Water desalination using freeze crystallization and acoustic pressure shock waves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10246349-B2
Application number	US-201615350216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2016
Priority date	Aug 7, 2015
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A method of desalinating water through application of acoustic pressure shock waves to a slush to separate ice crystals from brine and recovering desalinated water from the separated ice crystals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of desalinating salt water provided into an enclosure comprising cooling the salt water to produce a slush, applying acoustic pressure shock waves directed by a reflector in an upward direction away from a bottom of the enclosure and against gravity to provide unidirectional movement of the shock waves to the slush to cause ice crystals to move toward a top of the enclosure and brine to settle at the bottom of the enclosure, recovering ice crystals separately from the brine, and thawing the ice crystals to obtain desalinated water.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recovering the desalinated water in a water collection chamber separately from the brine.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein cooling the salt water includes the use of hollow cold seeds.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the water collection chamber includes a porous membrane and further comprising applying acoustic pressure shock waves to the membrane to prevent clogging by residual salt particles as water is recovered through the membrane.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the water collection chamber includes a porous membrane and further comprising applying acoustic pressure shock waves to the membrane to prevent clogging by residual salt particles as water is recovered through the membrane.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein cooling the salt water includes the use of hollow cold seeds.

7. A water desalination system comprising:
at least a first enclosure with a top portion and bottom portion, wherein the first enclosure includes a salt water inlet, a brine-slurry outlet nearer the bottom portion of the first enclosure and a desalinated ice outlet nearer the top portion of the first enclosure;
a cooling means coupled to the first enclosure;
one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices including a reflector configured to provide unidirectional movement of the shock waves, wherein the one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices are coupled to the first enclosure to direct shock waves away from the bottom portion of the first enclosure; and
an ice collection pipe or containment coupled to the desalinated ice outlet of the first enclosure that includes a heat source to melt ice into desalinated water.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein a water collection chamber is coupled as a containment to the desalinated ice outlet of the first enclosure.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a brine slush reservoir coupled to the brine-slurry outlet of the first enclosure.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the water collection chamber includes a porous membrane and one or more acoustic shock wave devices positioned to direct shock waves to the porous membrane.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the cooling means includes a refrigeration coil.

12. The system of claim 7 , further comprising a second enclosure connected in series to the brine-slurry outlet of the first enclosure wherein the second enclosure includes:
a top portion and bottom portion, a brine-slurry outlet nearer the bottom portion of the second enclosure and a desalinated ice outlet nearer the top portion of the second enclosure;
a cooling means coupled to the second enclosure;
one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices including a reflector configured to provide unidirectional movement of the shock waves, wherein the one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices are coupled to the second enclosure to direct shock waves away from the bottom portion of the second enclosure; and
an ice collection pipe or containment coupled to the desalinated ice outlet of the second enclosure that includes a heat source to melt ice into desalinated water.

13. The system of claim 7 , further comprising a second enclosure connected in series to the desalinated ice outlet of the first enclosure wherein the second enclosure includes:
a top portion and bottom portion, a brine-slurry outlet nearer the bottom portion of the second enclosure and a desalinated ice outlet nearer the top portion of the second enclosure;
a cooling means coupled to the second enclosure;
one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices including a reflector configured to provide unidirectional movement of the shock waves, wherein the one or more acoustic pressure shock wave devices are coupled to the second enclosure to direct shock waves away from the bottom portion of the second enclosure; and
an ice collection pipe or containment coupled to the desalinated ice outlet of the second enclosure that includes a heat source to melt ice into desalinated water.

Assignees

• Sanuwave Inc

Inventors

• Cioanta Iulian
• Jackson John

Classifications

• C02F2303/22

  Eliminating or preventing deposits, scale removal, scale prevention (C02F1/042, C02F1/4602, C02F5/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• C01B5/02

  Heavy water; Preparation by chemical reaction of hydrogen isotopes or their compounds, e.g. 4ND3 + 7O2 ---> 4NO2 + 6D2O, 2D2 + O2 ---> 2D2O · CPC title

• B01D21/009

  Heating or cooling mechanisms specially adapted for settling tanks · CPC title

• B01D21/0084

  Enhancing liquid-particle separation using the flotation principle (flotation in general B03D1/00) · CPC title

• B03D3/04

  assisted by vibrations · CPC title