Solar chimney-based liquid desiccation system with a thermally-regenerating desiccator

Abstract

A novel solar chimney-based liquid desiccation system includes a solar collector, an embedded desiccator with a novel structure, and a heated chimney. The solar collector heats up an incoming external airflow with solar radiation, and mobilizes the heated air to pass through the embedded desiccator. The embedded desiccator contains a liquid solution or another content that can undergo a thermal transfer process upon contacting the heated air from the solar collector. Typically, this thermal transfer process involves desiccation of the liquid solution and vaporization of some liquid or other elements. This desiccation process may be utilized to separate liquid from remaining contents, or as a purification process. The embedded desiccator is further connected to the heated chimney with a heated inner surface to minimize undesirable reflux and condensation within the chimney structure. A liquid recovery unit may also be added to the system to collect condensed liquid after desiccation.

Claims

1. A solar chimney-based desiccation system comprising: a solar collector with a surface area to accumulate and absorb solar radiation and convert the solar radiation into thermal energy, wherein the solar collector heats a quantity of air coming into the solar collector through a solar collector entrance; an embedded desiccator with an internal space to deposit a liquid solution inside and operatively connected to the solar collector to receive a solar-heated quantity of air from the solar collector through a solar collector-to-desiccator pipe, wherein at least a portion of the liquid solution is vaporized after contact with the solar-heated quantity of air, which is directed into the embedded desiccator, and wherein the embedded desiccator additionally incorporates a heat-absorbing exchanger and at least one of a fluid collection pathway, a pooling collector, a pump element, and a loop-back pipe to improve a fluid evaporation efficiency of the solar chimney-based desiccation system; and a heated chimney operatively connected to the embedded desiccator to receive and expel a vapor-enriched quantity of air containing vapors from the liquid solution to an external environment outside the solar chimney-based desiccation system, wherein an interior surface of the heated chimney is heated above a dew point of the vapors to prevent reflux and condensation of the vapors alongside the interior surface of the heated chimney, as the vapors rise through the heated chimney.

2. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 1, further comprising an input tank operatively connected to the embedded desiccator to deposit the liquid solution, wherein the input tank is located above the embedded desiccator to enable gravity feeding of the liquid solution.

3. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 1, further comprising an output tank operatively connected to the embedded desiccator through an output pipe to drain a desiccated or processed remainder of the liquid solution, wherein the output tank is located below the embedded desiccator to enable gravity-assisted draining of the desiccated or processed remainder of the liquid solution.

4. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 1, wherein the interior surface of the heated chimney is heated by an electric heater, a fuel furnace, solar insolation, or a combination thereof.

5. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 1, further comprising a solar tracker operatively connected to the solar collector to enable a dynamic adjustment of the solar collector's orientation to maximize insolation from Sun during daylight hours.

6. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 1 wherein the embedded-desiccator is a thermally-regenerating desiccator.

7. A solar chimney-based desiccation system comprising: a solar collector with a surface area to accumulate and absorb solar radiation and convert the solar radiation into thermal energy, wherein the solar collector heats a quantity of air coming into the solar collector through a solar collector entrance; an embedded desiccator with an internal space to deposit a liquid solution inside and operatively connected to the solar collector to receive a solar-heated quantity of air from the solar collector through a solar collector-to-desiccator pipe, wherein at least a portion of the liquid solution is vaporized after contact with the solar-heated quantity of air, which is directed into the embedded desiccator, and wherein the embedded desiccator additionally incorporates a heat-absorbing exchanger and at least one of a fluid collection pathway, a pooling collector, a pump element, and a loop-back pipe to improve a fluid evaporation efficiency of the solar chimney-based desiccation system; a heated chimney operatively connected to the embedded desiccator to receive and expel a vapor-enriched quantity of air containing vapors from the liquid solution to an external environment outside the solar chimney-based desiccation system, wherein an interior surface of the heated chimney is heated above a dew point of the vapors to prevent reflux and condensation of the vapors alongside the interior surface of the heated chimney, as the vapors rise through the heated chimney; and a liquid recovery condenser system operatively connected between the embedded desiccator and the heated chimney, wherein the liquid recovery condenser system contains a cold internal surface area to cool the vapor-enriched quantity of air containing the vapors coming out of the embedded desiccator but before entering the heated chimney, wherein at least a portion of the vapors are condensed as liquid in a liquid collection container inside or operatively connected to the liquid recovery condenser system.

8. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 7, further comprising an air transfer tube connecting the solar collector entrance and the liquid recovery condenser system to preheat the quantity of air coming into the solar collector with a thermal energy recovered during condensation of the vapors coming out of the embedded desiccator, wherein the air transfer tube provides a heat recapture and an energy-conserving feedback loop to the solar chimney-based desiccation system.

9. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 7, further comprising an input tank operatively connected to the embedded desiccator to deposit the liquid solution, wherein the input tank is located above the embedded desiccator to enable gravity feeding of the liquid solution.

10. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 7, further comprising an output tank operatively connected to the embedded desiccator through an output pipe to drain a desiccated or processed remainder of the liquid solution, wherein the output tank is located below the embedded desiccator to enable gravity-assisted draining of the desiccated or processed remainder of the liquid solution.

11. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 7, wherein the interior surface of the heated chimney is heated by an electric heater, a fuel furnace, or by solar insolation.

12. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 7, further comprising a solar tracker operatively connected to the solar collector to enable a dynamic adjustment of the solar collector's orientation to maximize insolation from Sun during daylight hours.

13. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 7 wherein the embedded-desiccator is a thermally-regenerating desiccator.

14. A solar chimney-based desiccation system comprising: an embedded desiccator with an external air entrance to receive a quantity of unheated external air and an internal space to deposit a liquid solution inside, wherein at least a portion of the liquid solution is vaporized after contact with the quantity of unheated external air to become a vapor-enriched quantity of air, which is then directed into a solar collector operatively connected to the embedded desiccator, and wherein the embedded desiccator additionally incorporates a heat-absorbing exchanger and at least one of a fluid collection pathway, a pooling collector, a pump element, and a loop-back pipe to improve a fluid evaporation efficiency of the solar chimney-based desiccation system; the solar collector with a surface area to accumulate and absorb solar radiation and convert the solar radiation into thermal energy, wherein the solar collector heats the vapor-enriched quantity of air coming from the embedded desiccator; and a heated chimney operatively connected to the solar collector to receive and expel a solar-heated and vapor-enriched quantity of air containing vapors originating from the liquid solution to an external environment outside the solar chimney-based desiccation system, wherein an interior surface of the heated chimney is heated above a dew point of the vapors to prevent reflux and condensation of the vapors alongside the interior surface of the heated chimney, as the vapors rise through the heated chimney.

15. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 14, wherein the interior surface of the heated chimney is heated by an electric heater, a fuel furnace, solar insolation, or a combination thereof.

16. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 14, further comprising a solar tracker operatively connected to the solar collector to enable a dynamic adjustment of the solar collector's orientation to maximize insolation from Sun during daylight hours.

17. The solar chimney-based desiccation system of claim 14, wherein the embedded desiccator is a thermally-regenerating desiccator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a novel solar chimney-based desiccation system with a solar collector, an embedded desiccator, and a heated chimney, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system with an addition of a liquid recovery condenser system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 shows the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system with an addition of an air transfer tube that allows an airflow to pass through the liquid recovery condenser system before entering the solar collector, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a completed desiccation system based on the novel solar chimney with input and collection tanks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

(5) FIG. 5 shows an example of a heat exchanger functioning as a liquid recovery condenser system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

(6) FIG. 6 shows a novel solar chimney-based desiccation system with a desiccator, a solar collector, and a heated chimney in a non-heated desiccation configuration, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

(7) FIG. 7 shows a thermally-regenerating desiccator with a porous pad inside a desiccation chamber, a heat-absorbing exchanger, a pooling collector, a pump element, and a loop-back pipe, wherein the thermally-regenerating desiccator is a new type of the embedded desiccator as element 104 in FIGS. 1-4 and FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency.

(9) In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.

(10) The detailed description is presented largely in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processing, and/or other symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble a novel solar chimney design and a related desiccation system. These process descriptions and representations are the means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.

(11) Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the Specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, separate or alternative embodiments are not necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

(12) One objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel solar chimney, which is specifically optimized for a desiccation system, minimizing inefficiencies associated with reflux to improve liquid removal efficiencies from a contained body of a liquid solution.

(13) Another objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel solar chimney-based desiccation system that removes liquid from a contaminated liquid supply, minimizes inefficiencies associated with reflux, and incorporates an inexpensive and easily-manufacturable liquid reclamation system.

(14) Yet another objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel solar chimney-based desiccation system with a subsystem that enables the temperature of the water or solution being desiccated to be stabilized at, near, or above the ambient temperature.

(15) Yet another objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel solar chimney-based desiccation system with a novel energy recapture component to preheat an incoming airflow before the incoming airflow enters a solar collector for improved operating efficiencies of the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system.

(16) For the purpose of describing the invention, a term herein referred to as “desiccation” is defined as a process of vaporizing, dehumidifying, and/or drying out liquid. In various embodiments of the invention, the liquid undergoing this “desiccation” process may be water or another substance in a liquid state.

(17) Likewise, for the purpose of describing the invention, a term herein referred to as a “desiccator” is a device designed to vaporize, dehumidify, and/or dry out liquid within the device. For example, a desiccator may vaporize a pool of water or another pool of liquid with an incoming flow or an addition of heat into the device.

(18) As shown in FIGS. 1-7 and related descriptions, various embodiments of the present invention are focused on novel structures, components, and features that improve efficiency and performance of solar chimney-based desiccation. Apparatuses described herein may operate as an integrated solar chimney and dehumidification (i.e. airflow-based drying) system that accommodates efficient and effective removal of water or another liquid from an effluent using solar and available environmental energy nearby.

(19) A thermally-regenerating desiccator is a novel desiccator with a unique structure that enables the re-acquisition of thermal energy by the water or solution being dried after it has been removed due to evaporation. Unlike a conventional desiccator in which water does not move, or a swamp cooler in which the cooled water is intermingled with the solution to create a pool of cooled water, the novel, thermally-regenerating desiccator moves the cooled water into a heat-absorbing exchanger to enable the cooled water to absorb heat from the environment. Once heated, the re-heated water then flows back into the airflow. This novel structure and functionality of the thermally-regenerating desiccator, which can be integrated into at least some embodiments of the solar chimney-based desiccation system, has the effect of stabilizing the temperature of the water and therefore stabilizing its ability to vaporize in the airflow.

(20) FIG. 1 shows a novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100) with a solar collector (101), an embedded desiccator (104), and a heated chimney (103), in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the solar collector (101) is configured to absorb solar radiation during daylight hours and to transform the solar radiation into thermal energy. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention, a solar collector angle adjuster (106) may be utilized to tilt or adjust the surface angle of the solar collector (101) to optimize its solar radiation reception efficiency relative to the current orientation of the Sun. In addition, in some embodiments of the invention, the solar collector (101) may integrate a solar tracker to further optimize its solar radiation reception efficiency relative to the current orientation of the Sun.

(21) The thermal energy converted by the solar collector (101) from the solar radiation is then utilized to heat a quantity of air enclosed inside the solar collector (101). As the enclosed column of air warms up, it becomes buoyant and expands its volume upward. Simultaneously, the heated chimney warms the air contained therein, increasing its temperature and buoyancy. This buoyancy allows the warmed air inside the solar collector (101) to be directed into an embedded desiccator (104) as the air in the chimney rises and exits.

(22) As illustrated in FIG. 1, the embedded desiccator (104) contains liquid solution part of which is to be converted into vapor. The liquid solution contained in the embedded desiccator (104) interacts with the incoming flow of the warmed air originating from the solar collector (101) through a solar collector-to-desiccator pipe (105). The incoming warmed air from the solar collector (101) is relatively low vapor content with low entrained vapor, compared to the equilibrium vapor pressure of the solution inside the embedded desiccator (104). Therefore, when the liquid solution inside the embedded desiccator (104) is brought into contact with the incoming warmed air through the solar collector-to-desiccator pipe (105), the liquid in the solution expeditiously evaporates into the air inside the embedded desiccator (104). This raises the vapor content of the air inside the embedded desiccator (104), and significantly increases the vapor content of the incoming warmed air, as it passes through the embedded desiccator (104). This particular component configuration and the related functionality of the embedded desiccator (104) in the solar chimney-based desiccation system (100) are part of novel aspects of the present invention, relative to conventional solar chimney designs.

(23) The high vapor content air inside the embedded desiccator (104) then moves through a heated chimney (103) and exits out of the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100) towards an external atmosphere. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the interior surface of the heated chimney (103) is sufficiently heated to reduce or eliminate reflux, which is an undesirable phenomenon that causes operating inefficiencies in conventional solar chimney designs due to frequent liquid condensation.

(24) Furthermore, the heating of the interior surface of the heated chimney (103) increases thermal energy to the vapor-infused air passing through the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100), thus enabling the egressing air to become additionally buoyant. The interior surface heating of the chimney can be achieved by electrically-powered heating, direct solar heating of the chimney, or heating with other available thermal energy sources from the external environment near the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100). By heating the chimney that functions as an air exit pipe, the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100) becomes a thermal transistor through which airflow and entropy transfer are enabled by a seemingly small energy input to an open physical system capable of attracting useful external thermal energy.

(25) In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100), as illustrated in FIG. 1, allows outside air to enter an open physical desiccation system through a solar collector entrance (107), wherein the air is heated within the solar collector (101). Then, the heated air acquires liquid vapor in the embedded desiccator (104) and becomes vapor-infused, and exits the open physical desiccation system through the heated chimney (103).

(26) In contrast, unlike the novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100) as illustrated in FIG. 1, conventional solar chimney implementations typically exhibit low operating efficiencies due to the reflux phenomenon and other structural shortcomings. In particular, interior walls of conventional solar chimneys suffer from reflux-related moisture condensation and unintended thermal cooling by the external environment. As the processed air travels upward in a conventional solar chimney, a substantial portion of the vapors within the processed air condenses on the conventional solar chimney's interior surface due to reflux, which in turn impedes the velocity and the efficiency of air outflows from the conventional solar chimneys.

(27) FIG. 2 shows a second novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (200) with an addition of a liquid recovery condenser system (102) to the first novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100) previously illustrated in FIG. 1, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid recovery condenser system (102) is installed between the embedded desiccator (104) and the heated chimney (103). The liquid drains into a collection chamber (112)

(28) In the liquid recovery condenser system (102), condensable vapors present in the airflow come into contact with a colder surface, which facilitates a thermal energy transfer from the airflow to the colder surface. This energy transfer causes the condensable vapors to condense into a liquid state, which is then collected in a collection chamber (112) after being periodically or continuously transferred out of the container through a condensation exit hole in the liquid recovery condenser system (102).

(29) In some circumstances, the installation of the liquid recovery condenser system (102) may further improve the operating capacity and the efficiency of the second novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (200) by proactively and preemptively collecting condensed liquid that was temporarily vaporized in the embedded desiccator (104), before the airflow is further mobilized to the heated chimney (103) as an exit to the external environment. Yet in other circumstances, the installation of the liquid recovery condenser system (102) may be unnecessary, and a desiccation device designer may choose to implement the structure embodied in the first novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (100) instead, as previously illustrated in FIG. 1.

(30) In the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 2, the solar collector (101) is configured to absorb solar radiation during daylight hours and to transform the solar radiation into thermal energy. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention, a solar collector angle adjuster (106) and/or an integrated solar tracker may be utilized to tilt or adjust the surface angle of the solar collector (101) to optimize its solar radiation reception efficiency relative to the current orientation of the Sun. The thermal energy converted by the solar collector (101) from the solar radiation is then utilized to heat a quantity of air enclosed inside the solar collector (101). As the enclosed quantity of air warms up, it becomes buoyant and expands its volume upward. This buoyancy allows the warmed air inside the solar collector (101) to be directed into an embedded desiccator (104).

(31) As illustrated in FIG. 2, the embedded desiccator (104) contains a liquid solution from which a quantity of liquid is to be converted into vapor. The liquid solution contained in the embedded desiccator (104) interacts with the incoming flow of the warmed air originating from the solar collector (101) through a solar collector-to-desiccator pipe (105). The incoming warmed air from the solar collector (101) is relatively dry with low vapor content with low entrained vapor, compared to the equilibrium vapor pressure of the solution inside the embedded desiccator (104). Therefore, when the liquid solution inside the embedded desiccator (104) is brought into contact with the incoming warmed air through the solar collector-to-desiccator pipe (105), the liquid in the solution expeditiously evaporates into the air inside the embedded desiccator (104). This increases the vapor content of the air inside the embedded desiccator (104) as it passes through.

(32) The vapor-infused air inside the embedded desiccator (104) then passes through the liquid condenser recovery system (102) that contains a colder surface to activate a thermal energy transfer from the airflow to the colder surface. This energy transfer causes the condensable vapors contained in the humidified air to condense into liquid, which is then collected in a liquid collection container (112) after being periodically or continuously transferred out of the recovery system through a condensation exit hole in the liquid recovery condenser system (102). Subsequently, the airflow moves through the heated chimney (103) and exits out of the second novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (200) towards an external atmosphere. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the interior surface of the heated chimney (103) is sufficiently heated to reduce or eliminate reflux, which is an undesirable phenomenon that causes operating inefficiencies in conventional solar chimney designs due to frequent liquid condensation inside a conventional solar chimney.

(33) Furthermore, the heating of the interior surface of the heated chimney (103) increases thermal energy to the vapor-infused air passing through the second novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (200), thus enabling the egressing air to become additionally buoyant. The interior surface heating of the chimney can be achieved by electrically-powered heating, direct solar heating of the chimney, or heating with other available thermal energy sources from the external environment near the second novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (200). By heating the chimney that functions as an air exit pipe, the second novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (200) becomes a thermal transistor through which airflow and entropy transfer are enabled by a seemingly-smaller energy input to an open physical system capable of attracting useful external energy sources.

(34) As illustrated in FIG. 2, the second novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (200) allows outside air to enter an open physical desiccation system through a solar collector entrance (107), wherein the air is heated within the solar collector (101). Then, the heated air acquires vapors in the embedded desiccator (104) and becomes vapor-infused, after which condensed vapors can be preemptively collected by the liquid recovery condenser system (102), while the processed airflow exits the open physical desiccation system through the heated chimney (103). In some embodiments of the invention, the addition of the liquid recovery condenser system (102) may improve operating capacity and efficiency of a solar chimney-based desiccation system.

(35) FIG. 3 shows a third novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (300) with an addition of an air transfer tube (108) that allows an airflow to pass through the liquid recovery condenser system (102) before entering the solar collector (101), in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 3, the liquid recovery condenser system (102) is installed between the embedded desiccator (104) and the heated chimney (103), and also includes a novel air conduit between the liquid recovery condenser system (102) and the solar collector (101) with the air transfer tube (108).

(36) In the liquid recovery condenser system (102), condensable vapors present in the airflow come into contact with a colder surface, which facilitates a thermal energy transfer from the airflow to the colder surface. This energy transfer causes the condensable vapors to condense into a liquid state, which is then collected in a liquid collection container (112) after being periodically or continuously transferred out of the container through a condensation exit hole in the liquid recovery condenser system (102). This condensed liquid collection process enables the third novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (300) to recover some of the liquid that has been evaporated in the embedded desiccator (104).

(37) Importantly, in the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 3, the air transfer tube (108) in the third novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (300) allows an incoming airflow into the desiccation system from outside to also pass through the liquid recovery condenser system (102) first, before reaching the solar collector (101) for solar energy-based heating of the air. Preferably, the air transfer tube (108) is a separate piping element from an exhaust piping element that carries out a processed column of air from the embedded desiccator (104) to the heated chimney (103) through the liquid recovery condenser system (102).

(38) In some instances, utilizing the air transfer tube (108) may enable pre-heating of the incoming airflow through an ambient exposure to the thermal energy (i.e. heat) transferred out of the vapors near the exhausting piping element in the liquid recovery condenser system (102), thus providing an efficient energy recovery feedback loop in the third novel solar chimney-based desiccation system (300). The pre-heated incoming airflow is then directed to the solar collector (101) via the solar collector entrance (107) for solar heating, followed by a desiccation process in the embedded desiccator (104), and then by an exhaust process through the liquid recovery condenser system (102) and the heated chimney (103), as described previously for FIG. 2. The pre-heating of the incoming airflow by utilizing the air transfer tube (108) allows a higher starting ambient air temperature before heating up the air inside the solar collector (101), which improves the overall system efficiency for the novel solar chimney-based desiccation.

(39) A preferred embodiment (500) of the liquid recovery condenser system is illustrated in FIG. 5 as a heat exchanger. In this embodiment, air flows through the heat exchanger from 114 to 115, cooling a surface and carrying away heat from that surface. Enriched air containing a condensable component passes over the other side of the surface from 117 to 113, heating the surface and condensing the condensable component on the surface. The condensable component, now liquid, drips down and goes out through 116 at the bottom of the heat exchanger.

(40) Preferably, the liquid recovery condenser system utilizes two fluid flows. The air enters the liquid recovery condenser system through an opening (114), passes over a surface separating the cooler air from the warm vapor-infused air, and exits through a second opening (115). Simultaneously, the warm vapor-infused air enters the liquid recovery condenser system through an opening hermetically (117) and passes on the other side of the surface separating the cold and warm chambers of the liquid recovery condenser system. Liquid condenses on the cooled surface and drains to the bottom of the liquid recovery condenser system, exiting at through an opening in the bottom (116). The warm vapor-infused air continues out of the liquid recovery condenser system through an opening (113).

(41) FIG. 4 shows a completed desiccation system (400) based on the novel solar chimney design embodied in FIG. 3, with an input tank (110) for the embedded desiccator (104), an output tank (109) for the embedded desiccator (104), and an output pipe (111) connecting the output tank (109) to the embedded desiccator.

(42) In this embodiment of the invention, the input tank (110) is utilized to insert a liquid solution into the embedded desiccator (104), while the output tank (109) is utilized to drain a remaining, desiccated, and/or processed product out of the embedded desiccator (104). Preferably, the input tank (110) is positioned above the embedded desiccator (104) to be gravity-fed, and the output tank (109) and the output pipe (111) are generally positioned below the embedded desiccator (104) to enable gravity-assisted drainage of the remaining, desiccated, and/or processed product out of the embedded desiccator (104) without the use of an additional pump element. In other embodiments of the invention, pump elements may be necessary or desirable to accelerate liquid insertion or output drainage, at the discretion of a desiccation system construction designer.

(43) FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment (600) of a novel solar chimney-based desiccation system with the embedded desiccator (104), the solar collector (101), and the heated chimney (103) in a non-heated desiccation configuration. Optionally, this alternate embodiment (600) may also include a solar collector angle adjuster (106). In this embodiment of the invention, air enters the embedded desiccator (104) from an external environment, and comes into contact with a pool of liquid. A portion of the liquid vaporizes and is entrained in the airflow to form an enriched airflow with vaporized molecules.

(44) The embedded desiccator (104) is operatively attached to the solar collector (101), enabling air to flow freely between the two components. The enriched air then enters the solar collector (101) where photonic energy is absorbed and transformed into heat. Some quantity of the heat is transferred to the enriched air flow.

(45) As shown in FIG. 6, the heated chimney (103) is operatively attached to the solar collector (101) so that air may flow freely between them. The warm enriched air continues into the heated chimney (103) from the solar collector (101), rising through the chimney and exiting from the topmost opening into the environment. The heated chimney (103) is heated above the dew point of the liquid vapor traveling through, preventing condensation of the vapor as it moves through the heated chimney (103).

(46) FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a thermally-regenerating desiccator (700), which incorporates several novel structures and features, compared to a conventional desiccator design. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the thermally-regenerating desiccator (700) is utilized as a new type of the embedded desiccator (104), and is referred to herein interchangeably as an “embedded thermally-regenerating desiccator.” Preferably, the thermally-regenerating desiccator (700) is configured to fit into the solar chimney-based desiccation system as “element 104” in various embodiments (i.e. 100, 200, 300, 400, 600) of the system, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and FIG. 6. In the thermally-regenerating desiccator (700) as shown in FIG. 7, air flows through the desiccation chamber (120) by entering and exiting through two airflow ports (127) located opposite one-another in the desiccation chamber (120). A porous pad onto which liquid is pumped is inside the desiccation chamber (120). Water flowing over the porous pad flows into the bottom of the desiccation chamber (120) and into a fluid collection pathway (122). This fluid collection pathway (122) is operatively connected to a heat-absorbing exchanger (121) which draws heat from the environment into the fluid flowing through the fluid collection pathway (122). The fluid collection pathway (122) and heat-absorbing exchanger (121) are sized so as to bring the water or solution flowing through it approximately to the ambient temperature, in the environment and with the airflow rate and solution concentration being used. The water or solution flows into a pooling collector (125) where the bulk of the solution is housed. Finally, a pump element (126) pumps the water or solution back to the desiccation chamber (120) through a loop-back pipe (124).

(47) While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.