the airflow to evaporate water vapor from the salt water; and providing the water vapor in the airflow to a condenser so as to obtain pure water.

Disclosed is a composite adsorbent material comprising three components, including a porous media, a hygroscopic material, and graphite flakes. Among the many different possibility considered, it may be advantageous for the porous media to be mesoporous silica or the hygroscopic materials to be calcium chloride, lithium bromide, or lithium chloride. It is considered that the graphite flakes may comprise 50 percent or less of the graphite flake-hygroscopic material composition, and certain embodiments may utilize between 15 and 30 percent graphite in the graphite flake-hygroscopic material composition. It is still further considered that the graphite flakes may advantageously be less than 300 microns in size, or may have an average number of carbon planes that is 100 or less. Additional materials may also be incorporated, including biologics, polymers, and catalysts.

There is disclosed a water purification apparatus and method, related to desalinization. In an embodiment, a water purification apparatus and method includes at least one port for receiving airflow therethrough, at least one port for receiving salt water therethrough, at least one output for providing outflow of pure water vapor, and at least one output for proving outflow of a mixture of water, salt and air; and a plurality of chambers for evaporating the salt water into the airflow, at least one of the chambers forming a plurality of ports arranged in a plurality of rows. In an embodiment, a method includes providing airflow to a water purification apparatus; providing salt water to the water purification apparatus and method; forming a vortex in the airflow to evaporate water vapor from the salt water; and providing the water vapor in the airflow to a condenser so as to obtain pure water.

There is disclosed a water purification apparatus and method, related to desalinization. In an embodiment, a water purification apparatus and method includes at least one port for receiving airflow therethrough, at least one port for receiving salt water therethrough, at least one output for providing outflow of pure water vapor, and at least one output for proving outflow of a mixture of water, salt and air; and a plurality of chambers for evaporating the salt water into the airflow, at least one of the chambers forming a plurality of ports arranged in a plurality of rows. In an embodiment, a method includes providing airflow to a water purification apparatus; providing salt water to the water purification apparatus and method; forming a vortex in the airflow to evaporate water vapor from the salt water; and providing the water vapor in the airflow to a condenser so as to obtain pure water.

A rectification column for multi-component mixture separation with internal heat and mass exchange, which ensures a heat and mass exchange in the film mode with internal reflux generation along the whole length of heat and mass exchange tubes and which allows for an increased efficiency, is proposed. The rectification column includes the rectifying/enriching section with the heat and mass exchange in its tubular and annular spaces being topped by a heat carrier distributor with a distributor chamber (17) on top of the heat carrier distributor in such a way that a higher pressure of fluid heat carrier in the distributor chamber (17) than in the annular space is allowed. The design of the distributor allows to separate an upper outlet for heat carrier vapors and a lower outlet for liquid heat carrier from the annular space completely from the fluid supply of fluid heat carrier in the distributor chamber. A feed-in device allows the multi-component mixture to enter the tubular spaces from below. A device for liquid phase (from the multi-component mixture) discharge from the rectification column. A heating medium vessel may be connected to the annular space and steam condenser of the heat carrier medium. One or more additional lower rectification section/s (19) with the heat and mass exchange in its tubular space of the tubes being aligned with the tubes may be provided directly below the enriching section. A steaming section, wherein the tubes and may be equipped with turbulators. The rectification column permits to extract intermediate fractions of the separated mixture with the help of appropriate devices installed below the enriching section.

A rectification column for multi-component mixture separation with internal heat and mass exchange, which ensures a heat and mass exchange in the film mode with internal reflux generation along the whole length of heat and mass exchange tubes and which allows for an increased efficiency, is proposed. The rectification column includes the rectifying/enriching section with the heat and mass exchange in its tubular and annular spaces being topped by a heat carrier distributor with a distributor chamber (17) on top of the heat carrier distributor in such a way that a higher pressure of fluid heat carrier in the distributor chamber (17) than in the annular space is allowed. The design of the distributor allows to separate an upper outlet for heat carrier vapors and a lower outlet for liquid heat carrier from the annular space completely from the fluid supply of fluid heat carrier in the distributor chamber. A feed-in device allows the multi-component mixture to enter the tubular spaces from below. A device for liquid phase (from the multi-component mixture) discharge from the rectification column. A heating medium vessel may be connected to the annular space and steam condenser of the heat carrier medium. One or more additional lower rectification section/s (19) with the heat and mass exchange in its tubular space of the tubes being aligned with the tubes may be provided directly below the enriching section. A steaming section, wherein the tubes and may be equipped with turbulators. The rectification column permits to extract intermediate fractions of the separated mixture with the help of appropriate devices installed below the enriching section.

Systems and methods for detecting coking in a wash bed of a vacuum pipe still with a sensing cable including an optical fiber sensor array aligned with a heating element disposed in the vessel. An optical signal interrogator is configured to measure a first temperature profile at a plurality of sensor locations to determine a flow distribution. An excitation source is configured to propagate at least one heat pulse through the heating element and the optical signal interrogator is configured to measure a second temperature profile corresponding to the heat pulse at the sensor locations. A control unit is configured to detect coking by determining one or more properties of the media exposed to the sensing cable at each of the plurality of sensor locations based on the second temperature profile corresponding thereto.