System and method for desalinization of water using solar thermal energy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10875788-B2
Application number	US-201716313808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2017
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A device and method of thermal-driven water treatment to fully separate water and solute using a heat source such concentrated solar thermal energy are disclosed herein. The claimed device is integrated to a multi-effect-distillation water treatment system to achieve high energy efficiency and 100% water extraction using high temperature solar thermal energy. In the disclosed water treatment system, water for reclamation is sprayed into droplets which fall into hot, dry air and creates very effective convective heat transfer between water droplets and hot airflow. During the heat transfer process, water is vaporized for pure water collection while the crystallized solute from the reclamation water to the bottom for collection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water desalinization system, the system comprising:
a multi-effect distillation system comprising an evaporation/distillation tank;
a full-separation tank; and
a source of heated air, the heated air having a temperature of ranging from about 100° C. to about 1000° C.,
wherein the water desalinization system is configured such that the heated air can be fed to the full-separation tank, a concentrated brine from the evaporation/distillation tank can be transmitted to the full-separation tank and atomized therein to form concentrated brine droplets, the concentrated brine droplets can be vaporized by the heated air and converted to a first steam and a salt/solute residue,
the first steam can be transmitted from the separation tank to a heat exchanger of the evaporation/distillation tank and condensed therein to form purified liquid water, and
saltwater/brackish water can be transmitted to the multi-effect distillation system, atomized to form droplets of saltwater/brackish water, and converted to a second steam and the concentrated brine when heated in the presence of the heat exchanger.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the source of heated air comprises a solar energy concentrator.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the solar energy concentrator is configured to concentrate solar energy and convert concentrated solar energy to thermal energy.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-effect distillation system comprises at least three evaporation/distillation tanks fluidically coupled in series, each configured for the transmission of steam, purified liquid water and concentrated brine from one evaporation/distillation tank to another evaporation/distillation tank through separate conduits.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is a condensation tube.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heated air has a temperature ranging from about 100° C. to about 400° C.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a saltwater/brackish water heating element to heat the saltwater/brackish water prior to transmission to the multi-effect distillation system.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the saltwater/brackish water heating element is fluidically coupled with the evaporation/distillation tank to transmit steam from the evaporation/distillation tank to the heating element.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a dry air source; and
a dry air humidifier coupled with the dry air source and the source of heated air, wherein
the humidifier is configured to add steam to the dry air to form humidified air and transmit the humidified air to the source of heated air.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a conduit to transmit steam from the evaporation/distillation tank to the source of heated air, to form a hot air and steam mixture in the source of heated air.

11. A water desalinization method, the method comprising:
supplying hot air or a hot air/steam mixture to a separation tank, the hot air or the hot air/steam having a temperature of ranging from about 100° C. to about 1000° C.;
converting a concentrated brine to concentrated brine droplets in the separation tank;
vaporizing the concentrated brine droplets in the separation tank with the hot air or the hot air/steam mixture to form a first steam and a salt/solute residue:
collecting the salt/solute residue in the separation tank;
transmitting the first steam to a heat exchanger in an evaporation/distillation tank of a multi-effect distillation system;
transmitting saltwater/brackish water to the evaporation/distillation tank;
converting the saltwater/brackish water to saltwater/brackish water droplets;
vaporizing the saltwater/brackish water droplets in the evaporation/distillation tank to form a second steam and the concentrated brine;
condensing the first steam to form purified liquid water in the heat exchanger; and
transmitting the concentrated brine to the separation tank.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the hot air or hot air/steam mixture is supplied by a source of heated air comprising a solar energy concentrator.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
concentrating solar energy with a solar energy concentrator;
converting the concentrated solar energy to thermal energy; and
heating air or an air/steam mixture to form the hot air or the hot air/steam mixture.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising heating the saltwater/brackish water prior to transmitting the saltwater/brackish water to the evaporation/distillation tank.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the multi-effect distillation system comprises at least three evaporation/distillation tanks fluidically coupled in series, each configured for the transmission of steam, purified liquid water and concentrated brine from one evaporation/distillation tank to another evaporation/distillation tank through separate conduits.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein each of the at least three evaporation/distillation tanks and the saltwater/brackish water is converted to saltwater/brackish water droplets in each evaporation/distillation tank.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein saltwater/brackish water is converted to saltwater/brackish water droplets and vaporized to form steam and a first concentrated brine in a first evaporation/distillation tank of the least three evaporation/distillation tanks, the first concentrated brine is converted to first concentrated brine droplets and vaporized to form steam and a second concentrated brine in a second evaporation/distillation tank of the least three evaporation/distillation tanks, and the second concentrated brine is converted to second concentrated brine droplets and vaporized to form steam and a third concentrated brine in a third evaporation/distillation tank of the least three evaporation/distillation tanks.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the third concentrated brine is converted to concentrated brine droplets in the separation tank.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
transmitting the second steam to a source of heated air; and
forming the hot air/steam mixture in the source of heated air.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
transmitting the second steam to a saltwater/brackish water heating element; and
heating the saltwater/brackish water with the second steam prior to transmitting the saltwater/brackish water to the evaporation/distillation tank.

21. A thermal-driven water treatment system, the system comprising:
a forward feed distillation system having at least one evaporation effect and at least one heat exchanger;
a full separation tank configured to receive concentrated brine from the at least one evaporation effect, wherein
a supplied air feed to the full separation tank is preheated by an air/steam mixture, the water to be reclaimed is atomized into droplets and made to pass through the air/steam mixture, thereby vaporizing the water droplets and leaving a salt/solute residue to be collected at the bottom of the full separation tank.

22. The water treatment system of claim 21 , wherein the source of thermal energy is solar power.

23. A thermal-driven method of treating water, the method comprising:
feeding water through a forward feed distillation system having at least one evaporation effect and at least one heat exchanger;
passing said water to a full separation tank (F ST) configured to receive a concentrated brine from the at least one evapora

Assignees

• Univ Arizona

Inventors

• Li Peiwen

Classifications

• B01L1/00

  Enclosures; Chambers (provided with manipulation devices or glove boxes B25J21/00) · CPC title

• B01D3/146

  Multiple effect distillation · CPC title

• C02F1/14 Primary

  using solar energy · CPC title

• C02F2103/08

  Seawater, e.g. for desalination · CPC title

• B01D1/00

  Evaporating ({evaporation in general, e.g. of liquids for gas phase reactions B01B1/005} ; removal of incrustation B08B; preparation of starch C08B30/00; sugar industry C13; prevention of incrustation C23F; drying solid materials or objects by evaporating liquids therefrom F26) · CPC title