Seawater desalination / power generation device capable of being intelligently regulated and controlled

Abstract

The invention discloses a sea water desalination / power generation device capable of being intelligently regulated and controlled, the sea water desalination / power generation device comprises a sea water desalination and collection device, an evaporation power generation module and an intelligent regulation and control module, the sea water desalination and collection device is a closed cover body, and the bottom of the sea water desalination and collection device is divided into a fresh water collection area and a sea water area; the evaporation power generation module is formed by supporting a porous MXene film by glass fibers; the intelligent regulation and control module is a soft hollow structure tubular actuator with light response performance, an evaporation power generation module is arranged at the top of the soft hollow structure tubular actuator, water absorption sponge is arranged in the soft hollow structure tubular actuator, one end of the water absorption sponge is connected with the evaporation power generation module, and the other end of the water absorption sponge is connected with a seawater area. The device can intelligently regulate and control the angle according to the sun motion direction, has the advantages of excellent light response performance and strong light tracking and self-adaptive capability, and increases the area of the evaporation power generation device illuminated by the sun and improves the efficiency of the evaporation power generation device due to the fact that the cross section is perpendicular to the incident light.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seawater desalination / generation device, and more particularly to a device that can desalinate seawater and generate electricity by intelligently adjusting the direction according to the azimuth of the sun's movement. Background Art

[0002] The global shortage of fresh water resources and energy crisis have given rise to a research boom in the technology of synchronous desalination and power generation by seawater evaporation. 96.5% of the water resources on the earth are seawater. Traditional desalination technologies such as reverse osmosis and distillation not only consume high energy, but also discharge high-concentration brine, threatening the marine ecosystem. At the same time, the pollution caused by fossil energy power generation has increased the environmental burden. Utilizing natural energy such as solar energy to drive seawater evaporation and realizing the integration of fresh water production and clean power generation has become a research direction with great strategic value.

[0003] At the same time, this technology converts seawater into fresh water through the evaporation process, and can provide autonomous water sources for islands, arid coastal areas and offshore operation platforms. Compared with the daily power consumption of tens of thousands of tons of traditional desalination plants, the solar evaporation system only needs natural light to operate, significantly reducing energy consumption. The steam kinetic energy generated synchronously can also be converted into electric energy, forming a "fresh water + electricity" dual output mode. It is estimated that a system driven by renewable energy can reduce carbon emissions by more than 80% and avoid ecological damage caused by direct discharge of concentrated brine.

[0004] Existing seawater desalination / generation devices include a glass fiber supported carbon paste (GCB) thin film designed with a simple inclined structure as an efficient solar thermal evaporator, which can achieve a fast evaporation rate and effectively enhanced evaporation-induced electric energy. The prepared GCB thin film has excellent hydrophilicity and fast photothermal response, providing a simple method for realizing the co-production of fresh water and electricity using common and inexpensive carbon materials. The 3D solar evaporator has been greatly optimized compared with the 2D one. The 3D solar evaporator can re-use scattered and reflected light through multiple reflections, thereby enhancing the absorption of sunlight, so the evaporation rate and water production are both significantly improved. The absorbed solar energy is concentrated at the water / air interface of the photothermal material to improve the photothermal absorption and conversion efficiency.

[0005] In practical applications, solar evaporation power generation devices face a challenge, namely the impact of the changing position of the sun on efficiency. Due to the rotation and revolution of the earth, the solar azimuth angle and altitude angle change continuously over time and seasons. Most existing devices adopt a fixed structure design and it is difficult to track the sun's trajectory in real time. This results in the angle at which the device receives sunlight not always being in the optimal state. When sunlight shines obliquely, the effective photo-thermal absorption area decreases, and part of the light is reflected or scattered, directly affecting the photo-thermal conversion efficiency. For example, the absorption rate reaches 85% when the sun is vertically incident at noon, while it may drop sharply to less than 50% during the early morning and evening when the sun shines obliquely. The energy conversion chain is thus weakened in two ways: insufficient photo-thermal conversion directly affects the evaporation rate, and the decrease in evaporation amount restricts the power generation efficiency. Actual test data shows that the daily power generation of fixed devices is 30-40% lower than the ideal value, equivalent to wasting about 4.5 kWh of solar energy resources every day. This greatly reduces the economic efficiency of the equipment, and the sun tracking ability of the equipment becomes particularly important. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides an intelligent controllable seawater desalination / power generation device, which can intelligently adjust the angle according to the sun's movement azimuth, has excellent light response performance, strong light tracking and self-adaptive capabilities. Since the cross-section is perpendicular to the incident light, the area of the evaporation power generation device irradiated by the sun is increased, and the efficiency of the evaporation power generation device is improved.

[0007] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] An intelligent controllable seawater desalination / power generation device, comprising a seawater desalination collection device, an evaporation power generation module and an intelligent control module, wherein:

[0009] The seawater desalination collection device is an enclosed cover body, and the bottom of the device is divided into a fresh water collection area and a seawater area;

[0010] The evaporation power generation module is composed of a glass fiber-supported porous MXene film;

[0011] The intelligent control module is a soft hollow-structured tubular actuator with light response performance. One or more evaporation power generation modules are arranged on the top of the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator. An absorbent sponge is arranged inside the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator. One end of the absorbent sponge is connected to the evaporation power generation module, and the other end is connected to the seawater area. The absorbent sponge absorbs seawater from the bottom and transports it to the evaporation power generation module through the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator. The seawater evaporates here to generate electricity. The water vapor touches the top cover of the device, condenses into liquid water, and flows along the top cover to the fresh water collection area, thereby realizing seawater desalination to obtain fresh water.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0013] 1. Excellent light response performance: Under sunlight irradiation of 100 mw / cm 2 , it can bend 90° towards the light source within 20 seconds, with a fast response speed.

[0014] 2. Strong light tracking and adaptive ability: With a unique hollow structure and symmetric shape ( Figure 3 intelligent regulation module), the actuator can quickly sense, continuously track, and adaptively interact with incident light at all zenith angles and azimuth angles in three-dimensional space. In the experiment, it can accurately respond to near-infrared light at different angles, track the light source in real time, and has a high tracking accuracy. Similar to the adaptive phototropism of plant stems, it can always keep the cross-section perpendicular to the incident light and efficiently utilize light energy.

[0015] 3. As Figure 4 shown, the voltage of a 0.1-square-meter evaporation power generation device can rise to nearly 6V within five minutes, and the current can reach 100 uA. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an intelligent controllable seawater desalination / power generation device;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the evaporation power generation module;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the intelligent regulation module;

[0019] Figure 4 is a current-voltage measurement diagram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The technical solutions of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings, but are not limited thereto. Any modification or equivalent replacement of the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention shall be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

[0021] The present invention provides an intelligent controllable seawater desalination / power generation device, which is composed of a seawater desalination collection device, an evaporation power generation module, and an intelligent regulation module, wherein:

[0022] As Figure 1 shown, the seawater desalination collection device is a closed spherical cover. The bottom of the device is divided into a fresh water collection area and a seawater area, which store the desalinated fresh water and the original seawater respectively. The seawater area is located below the top cover. The water vapor generated by the evaporation of seawater in the device touches the transparent top cover of the device, condenses into liquid water, and flows along the top cover to the fresh water collection area of the device, thereby realizing seawater desalination to obtain fresh water.

[0023] As Figure 2As shown, the evaporation power generation module is composed of a glass fiber-supported porous MXene film. This porous MXene film has hydrophilicity, enabling water to continuously penetrate and evaporate under the action of capillary force. Its internal channels are negatively charged. According to the double-layer theory, when water flows, anions in the channels are repelled, and cations (H3O + +) preferentially pass through and accumulate downstream, generating a potential difference. The continuous evaporation of water drives capillary flow, continuously strengthening this process, thereby forming a stable potential difference at both ends of the porous MXene film to achieve continuous power generation. The shaded part in the figure is the carbon tape, which can supply power to other devices after being connected to the wire as an electrode material.

[0024] As Figure 3 shown, the intelligent regulation module is a soft hollow-structured tubular actuator with light-responsive performance. One or more evaporation power generation modules are arranged at the top of the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator. The interval between adjacent evaporation power generation modules is greater than or equal to 6 cm to ensure that during the change of the intelligent regulation module, the light-receiving area of adjacent evaporation power generation modules will not be blocked, and the evaporation power generation modules are connected by wires above and below respectively. A water-absorbing sponge is arranged inside the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator. One end of the water-absorbing sponge is connected to the evaporation power generation module, and the other end is connected to the seawater area. Under sunlight irradiation, the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator will form a temperature gradient on the light-irradiated surface and the shaded surface, generating asymmetric bending deformation. The bending deformation will cause self-shading on the unirradiated side, resulting in a temperature decrease, thus restoring to the state before deformation, and then automatically repeating this cycle. Installing the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator on the bottom surface inside the spherical cover, the actuator can perform intelligent autonomous regulation according to the position of sunlight irradiation, maximizing the light-receiving area and utilization efficiency of the device, thereby improving the evaporation efficiency per unit area.

[0025] In the present invention, the specific preparation method of the evaporation power generation module is as follows:

[0026] (1) Mix MXene, ethyl cellulose, terpineol, and ethanol in a mass ratio of 0.01 - 2:2 - 6:6 - 18:50 - 100, and stir on a hot plate at 70 - 100 °C for 12 - 24 h to obtain a uniform slurry.

[0027] (2) Ultrasonically clean glass fiber felts of the required size in ethanol and water for 1 - 10 minutes respectively, and then dry them at 50 - 80 °C for 1 - 5 hours.

[0028] (3) Use a scraper to coat the slurry on the glass fiber felt on a quartz plate to obtain a glass fiber (GM) film coated with MXene. The thickness of the film can be controlled by the volume of the added slurry.

[0029] (4) After the thin film is naturally air-dried for 1 to 10 hours, it is annealed in air at 200 to 400 °C for 0.5 to 5 hours.

[0030] (5) After cooling to room temperature, the above-mentioned GM thin film is peeled off from the quartz plate with a knife, and the GM thin film of the required size is cut from the prepared large-area thin film.

[0031] (6) Two carbon tapes are connected in parallel to the bottom end and the top end of the GM thin film as electrodes, and after being connected by wires, they can supply power to the device.

[0032] In the present invention, the specific preparation method of the soft hollow structure tubular actuator is as follows:

[0033] Method 1: Preparation of hollow tubular liquid crystal elastomer:

[0034] (1) The liquid crystal monomer is mixed with toluene according to a mass ratio of 1:0.1 to 1, and at a temperature of 50 to 80 °C, the liquid crystal monomer is dissolved into a solution, and then cooled to 20 to 35 °C. The liquid crystal monomer is one of 1,4-bis-[4-(3-acryloyloxypropoxy)benzoyloxy]-2-methylbenzene (RM257), 4-(4-((6-(acryloyloxy)hexyl)oxy)phenyl 4-((6-(acryloyloxy)hexyl)oxy)benzoate (C6BA PE), and 1,4-bis-[4-(6-acryloyloxyhexyloxy)benzoyloxy]-2-methylbenzene (RM82) systems.

[0035] (2) The cross-linked network system is added to the solution, and then, a photoinitiator is added to dissolve it into the solution, where: the cross-linked network system can be a mixture of pentaerythritol tetra(3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP) and 2,2′-(1,2-ethylenedioxydioxy)diethyl mercaptan (EDDET) (the mass ratio of the two is 1:4 to 5), a mixture of 2-phenylethylamine, furfurylamine and N,N'-(4,4'-methylenediphenyl)bismaleimide (BMI) (the mass ratio of the three is 1:1 to 5:1), and a mixture of triallyl isocyanurate (TATATO) and 3,6-dioxa-1,8-octanedithiol (EDDT) (the mass ratio of the two is 1:4 to 5), etc., and the mass ratio of the photoinitiator to the liquid crystal monomer is 0.64 to 1:100, and the photoinitiator is diethyl (tosyloxymethyl)phosphonate (DMPA).

[0036] (3) Diphenylamine (DPA) and toluene are mixed in a ratio of 1:50 to 100 to prepare a catalyst solution.

[0037] (4) The MXene nanomonomer is dispersed in the catalyst solution by ultrasonic stirring in an ice bath, and the mass ratio of the MXene nanomonomer to the catalyst solution is 0.1 - 1:15.

[0038] (5) The catalyst solution containing the MXene nanomonomer is added to the liquid crystal monomer solution at a ratio of 0.1 - 0.2:1, and vigorously mixed on a vortex mixer. After stirring and degassing, the reactants are quickly placed into a Teflon mold, and then a circular Teflon rod is inserted into the hole at a constant rate to avoid the generation of bubbles.

[0039] (6) The reaction mixture is placed in a vacuum drying oven for 0 - 24 hours to evaporate toluene.

[0040] (7) After demolding, the pre-polymerized tubular structure is longitudinally stretched and placed under UV light irradiation to obtain a soft hollow-structured tubular actuator.

[0041] Method 2: Preparation of hollow tubular hydrogel:

[0042] (1) 1 - 5 g of NIPAAM monomer, 0.1 - 1 g of cross-linking agent (N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide), 0.01 - 0.5 g of UV initiator (Darocur 1173) are dissolved in 6 - 20 g of solvent (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)), and 0.01 - 1 g of MXene is added;

[0043] (2) The mixed solution is poured into a Teflon mold and subjected to UV curing for 30 - 90 s;

[0044] (3) The cured gel structure is taken out of the mold and immersed in deionized water to remove the solvent, obtaining a soft hollow-structured tubular actuator.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] (1) Preparation of the evaporation power generation module:

[0047] 0.1 g of MXene, 0.2 g of ethyl cellulose, 0.6 g of terpineol, and 5 g of ethanol are mixed and stirred on a hot plate at 70 °C for 12 h to obtain a uniform slurry. The glass fiber mats of the required size are ultrasonically cleaned in ethanol and water for 10 minutes respectively, and then dried at 60 °C for 1 hour. The slurry is coated on the glass fiber mat with a scraper on a quartz plate, and the thickness of the film can be controlled by the volume of the added slurry. After air-drying naturally for 2 hours, the film is annealed in air at 350 °C for 2 hours. After cooling to room temperature, the GM film is peeled off from the quartz plate with a knife. The GM film of the required size is cut from the prepared large-area film. Then, two carbon tapes are connected in parallel to the bottom end and the top end of the GM film as electrodes.

[0048] (2) Preparation of the intelligent regulation module:

[0049] Add 1 g of RM257 into a 30 - milliliter vial. Add 40 wt% of toluene and heat it to 80 °C on a hot plate to dissolve RM257 into a solution. Then, cool the solution to room temperature. Next, add 0.0542 g of PETMP and 0.2289 g of EDDET. Subsequently, dissolve 0.0064 g of photoinitiator DMPA into the solution. Dilute DPA and toluene in a ratio of 1:50 to prepare the catalyst solution. Disperse 0.8 wt% of MXene nanomonomer in 0.142 g of the diluted catalyst solution by ultrasonic stirring in an ice bath for about 10 minutes. Add the above - mentioned catalyst solution containing MXene nanomonomer into the monomer solution and mix vigorously on a vortex mixer. After stirring and degassing, quickly put the reactants into a Teflon mold, and then insert a circular Teflon rod into the hole at a constant rate (the depth and diameter of the cylindrical cavity in the Teflon mold are 50 mm and 7 mm respectively, and the length and diameter of the Teflon rod are 70 mm and 5 mm respectively). Place the reaction mixture in a vacuum drying oven for 24 hours to evaporate toluene. After demolding, longitudinally stretch the pre - polymerized tubular structure by 200% and irradiate it with UV light (365 nm) for 15 minutes. Subsequently, a cross - linked soft and hollow - structured tubular actuator with an MXene concentration of 0.8 wt% is obtained. Place a water - absorbing sponge inside the hollow tube of the actuator, place the pre - made evaporation power generation module above the actuator, connect the water - absorbing sponge, and then put the whole device into a trapezoidal fresh - water collection device.

[0050] Example 2

[0051] The difference between this example and Example 1 is: Add 1 g of RM82 into a 30 - milliliter vial. Add 40 wt% of toluene and heat it to 80 °C on a hot plate to dissolve RM82 into a solution. Then, cool the solution to room temperature. Next, add 0.0542 g of TATATOP and 0.2289 g of EDDT. Subsequently, dissolve 0.0064 g of photoinitiator DMPA into the solution. Dilute DPA and toluene in a ratio of 1:50 to prepare the catalyst solution. Disperse 0.8 wt% of MXene nanomonomer in 0.142 g of the diluted catalyst solution by ultrasonic stirring in an ice bath for about 10 minutes. Add the above - mentioned catalyst solution containing MXene nanomonomer into the monomer solution and mix vigorously on a vortex mixer. After stirring and degassing, quickly put the reactants into a Teflon mold, and then insert a circular Teflon rod into the hole at a constant rate.

[0052] Example 3

[0053] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the preparation method of the soft and hollow-structured tubular actuator is as follows: 4 g of NIPAAM monomer, 0.2 g of crosslinking agent N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide, and 0.05 g of ultraviolet initiator Darocur 1173 are dissolved in 10 g of DMSO, and 0.03 g of MXene is added. The mixed solution is poured into a Teflon mold and subjected to ultraviolet curing for 60 s. The cured gel structure is taken out of the mold and immersed in deionized water to remove DMSO.

Claims

1. An intelligent controllable seawater desalination / power generation device, characterized in that The seawater desalination / generation device includes a seawater desalination collection device, an evaporation power generation module, and an intelligent control module, where: The seawater desalination collection device is an enclosed cover body, and the bottom of the device is divided into a fresh water collection area and a seawater area; The evaporation power generation module is composed of a glass fiber-supported porous MXene film; The intelligent control module is a soft hollow-structured tubular actuator with light-responsive performance. One or more evaporation power generation modules are arranged at the top of the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator. A water-absorbing sponge is arranged inside the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator. One end of the water-absorbing sponge is connected to the evaporation power generation module, and the other end is connected to the seawater area.

2. The seawater desalination / generation device capable of intelligent regulation according to claim 1, wherein The cover body is spherical.

3. The seawater desalination / generation device capable of intelligent regulation according to claim 1, wherein When there are multiple evaporation power generation modules, the interval between adjacent evaporation power generation modules is greater than or equal to 6 cm.

4. The intelligent controllable seawater desalination / power generation device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that The specific preparation method of the evaporation power generation module is as follows: (1) Mix MXene, ethyl cellulose, terpineol, and ethanol according to a mass ratio of 0.01-2:2-6:6-18:50-100, and stir on a heating plate at 70-100 °C to obtain a uniform slurry; (2) Ultrasonically clean glass fiber felts of required sizes in ethanol and water respectively, and then dry; (3) Coat the slurry on the glass fiber felt with a scraper on a quartz plate to obtain a GM film coated with MXene; (4) After the GM film is naturally air-dried, anneal it in air at 200-400 °C; (5) After cooling to room temperature, peel the GM film from the quartz plate, and cut the GM film of required size from the prepared film; (6) Connect two carbon tapes parallelly to the bottom end and the top end of the GM film as electrodes, and supply power to the device after being connected by wires.

5. The seawater desalination / generation device capable of intelligent regulation according to claim 4, characterized in that The stirring time is 12-24 h, the ultrasonic cleaning time is 1-10 minutes, the drying time is 1-5 hours, the air-drying time is 1-10 hours, and the annealing time is 0.5-5 hours.

6. The intelligent controllable seawater desalination / power generation device according to claim 1, wherein The specific preparation method of the soft hollow-structured tubular actuator is as follows: (1) Mix liquid crystal monomers and toluene according to a mass ratio of 1:0.1-1, dissolve the liquid crystal monomers into a solution at a temperature of 50-80 °C, and then cool to 20-35 °C; (2) Add a crosslinked network system to the solution, and then add a photoinitiator to dissolve it into the solution. Among them: the crosslinked network system is one of a mixture of PETMP and EDDET, a mixture of 2-phenylethylamine, furfurylamine, and BMI, and a mixture of TATATO and EDDT. The mass ratio of the photoinitiator to the liquid crystal monomer is 0.64-1:100; (3) Mix DPA and toluene in a ratio of 1:50-100 to prepare a catalyst solution; (4) Disperse MXene nanomonomers in the catalyst solution by ultrasonic stirring in an ice bath. The mass ratio of MXene nanomonomers to the catalyst solution is 0.1-1:15; (5) Add the catalyst solution containing MXene nano-monomer to the liquid crystal monomer solution at a ratio of 0.1 - 0.2:1, and mix vigorously on a vortex mixer. After stirring and degassing, quickly put the reactants into a Teflon mold, and then insert a round Teflon rod into the hole at a constant rate to avoid bubble generation; (6) Place the reaction mixture in a vacuum drying oven to evaporate toluene; (7) After demolding, longitudinally stretch the pre-polymerized tube and place it under UV light irradiation to obtain a soft hollow structure tubular actuator.

7. The seawater desalination / generation device capable of intelligent regulation according to claim 6, characterized in that The liquid crystal monomer is one of the RM257, C6BAPE, RM82 systems, and the photoinitiator is DMPA.

8. The seawater desalination / generation device capable of intelligent regulation according to claim 6, wherein The mass ratio of PETMP to EDDET is 1:4 - 5, the mass ratio of 2-phenylethylamine, furfurylamine and BMI is 1:1 - 5:1, and the mass ratio of TATATO to EDDT is 1:4 - 5.

9. The seawater desalination / generation device capable of intelligent regulation according to claim 1, wherein The specific preparation method of the soft hollow structure tubular actuator is as follows: (1) Dissolve 1 - 5 g of NIPAAM monomer, 0.1 - 1 g of crosslinking agent, 0.01 - 0.5 g of UV initiator in 6 - 20 g of solvent, and add 0.01 - 1 g of MXene; (2) Pour the mixed solution into a Teflon mold and carry out UV curing for 30 - 90 s; (3) Take out the cured gel structure from the mold and immerse it in deionized water to remove the solvent to obtain a soft hollow structure tubular actuator.

10. The seawater desalination / generation device capable of intelligent regulation according to claim 9, characterized in that The crosslinking agent is N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide, the UV initiator is Darocur 1173, and the solvent is DMSO.

Images