B01D5/006

Desalination unit with electricity generation
11235987 · 2022-02-01 ·

A system for processing saltwater or brackish water while recovering energy otherwise wasted in electricity generation by a natural gas generator or turbine. Heat in the generator exhaust is used to directly heat and process the water in the saltwater or brackish water into high quality steam, separating the majority of salt and contaminants from the water, and leaving potable water that can be permitted and released to the environment or sold for agricultural or industrial use such as oilfield activities. The system also captures and liquefies CO.sub.2 in the generator exhaust.

Gas-liquid separator

This gas-liquid separator is provided with: a tank part which stores and separates a refrigerant; and a pipe connection part forming outlet/inlet ports for the refrigerant from the tank part. The pipe connection part has: a first connection part having a first connection pipe which guides the refrigerant to an expansion valve; a second connection part having a second connection pipe through which the cooled refrigerant returns; a third connection part having a third connection pipe which guides the refrigerant to a compressor; a fourth connection part having a fourth connection pipe which guides the refrigerant into the tank part from an outdoor heat exchanger; and a first flow path switching valve which allows the inside of the tank part to communicate with the third connection pipe during heating operations, and allows the second connection pipe to communicate with the third connection pipe during cooling operations.

SOLAR POWERED WATER DESALINATOR AND METHOD
20220267172 · 2022-08-25 ·

A water desalinator that employs the use of solar concentration, evaporation and humidification, mimicking the natural hydrological cycle in a closed, modular vessel to produce freshwater from salt, brackish, brines and seawater, and a concentrate stream for further processing. Feed water is received and stored in a basin. Surface humidity is generated by the evaporation of basin water. A lens is used to focus sunlight, tracked the suns path based on biomimicry of a sunflower, on a thermal conductor. The thermal conductor has a rounded side-profile and generates a variable temperature across its radius. Water is pumped from the basin to a sprinkler head to be dripped or sprayed on the thermal conductor to generate water vapour. This water vapour consequently mixes with the air in the reaction vessel to increase system humidity. Humid air is removed from the reaction vessel and condensed in a condenser. Accordingly, the salinity concentration of input water is reduced from the output of the reaction vessel. Multiple reaction vessels or concentrators may be used in tandem to achieve improved performance.

Debinder for 3D printed objects
11235386 · 2022-02-01 · ·

A debinder provides for debinding printed green parts in an additive manufacturing system. The debinder can include a storage chamber, a process chamber, a distill chamber, a waste chamber, and a condenser. The storage chamber stores a liquid solvent for debinding the green part. The process chamber debinds the green part using a volume of the liquid solvent transferred from the storage chamber. The distill chamber collects a solution drained from the process chamber and produces a solvent vapor from the solution. The condenser condenses the solvent vapor to the liquid solvent and transfer the liquid solvent to the storage chamber. The waste chamber collects a waste component of the solution.

Distiller
09770676 · 2017-09-26 · ·

A distiller including an evaporator having at least one evaporation surface for evaporating liquid into vapor. At least one movable liquid applicator assembly has a wiper applicator which can move over the at least one evaporation surface, for wiping and applying a thin even film of the liquid on the at least one evaporation surface for evaporation.

Apparatus for diffusion-gap thermal desalination
09770673 · 2017-09-26 · ·

A thermal distillation apparatus including evaporation surfaces that are wetted with a solution, and from which at least some of the volatile solvent contained in the solution evaporates, condensers having an external surface in close proximity to, but not touching, a corresponding one of the one or more evaporation surfaces, and on which vapors of the solvent condense, releasing thermal energy that heats a flow of the solution moving upward within the condensers, spacers that prevent contact between the evaporating surfaces and the condensers, wherein spaces between the evaporating surfaces and the condensers are filled with a gaseous mixture composed of solvent vapor and one or more non-condensable gases, and except for diffusion of the solvent vapor relative to the non-condensable gases, the gaseous mixture is stationary.

METHOD TO RECYCLE PLASTICS, ELECTRONICS, MUNITIONS OR PROPELLANTS USING A METAL REACTANT ALLOY COMPOSITION
20170326603 · 2017-11-16 ·

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for recycling plastics, electronics, munitions or propellants. In particular, the method comprises reacting a feed stock with a molten aluminum or aluminum alloy bath. The apparatus includes a reaction vessel for carrying out the reaction, as well as other equipment necessary for capturing and removing the reaction products. Further, the process can be used to cogenerate electricity using the excess heat generated by the process.

Dewatering method using a wicking material
09770672 · 2017-09-26 ·

A wet material having at least a liquid portion is dewatered by providing one or more wicking members of wicking material arranged to transfer moisture passively by wicking therethrough from a contacting portion in contact with the wet material to an evaporating portion where the transferred liquid portion is arranged to be evaporated. In some embodiments conductive elements are included in the wicking member to assist in distributing heat across the wicking member which enhances the evaporation of moisture transferred therethrough from the wet material. In yet further embodiments, a condenser member is provided in proximity to the evaporating portion of the wicking member so as to be arranged to condense and collect at least some of the liquid portion evaporated from the wicking member.

High efficiency, large scale desalination system
09771278 · 2017-09-26 · ·

An apparatus and method for the distillation of ocean and brackish water that includes a means for using the ambient temperatures of seawater and air to continually transfer the heat energy, from the outer perimeters of the system, back into the, centrally located, evaporation chamber and insulation for preventing heat from escaping to the atmosphere. The insulation comprises a first and second wall surrounding the basic assemblies of a desalination system in which the space between the first and second wall is under low partial vacuum and is partially filled with an insulation material for structural support. The system provides a feed through means that prevent heat transfer through the structural connections between the first and second walls. The system provides an evaporation system for flash evaporation by atomizing the input contaminated water, preheated by the heat of condensation into very small liquid droplets, which are then sprayed into a stream of hot dry air. The liquid rapidly evaporates leaving behind hot dry solids that is recaptured and used to preheat the input contaminated water.

Method and Apparatus for Reclaiming Heat During Liquid Purification Using Heat Exchanges
20170268827 · 2017-09-21 ·

A system capable of providing a liquid purification process using heat regenerating or recovering via heat exchangers (“HEs”). The system, in one embodiment, includes a first set of thermal conductive channels (“TCC”), a second set of TCC, and a third set of TCC. The first set of TCC configured in a first HE is arranged in cylindrical shape which is able to surround or enclose a boiler. A function of TCC is to guide a liquid flow traveling through an HE. The second set of TCC configured in a second HE guides a second liquid flow traveling through the second HE. The third liquid flow such as a cold water stream, for example, flows through the third set of TCC adjacent to the first set of TCC and extracts heat from the first liquid flow such as hot purified water via TCC.