A separation system separates a first liquid from a compound liquid. Examples of the compound liquid are seawater, brine, rainwater, wastewater, biofuel precursors, lactic acid, or fruit juice. A plate heat exchanger includes at least one evaporation channel and at least one condensation channel. The compound liquid flows through the evaporation channel where the first liquid evaporates from the compound liquid into a gas. A direct heat exchanger further evaporates the first liquid into the gas. The gas flows from the direct heat exchanger through the condensation channel where the first liquid condenses and is thereby separated from the compound liquid.

A system for distributed utilities including electrical power and water. A generation device is provided for converting an available resource to a desired utility; the resource may be water, in which case the generator is a purifier for purifying untreated water, or, alternatively, the generator may convert a fuel to electrical power. In either case, an input sensor is provided for measuring input to the generation device, while an output sensor is provided for measuring consumption of output from the generation device. The monitoring system has a controller for concatenating measured input and consumption of output on the basis of the input and output sensors. Measured parameters are telemetered to a remote site where utility generation and use are monitored and may also be controlled. At least a portion of the electrical power capacity of the electric generation unit may power a water purification unit such as a vapor compression distillation unit, and heat output of the electric generation unit may supply heat to the water purification unit.

The invention relates to a gas desorption unit and a process for desorbing gas absorbed in an absorption liquid, and a gas separation process. A gas desorption unit, comprising an assembly of plates, wherein plates comprise a corrugated part comprising ridges and valleys, and a first channel there between, adapted for counter-current flow of said gaseous and liquid stream in said first channel, and a said second channel for a liquid stream in counter-current flow with the liquid stream in the first channel, wherein a first channel comprises a corrugated part of a first plate comprising ridges crossing with ridges of the corrugated part of a second plate, and wherein a second channel comprises ridges of a corrugated part of a second plate comprising ridges aligned with valleys of a corrugated part of a third plate.

This disclosure relates to a distillation system for concentrating a feed liquid that includes a condensation unit an adjacent evaporation unit, each unit being provided by a frame element. Each frame element includes a feed side and an opposite steam side, an outer area including a plurality of channels including a feed channel, a concentrate channel, two steam channels, and a distillate channel, an open inner area encased by the outer area and limited by the feed side and the opposite steam side, a first group including a connection notch on the feed side and connecting some of the channels with the inner area. Each frame element further includes a second group of connection notches on the steam side and connecting other channels with the inner area. The system further includes sealing elements configured to connect adjacent frame elements.

An evaporator for an absorption heat pump or a single coolant cooling process comprises a number of stacked plates provided with a pressed pattern to hold the plates on a distance from one another to form a heat exchanging strip, vapor leading spaces and outer walls, the heat exchanging strip being designed such that flow channels are formed by internal surfaces of the strip, said flow channels connecting a heat carrier inlet and a heat carrier outlet, wherein a coolant forms a falling film on external surfaces of the heat carrier channels by being provided above the heat carrier channels by a coolant inlet, wherein coolant being vaporized from the external surfaces by heat from a heat carrier flowing from the inlet to the outlet rapidly enters the vapor leading spaces. The vapor leading spaces are provided between the heat exchanging strip and the outer walls.

An interconnected open-pore 2.5D Cu/CuO foam-based photothermal evaporator capable of achieving a high evaporation rate of 4.1 kg m.sup.2 h.sup.1 under one sun illumination by exposing one end of the planar structure to air is disclosed. The micro-sized open-pore structure of Cu/CuO foam allows it to trap incident sunlight, and the densely distributed blade-like CuO nanostructures effectively scatter sunlight inside pores simultaneously. The inherent hydrophilicity of CuO and capillarity forces from the porous structure of Cu foam continuously supply sufficient water. Moreover, the doubled working sides of Cu/CuO foam enlarge the exposure area enabling efficient vapor diffusion. The feasible fabrication process and the combined structural features of Cu/CuO foam offer new insight into the future development of solar-driven evaporators in large-scale applications with practical durability.

An aqueous stream cleaning system including a circulation pump to receive a waste fluid and/or a concentrated liquid bottoms stream, and expel a circulation stream. The aqueous stream cleaning system can also include a primary heat exchanger to receive the circulation stream from the circulation pump. The primary heat exchanger can have a plurality of heat exchange plates that define an internal surface area for heat transfer from a distillate stream to the circulation stream to produce a cooled distillate stream and a heated circulation stream. The plurality of heat exchange plates can be spaced to facilitate free flow of solids in the circulation stream between the plurality of heat exchange plates. A mass flow rate and pressure of the circulation stream can be configured to minimize build-up of solids in the primary heat exchanger. The aqueous stream cleaning system can further include an evaporation unit to receive the heated circulation stream from the primary heat exchanger. The distillate stream is formed when steam in the heated circulation stream evaporates in the evaporation unit, and the concentrated liquid bottoms stream is formed from a portion of the heated circulation stream that does not evaporate.

An aqueous stream crystallization system including a circulation pump to receive a waste fluid and/or a concentrated liquid bottoms stream and expel a circulation stream. The aqueous stream cleaning system can also include a primary heat exchanger. The primary heat exchanger can have a plurality of heat exchange plates that define an internal surface area for heat transfer from a distillate stream to the circulation stream. The plurality of heat exchange plates can be spaced to facilitate free flow of solids in the circulation stream between the plurality of heat exchange plates. A mass flow rate and pressure of the circulation stream can be configured to minimize build-up of solids in the primary heat exchanger and maximize crystallization of waste materials. The aqueous stream cleaning system can further include an evaporation unit to receive the heated circulation stream from the primary heat exchanger.

A separation system separates a first liquid from a compound liquid. Examples of the compound liquid are seawater, brine, rainwater, wastewater, biofuel precursors, lactic acid, or fruit juice. A plate heat exchanger includes at least one evaporation channel and at least one condensation channel. The compound liquid flows through the evaporation channel where the first liquid evaporates from the compound liquid into a gas. A direct heat exchanger further evaporates the first liquid into the gas. The gas flows from the direct heat exchanger through the condensation channel where the first liquid condenses and is thereby separated from the compound liquid.