Solar evaporator capable of preventing salt deposition
By using a wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer and an inclined base design, combined with a liquid pump to circulate brine, the problem of salt deposition during seawater evaporation is solved, achieving efficient evaporation and brine recycling, thus improving the performance and lifespan of the solar evaporator.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-28
AI Technical Summary
During the solar evaporation process, seawater crystallizes and deposits on the surface of photothermal conversion materials, which reduces the efficiency of light absorption and heat conversion, and may corrode or damage the materials, shortening their service life.
The design employs a wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer and an inclined mounting base. It utilizes gravity to allow salt crystals to slide down along the salt drainage gaps. Combined with a liquid pump, it recycles the unevaporated brine, preventing salt scale from obstructing the photothermal conversion surface. Furthermore, it precipitates salt through a guide pipe and a sedimentation tank, thus achieving the recycling of brine.
It effectively prevents salt deposition from affecting evaporation efficiency, keeps photothermal conversion materials clean, improves water resource utilization, reduces energy consumption, and extends equipment life.
Smart Images
Figure CN224172507U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of seawater desalination technology, specifically to a solar evaporator that prevents salt deposition. Background Technology
[0002] Since the vast majority of water in nature is saltwater from the ocean, freshwater resources available for direct human use are extremely limited. Coupled with population growth and economic development, the demand for freshwater is increasing daily. However, these water resources are unevenly distributed in time and space, leading to severe water crises in many regions. Currently, common seawater desalination devices on the market include evaporation, ion exchange, and membrane types.
[0003] Solar evaporators utilize solar energy to evaporate water, representing a green and environmentally friendly water treatment technology. However, during the evaporation process, salt crystallizes and deposits on the surface of photothermal conversion materials. This salt crystallization forms a layer of scale on the surface of the photothermal conversion materials, which obstructs the surface of the materials, reducing light absorption and heat conversion efficiency, thereby lowering the performance of the entire evaporation system. The deposited salt may also cause corrosion or damage to the photothermal conversion materials, shortening their service life. To address these issues, a solar evaporator designed to prevent salt deposition is proposed. Utility Model Content
[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition properties. While current solar evaporators utilize solar energy to evaporate water, representing a green and environmentally friendly water treatment technology, the salt crystallizes and deposits on the surface of the photothermal conversion material during evaporation. This salt crystallization forms a layer of scale on the surface of the photothermal conversion material, which obstructs the surface, reducing light absorption and heat conversion efficiency, thus lowering the overall performance of the evaporation system. Furthermore, the deposited salt may corrode or damage the photothermal conversion material, shortening its service life.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition, comprising a support frame, an installation base fixedly connected above the support frame, the installation base being inclined, a high-level brine tank fixedly connected above the right side of the installation base, a sealing box fixedly connected above the installation base at the inclined surface, a corrugated photothermal conversion layer fixedly connected to the bottom surface inside the sealing box, at least six guide pipes fixedly connected above the corrugated photothermal conversion layer inside the sealing box, several liquid outlet holes opened at the bottom of the guide pipes, the upper ends of the guide pipes passing through the side wall of the sealing box and connecting to the high-level brine tank, the corrugated photothermal conversion layer having crests and troughs, and a salt drainage gap opened at the trough position on the upper surface of the corrugated photothermal conversion layer, the width of the salt drainage gap being less than one-third of the thickness of the corrugated photothermal conversion layer.
[0006] Preferably, the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer is composed of a black polyurethane foam substrate and copper sulfide nanoparticles loaded on the surface, forming a continuous wave-like structure. The height of the wave crest is 10-15 mm, the depth of the wave trough is 5-8 mm, the wavelength of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer is 20-30 mm, and the guide tube is set corresponding to the wave crest.
[0007] Preferably, a drainage groove is provided at the lower left side of the sealing box, a fresh water discharge groove is fixedly connected to the left side inside the sealing box, a drainage outlet is provided at the position of the fresh water discharge groove on the front side of the sealing box, and a transparent cover is fixedly connected to the top of the sealing box.
[0008] Preferably, the mounting base has a brine discharge trough on the left side, and two support rods are fixedly connected inside the support frame, with a sedimentation tank fixedly connected between the two support rods.
[0009] Preferably, a fixed connecting pipe is provided on the front side of the sedimentation tank, the end of which is connected to the front side of the brine discharge tank, and a three-way valve is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sedimentation tank.
[0010] Preferably, a support plate is fixedly connected to the lower right side of the support frame, and a liquid pump is fixedly connected to the upper part of the support plate. The output end of the liquid pump is connected to the right output port of the three-way valve through a water inlet pipe, and the output end of the liquid pump is connected to the high-level brine tank through a pipe.
[0011] Preferably, the transparent cover is made of double-layered tempered glass, with the inner layer coated with a hydrophilic coating.
[0012] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this utility model are:
[0013] 1. This utility model utilizes the undulating surface formed by the crests and troughs of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer. When salt crystals are deposited in the troughs, because the width of the salt discharge gap is less than 1 / 3 of the thickness of the photothermal layer, the salt particles are difficult to adhere to the photothermal conversion area of the crest. Furthermore, the inclined mounting base can use gravity to allow the salt to slide down along the salt discharge gap to the brine discharge tank, avoiding salt scale from blocking the photothermal absorption surface and maintaining long-term high-efficiency evaporation. The sedimentation tank and the liquid pump are linked to each other, and after the salt-containing wastewater is settled, the supernatant is pumped back into the high-level brine tank for recycling, reducing salt accumulation while improving water resource utilization and avoiding the performance degradation caused by salt concentration in traditional evaporators.
[0014] 2. The mounting base of this utility model is set at an angle, and with the help of the guide pipe, the brine is evenly distributed between the crests. Under the action of gravity, the brine flows along the crests to form a thin liquid film, which increases the evaporation area. At the same time, the inclined surface guides the fresh water condensate to the lower left side to collect and be discharged through the drain. The process is smooth and relies only on solar energy and gravity to complete the evaporation, salt discharge and condensation process without additional energy consumption. The liquid pump only operates at low power in the circulating brine, which reduces energy consumption, reduces salt accumulation and improves water resource utilization, and avoids the performance degradation caused by salt concentration in traditional evaporators. Attached Figure Description
[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;
[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention with the transparent cover removed;
[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer structure in this utility model;
[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle.
[0019] The numbers on the map are:
[0020] 1. Support frame; 2. Mounting base; 3. High-level brine tank; 4. Sealed box; 5. Transparent cover; 6. Drainage trough; 7. Corrugated photothermal conversion layer; 701. Crest; 702. Trough; 703. Salt discharge gap; 8. Guide pipe; 9. Freshwater discharge trough; 10. Drain outlet; 11. Brine discharge trough; 12. Support rod; 13. Sedimentation tank; 14. Connecting pipe; 15. Three-way valve; 16. Support plate; 17. Liquid pump; 18. Inlet pipe. Detailed Implementation
[0021] The following description is intended to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement it. The preferred embodiments described below are merely examples, and other obvious variations will occur to those skilled in the art.
[0022] Reference Figure 1-4As shown, a solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition capability includes a support frame 1, with a mounting base 2 fixedly connected above the support frame 1. The mounting base 2 is inclined, and a high-level brine tank 3 is fixedly connected to the upper right side of the mounting base 2. The high-level brine tank 3 can store a certain amount of brine to ensure the continuity of the evaporation process and reduce evaporation interruptions caused by insufficient brine supply. A sealing box 4 is fixedly connected above the mounting base 2 at the inclined surface. A corrugated photothermal conversion layer 7 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface inside the sealing box 4. At least six guide pipes are fixedly connected above the corrugated photothermal conversion layer 7 inside the sealing box 4. 8. Several liquid outlet holes are opened at the bottom of the guide pipe 8. The upper end of the guide pipe 8 passes through the side wall of the sealing box 4 and is connected to the high-level brine tank 3. The corrugated photothermal conversion layer 7 is provided with wave crests 701 and wave troughs 702. A salt discharge gap 703 is opened at the position of the wave trough 702 on the upper surface of the corrugated photothermal conversion layer 7. The width of the salt discharge gap 703 is less than one-third of the thickness of the corrugated photothermal conversion layer 7. The salt discharge gap 703 provides a channel for the discharge of salt. Under the action of gravity and liquid flow, salt particles can slide down along the gap and cannot accumulate on the wave crest 701, effectively preventing the impact of salt deposition on the photothermal conversion efficiency. Meanwhile, the narrow width of the salt discharge gap 703 can prevent a large amount of brine leakage and ensure the normal operation of the evaporation process. The inclined mounting base 2 utilizes gravity, allowing brine and fresh water to flow naturally along the inclined surface without the need for additional power equipment to move the liquid, thus reducing energy consumption and operating costs. At the same time, the inclined surface helps the brine and fresh water to be discharged quickly, improving the efficiency of evaporation and collection. The preferred inclination angle is 15°-30°.
[0023] Furthermore, the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer 7 is composed of a black polyurethane foam substrate and copper sulfide nanoparticles loaded on its surface, exhibiting a continuous wave-like structure. The height of the wave crest 701 is 10-15 mm, the depth of the wave trough 702 is 5-8 mm, and the wavelength of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer 7 is 20-30 mm. The black polyurethane foam substrate has excellent light absorption properties, effectively absorbing solar energy and converting it into heat energy. The copper sulfide nanoparticles loaded on its surface further enhance the photothermal conversion effect and improve the utilization rate of solar energy. The guide tube 8 is set corresponding to the wave crest 701. The height causes salt crystals to mainly deposit in the troughs 702, while the photothermal conversion surface of the crests 701 remains clean, preventing salt scale buildup. The narrow width of the salt discharge gaps 703 allows salt particles to slide down along the gaps under the influence of gravity and liquid flow, preventing them from accumulating on the crests 701. The liquid outlet at the bottom of the guide tube 8 can control the dripping speed and flow rate of the brine, allowing the brine to form a suitable liquid film thickness on the wavy photothermal conversion layer 7, which is beneficial for photothermal conversion and water evaporation.
[0024] Furthermore, a drainage groove 6 is provided at the lower left side of the sealed box 4, and a fresh water discharge groove 9 is fixedly connected to the left side inside the sealed box 4. A drain outlet 10 is provided at the position of the fresh water discharge groove 9 on the front side of the sealed box 4. A transparent cover plate 5 is fixedly connected to the top of the sealed box 4. The transparent cover plate 5 and the sealed box 4 form a greenhouse effect, which increases the temperature inside the sealed box 4 and enhances evaporation. The double-layer glass structure reduces heat loss and can store some heat at night, extending the evaporation time.
[0025] Furthermore, a brine discharge trough 11 is provided on the left side of the mounting base 2. Two support rods 12 are fixedly connected inside the support frame 1, and a sedimentation tank 13 is fixedly connected between the two support rods 12. The brine discharge trough 11 provides a discharge channel for unevaporated brine and precipitated salt, ensuring that the brine can be discharged from the sealed box 4 in a timely manner, avoiding the accumulation of brine in the sealed box 4 and affecting the evaporation efficiency. The sedimentation tank 13 can perform sedimentation treatment on the brine discharged from the brine discharge trough 11, so that the salt settles down, reducing the salt content in the brine and facilitating subsequent recycling.
[0026] Furthermore, a fixed connecting pipe 14 is provided on the front side of the sedimentation tank 13, and the end of the connecting pipe 14 is connected to the front side of the brine discharge tank 11. A three-way valve 15 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sedimentation tank 13. The three-way valve 15 can conveniently control the flow direction of the liquid in the sedimentation tank 13. When discharging salt particles, the sedimentation tank 13 is connected to the bottom outlet to discharge the salt particles. When it is necessary to circulate the clear liquid, the sedimentation tank 13 is connected to the water inlet pipe 18 to realize the recycling of the clear liquid. The operation is simple and convenient.
[0027] Furthermore, a support plate 16 is fixedly connected to the lower right side of the support frame 1, and a liquid pump 17 is fixedly connected to the upper part of the support plate 16. The output end of the liquid pump 17 is connected to the right output port of the three-way valve 15 through the water inlet pipe 18. The output end of the liquid pump 17 is connected to the high-level brine tank 3 through the pipe. The liquid pump 17 can pump the clear liquid in the sedimentation tank 13 back to the high-level brine tank 3, realize the recycling of brine, improve the utilization rate of water resources, and reduce costs. The way the output end of the liquid pump 17 is connected to the high-level brine tank 3 through the pipe is not shown in the figure, but is common knowledge that those skilled in the art can know.
[0028] Furthermore, the transparent cover 5 is made of double-layered tempered glass, with a hydrophilic coating on the inner layer. The double-layered tempered glass possesses high strength and good transparency, capable of withstanding certain external impacts to ensure the safety and stability of the device. Simultaneously, its transparency allows solar energy to fully enter the sealed box 4, while the hydrophilic coating on the inner layer guides condensate to flow towards the lower left side, enabling freshwater to quickly and smoothly flow into the freshwater discharge tank 9, thus improving the freshwater collection efficiency.
[0029] Working principle: First, seawater is pumped into the high-level brine tank 3 through an external pump. Using gravity, it drips evenly from the outlet at the bottom of the guide pipe 8 onto the crest 701 of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer 7. The seawater flows from the crest 701 to the trough 702, forming a thin liquid film. The wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer 7 absorbs solar energy and heats up, causing the water in the liquid film to evaporate rapidly. The water vapor rises to the transparent cover plate 5 and condenses to form fresh water. The hydrophilic coating on the inner side of the transparent cover plate 5 guides the condensate to flow to the lower left, flowing into the fresh water discharge tank 9 and finally exiting from the drain outlet 10 for collection. Unevaporated brine carries the precipitated salt along the trough 702. Salt 703 slides down through the gap and flows into the brine discharge tank 11 through the inclined surface of the mounting base 2. It then enters the sedimentation tank 13 through the connecting pipe 14. After the salt settles in the sedimentation tank 13, the three-way valve 15 is opened to connect the sedimentation tank 13 with the bottom outlet, while one side of the water inlet pipe 18 is closed. Then, the salt particles are discharged. After the salt particles are discharged, the sedimentation tank 13 is connected to the water inlet pipe 18 through the three-way valve 15. The clear liquid is pumped back to the high-level brine tank 3 by the liquid pump 17 through the three-way valve 15 for circulation and evaporation. The liquid pump 17 is used periodically to backwash the guide pipe 8 and the surface of the corrugated photothermal conversion layer 7 to further remove residual salt and keep the salt discharge channel unobstructed.
[0030] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely principles of this utility model. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition properties, characterized in that: Includes a support frame (1), with a mounting base (2) fixedly connected above the support frame (1). The mounting base (2) is inclined. A high-level brine tank (3) is fixedly connected above the right side of the mounting base (2). A sealing box (4) is fixedly connected above the mounting base (2) at the inclined surface. A wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer (7) is fixedly connected to the bottom surface inside the sealing box (4). At least six [unclear characters] are fixedly connected above the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer (7) inside the sealing box (4). A root guide tube (8) is provided with several liquid outlet holes at the bottom of the guide tube (8). The upper end of the guide tube (8) passes through the side wall of the sealing box (4) and is connected to the high-level brine tank (3). The wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer (7) is provided with wave crests (701) and wave troughs (702). A salt discharge gap (703) is provided on the upper surface of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer (7) at the position of the wave trough (702). The width of the salt discharge gap (703) is less than one-third of the thickness of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer (7).
2. The solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition capability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer (7) is composed of a black polyurethane foam substrate and copper sulfide nanoparticles loaded on the surface, and has a continuous wave-shaped structure. The height of the wave peak (701) is 10-15 mm, the depth of the wave trough (702) is 5-8 mm, the wavelength of the wave-shaped photothermal conversion layer (7) is 20-30 mm, and the guide tube (8) is set corresponding to the wave peak (701).
3. A solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition capability according to claim 1, characterized in that: A drainage groove (6) is provided on the lower left side of the sealed box (4). A fresh water discharge groove (9) is fixedly connected to the left side inside the sealed box (4). A drain outlet (10) is provided on the front side of the sealed box (4) at the position of the fresh water discharge groove (9). A transparent cover plate (5) is fixedly connected to the top of the sealed box (4).
4. A solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition capability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting base (2) has a brine discharge trough (11) on the left side. The support frame (1) has two support rods (12) fixedly connected inside. A sedimentation tank (13) is fixedly connected between the two support rods (12).
5. A solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition capability according to claim 4, characterized in that: The front side of the sedimentation tank (13) is fixedly connected to the pipe (14), the end of the pipe (14) is connected to the front side of the brine discharge tank (11), and a three-way valve (15) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sedimentation tank (13).
6. A solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition capability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support frame (1) is fixedly connected to the lower right side of the support plate (1), and a liquid pump (17) is fixedly connected above the support plate (16). The output end of the liquid pump (17) is connected to the right output port of the three-way valve (15) through the water inlet pipe (18), and the output end of the liquid pump (17) is connected to the high-level brine tank (3) through the pipe.
7. A solar evaporator with anti-salt deposition capability according to claim 3, characterized in that: The transparent cover (5) is made of double-layer tempered glass with a hydrophilic coating on the inner layer.