System and method for spontaneous regeneration of high deliquescence salts

Abstract

A novel entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator system incorporates two or more entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) connected to each other in a unique "ring" configuration to provide spontaneous regeneration of highly deliquescent salts and / or liquid draw solutions using an environmental heat as the primary heat source. The novel "ring" configuration of the EAs in the ECA-based regenerator accommodates an energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly heat circulation around the ECA, and removes a solvent from a draw solution to restore a higher concentration state of the draw solution. The efficient and environmentally-friendly regeneration of the draw solution from the novel ECA-based ring regenerator enables low-cost and robust operations and maintenance of sorption-based energy systems. Furthermore, a uniquely-novel aspect of an ECA-based ring regenerator is its ability to use lower concentration solutions to regenerate higher concentration solutions, or to use a single solution to concentrate a quantity of itself spontaneously.

Description

TITLE: System and Method for Spontaneous Regeneration of High Deliquescence SaltsINVENTORS: Sanza Kazadi, Roudy Ekyalongo, Jeremy Overcash, Nickolas StukelSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SPONTANEOUSREGENERATION OF HIGH DELIQUESCENCE SALTSRELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to a provisional application, US 63 / 634,929, which was filed on April 17, 2024. The contents of US 63 / 634,929 are fully incorporated by reference to the present application. Furthermore, the present application also claims priority to another provisional application, US 63 / 670,580, which was filed on July 12, 2024. The contents of US 63 / 670,580 are also fully incorporated by reference to the present application.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for spontaneously regenerating deliquescent salt solutions or other solutions and a hardware system or physical apparatus for achieving the regeneration.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Sorbents are substances that spontaneously absorb water vapor, either absorbing or adsorbing it. A class of sorbents is deliquescent salts. Deliquescent salts are widespread and varied, both in terms of their chemical properties and their uses. Examples of deliquescent salts include sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), magnesium chloride (MgCh), calcium chloride (CaCh), iron chloride (FeCL), lithium chloride (LiCl), copper nitrate (Cu(NO.3)2), sodium nitrate (NaNOs), a glycol, and lithium nitrate (LiNO.i). These salts absorb water vapor from the air spontaneously. Dry salt can rapidly transform into wet solutions by simply absorbing water vapor from the air.

[0004] The level of deliquescence varies from sorbent to sorbent. Some solid sorbents, like CaCL, capture so much water from air that they transform into liquid pools. Othersorbents, like NaCl or MgS04, become clumped, absorb just enough water at a standard temperature and pressure (STP) and relatively low humidity to become solidified, but not enough to change to a solution.

[0005] These very low deliquescence sorbents are capable of being dried from a solution to crystals. The drying process enables the heat in the air to exert work on the salt solution. The energy to make this process occur originates from the air. It is not surprising that this kind of work can occur spontaneously, which is a similar spontaneous process for obtaining sea salt: evaporation using heat in the air removes the water and leaves the crystals.

[0006] Processes that spontaneously use sorbents to exert a meaningful amount of work, such as drawing water out of a liquid into the salt solution through an osmosis membrane, can be made to move forward again once they stop by removing the salt solution, drying it, and replacing it in the osmosis chamber. The energy required to regenerate the salt is sourced from the air.

[0007] This is in contrast to very highly deliquescent sorbents, which readily absorb water vapor from the air. These sorbents cannot be dried without an injection of energy significant enough to evaporate the water. Since the natural state of the water is to be part of a liquid solution rather than vapors in the air in a gaseous state, the extra energy required to transform water into vapors also necessitates a relatively high temperature. Delivering this energy at high temperature represents the major energy input for the system.

[0008] Open sorption systems, which are driven by a concentration gradient to move heat into or out of a secondary process, use evaporation to remove the water from the draw solution. However, this process uses high temperature heat to preheat the solution, after which the removal of water via airflow is a result of the input of thermal energy to the system rather than the flow of heat from the air into the liquid. It is therefore limited by the thermal input rather than the ambient heat energy of the air in the airflow.

[0009] Analogs to sorbents, which absorb water vapor from the air, are a large class of additional substances which absorb varied solvent vapors from the air. A large number of hydrocarbons have very high vapor pressures, similar to, or even exceeding that of water. Moreover, they are miscible with other hydrocarbons which have very low vaporpressures. Solutions of the high and low hydrocarbons behave like water-based sorbents and water, with the high vapor pressure hydrocarbons being absorbed into the solutions in the same way as water is absorbed into salt solutions or water-based solutions. As our technological approach functions for a wide range of solutions and substances, the remainder of the document will use solutions to refer to solutions comprising any solvent and any dissolved or miscible low vapor pressure substance, whether they are water-based or not.

[0010] A regenerator is a device that removes a solvent from a solution, concentrating it. Most regenerators use pressure, heat, vacuum, airflow, osmotic process, or some combination of them in order to remove liquid from a draw solution. The most common types of regenerators, which regenerate water-based solutions, use heat and airflow to generate water vapor through evaporation and eliminate that water vapor by blowing air over the surface generating the vapor, carrying it away. In such a system, the energy used to generate the vapor and airflow is the energy input to the process. The heat energy amounts to no less than the product of the amount of liquid and the volumetric heat of vaporization.

[0011] The heat input to the regeneration process can be the largest energy use. Reducing this energy requirement can be accomplished for some liquid (e.g., water) solutions made with low deliquescence salts using simple airflow. The heat can be provided by the air itself when the vapor pressure is be sufficiently high to enable the evaporation.

[0012] Therefore, it may be advantageous to devise a novel method and a related apparatus for spontaneous regeneration of solutions using an environmental heat as the primary heat source. Furthermore, it may also be advantageous to devise a spontaneous solution regeneration method and a related apparatus that accommodate scalable energy outputs and / or scalable solvent-extracting capabilities.

[0013] Most regeneration systems are built using apparatuses which will fail in the case of a failure of any component of the system. When the systems are complex single element failure is a higher risk than less complex systems. As a result, it may also be advantageous to devise a fault-tolerant solution regeneration method and a related apparatus that incorporates novel fault-tolerant connection architectures. Moreover, it may also beadvantageous to devise an environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient method and a related apparatus for spontaneous regeneration of solutions.SUMMARY

[0014] Summary and Abstract summarize some aspects of the present invention. Simplifications or omissions may have been made to avoid obscuring the purpose of the Summary or the Abstract. These simplifications or omissions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, an entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator incorporating entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) connected to each other in a unique ring configuration is disclosed. This ECA-based regenerator comprises: (1) a first entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a first emitter chamber and a first receiver chamber, wherein the first receiver chamber contains a first solution; and (2) a second entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a second emitter chamber and a second receiver chamber, wherein the second emitter chamber contains a second solution and the second receiver chamber contains a third solution, and wherein the first emitter chamber of the first EA is either directly or indirectly connected to the second receiver chamber of the second EA via one or more intermediate vapor transfer pathways, and wherein the second emitter chamber of the second EA is connected to the first receiver chamber of the first EA via a loopback ring vapor transfer pathway to form the unique ring configuration in the ECA-based regenerator, which allows a solvent from the second solution in the second emitter chamber to evaporate and condense in the first receiver chamber of the first EA as a regeneration process.

[0016] In another embodiment of the invention, an entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator incorporating entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) connected to each other in a unique bifurcated ring configuration is disclosed. This ECA-based regenerator comprises: (1) a first entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a first emitter chamber and a first receiver chamber, wherein the first receiver chamber contains a first solution; (2) a second entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a second emitter chamber and a second receiver chamber, wherein the second receiver chamber contains a second solution, and wherein the first emitter chamber of the first EA is connected to the second receiver chamber ofthe second EA via a first loopback ring vapor transfer pathway; and (3) a third entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a third emitter chamber and a third receiver chamber, wherein the third receiver chamber contains a third solution and the third emitter chamber contains a fourth solution, and wherein the third emitter chamber of the third EA is connected to the second receiver chamber of the second EA via a second loopback ring vapor transfer pathway, and wherein the second emitter chamber of the second EA incorporates bifurcated vapor transfer pathways to connect to the first receiver chamber of the first EA and also to the third receiver chamber of the third EA, which completes a formation of the unique bifurcated ring configuration in the ECA-based regenerator and allows a solvent from the fourth solution in the third emitter chamber of the third EA to evaporate and condense in the second receiver chamber of the second EA as a regeneration process.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG. 1 shows an entrochemical amplifier (EA), in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows an EA configured as a condensing node, receiving vapor from multiple incoming connections, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows an EA configured as a forking node, producing vapor that is routed to multiple other connections, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates an energy pathway between two nodes, through several intermediate nodes, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates a parallel energy pathway in which energy is routed through two pathways between two nodes through several intermediate nodes on two separate paths, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates a linear entrochemical array (ECA) configuration, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates cross-linking between two energy pathways, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates two maximally cross-linked energy pathways between two nodes, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates an ECA configured as a ring, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates a single EA configured in self mode, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0027] FIG. 11 illustrates an entrochemical thermal energy transfer device, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0028] FIG. 12 illustrates an entrochemical processor, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0029] FIG. 13 illustrates a mixed entrochemical system, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0030] FIG. 14 illustrates a pure dilution ECA, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0031] FIG. 15 illustrates a bifurcated ring ECA configuration, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0032] FIG. 16 illustrates a partial distillation ECA, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0033] FIG. 17 illustrates a partial distillation ring ECA, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0034] FIG. 18 illustrates a minimal regeneration ECA, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0035] FIG. 19 illustrates data from experimental use of the regeneration ECA where a CaCh solution is self-concentrated to saturation, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0036] FIG. 20 illustrates a minimal distillation ring ECA, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0037] FIG. 21 illustrates a combined regeneration and distillation ring ECA, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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 method and a related apparatus for spontaneous regeneration of liquid solutions using an environmental heat as the primary heat source. 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] All publications, including patent documents, scientific articles, and / or databases referred to in this application, are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes to the same extent as if each individual publication were individually incorporated by reference. If a definition set forth herein is contrary to or otherwise inconsistent with a definition set forth in the patents, applications, published applications and other publications that are herein incorporated by reference, the definition set forth herein prevails over the definition that is incorporated herein by reference.

[0043] One objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel method and a related apparatus for spontaneous regeneration of liquid solutions using an environmental heat as the primary heat source.

[0044] Another objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a spontaneous solution regeneration method and a related apparatus that accommodate scalable energy outputs and / or scalable solvent-extracting capabilities.

[0045] Yet another objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a fault-tolerant spontaneous solution regeneration method and a related apparatus that incorporates novel fault-tolerant connection architectures.

[0046] In addition, another objective of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient method and a related apparatus for spontaneous regeneration of solutions.

[0047] Entrochemical amplifiers (EA) are devices that use heat of vaporization transfers to generate relatively warmed outflowing vapor compared to inflowing vapor. An exemplary EA is illustrated in FIG. 1. The exemplary EA is made up of two independent chambers. As shown in FIG. 1, the exemplary EA includes an emitter chamber containing a solution, and a receiver chamber containing a second solution. Between the two chambers is a thermal pathway (e g., an apparatus for passively transferring heat between the chambers, such as a thermally conducive surface) enabling heat to move spontaneously from the warmer chamber into the cooler chamber. Vapor enters the receiver chamber via a vapor transfer pathway, which is a type of an energy transfer pathway. It is through this pathway that vapor can freely move into (i.e., transmitted to) the receiver chamber. Vapor leaves the emitter chamber at a higher temperature than that entering the receiver chamber.

[0048] Typically, when in use, the receiver chamber contains a solution to receive vapor, such that the contents of the receiver chamber become diluted. Typically, when in use, the emitter chamber contains a solution to emit vapor, such that the contents of the emitter chamber become concentrated.

[0049] Solvent vapor enters the receiver chamber of a given EA through a vapor transfer pathway (i . e . , a type of an energy transfer pathway) connected to an entrochemical source (ESo) and / or an emitter chamber, and the solvent vapor is absorbed by the solution. Theabsorption delivers the heat of vaporization, less the heat of mixing and heat of dilution, to the sorbent, warming it. The heat is then transferred, in part, to the emitter chamber of the same EA through the thermal pathway. This warms the liquid in the emitter chamber, which produces vapor at a higher temperature than that entering the exemplary EA. The use of the EA increases (i.e., “amplifies”) the temperature of the incoming vapor, producing a warmer output vapor. This can happen spontaneously, and may need not be enabled by a secondary process.

[0050] An entrochemical source (ESo) is a device that produces solvent vapor which flows into one or more EAs. An ESo can include, but is not limited to, a storage tank, a vapor injector, a steam generator, and an emitter chamber of an EA. For instance, a tank containing a solution based on the solvent in use can be an ESo. Another example can be a container filled with a hydrate which, when heated, decomposes into a non-volatile substance and water. An ESo might also be active, as in a tank containing a solution that is actively heated by an external process.

[0051] An entrochemical sink (ESi) is a device that absorbs solvent vapor but does not produce more vapor. An ESi can include, but is not limited to, a storage tank, a vapor condenser, a refrigerator, and a receiver chamber of an EA. An example can be a chamber containing a desiccant solution which absorbs water vapor and incorporates it into the solution. Another example can be a container filled with a substance that chemically reacts with the water in a way that consumes it fully. An ESi might also be active, as in a condenser which transforms vapor to liquid and then transfers the heat out of the system.

[0052] An entrochemical array (ECA) is a collection of EAs, ESo’s, and / or ESi’s, wherein all EA emitter chambers or entrochemical sources produce vapor that is conveyed to at least one receiver chamber in the collection or entrochemical sink. All of the EAs, ESo’ s, and / or ESi’s in this array can be defined as ECA nodes. The existing vapor transfer pathways between one EA’s emitter chamber and another EA’s receiver chamber, between an ESo and an EA’ s receiver chamber, and / or between one EA’ s emitter chamber and an ESi, through which solvent vapor is conveyed, can be defined as connections.

[0053] An ECA node which receives vapor from multiple other ECA nodes can be defined as a condensing node. An exemplary EA configured as a condensing node is depicted in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, an exemplary partial ECA can contain a condensing node(003) that is fed by two additional nodes (002, 004). The connections (001) (i.e., vapor transfer pathways, or another type of energy transfer pathways) lead from the emitter chambers of the two nodes (002, 004) to the receiver chamber of the condensing node (003). The three nodes (002, 003, 004) in the example shown in FIG. 2 can be arranged in any position and / or order as long as the connections (001) illustrated in this particular configuration are maintained.

[0054] An ECA node which produces vapor that is conveyed, through multiple connections, to multiple other ECA nodes can be defined as a forking node. An exemplary EA configured as a forking node is depicted in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, an exemplary partial ECA can contain a forking node (003). The forking node (003) is connected from its emitter chamber through two connections (001) (i.e., vapor transfer pathways, or another type of energy transfer pathways) to the receiver chambers of two other nodes (002, 004), respectively. These three nodes (002, 003, 004) in the example shown in FIG. 3 can be arranged in any position and / or order as long as the connections (001) illustrated in this particular configuration are maintained.

[0055] If there is a set of nodes and connections in an ECA, this set of nodes and connections can be defined as “self-connecting,” if each of the connections connects the emitter of one of the nodes within this group to the receiver of one of the nodes within the same group. In such a “self-connecting” configuration, no connections connect to or from any of the nodes outside of this group of nodes.

[0056] Consider an entrochemical array (ECA) “A” made up of a set of nodes and their connections. Let two nodes in A be designated as a beginning node and an ending node. Suppose also that there is a finite subset of nodes in A (i.e., {Ai, A2, ..., AN}) in which AN is the ending node and Ai is the beginning node. Suppose also that a connection exists between each pair of nodes (Ai, Ai+i), connecting node i to node i+1. Then, the set of connections is an energy pathway between the beginning node and the ending node. An exemplary energy pathway between two nodes is depicted in FIG. 4.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4, there is an energy flow between the nodes (i.e., EAs) from the beginning node (006) and the ending node (007). This energy is carried via a series of connections (005) (i.e., vapor transfer pathways, heat transfer pathways, or another type of energy transfer pathways) from emitter chambers to receiver chambers arranged in alinear fashion from the beginning node (006) to the ending node (007) through the intermediate nodes (008). Energy is carried via vapor from the emitter in the beginning node (006) to a first receiver in a linear series of entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) (008). At each node, vapor is absorbed by the solution in the receiver, heat is transferred to the solution, and then transferred to the solution in the emitter. Then, the heat vaporizes a quantity of solution which is subsequently emitted into the connector. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the energy is eventually deposited in the ending node (007) in this energy pathway example.

[0058] Consider another entrochemical array (ECA) made up of a set of nodes “A” and connections. Let two nodes in A be designated as a beginning node and an ending node. Suppose that there exist two pathways between the beginning node and the ending node consisting of subsets of nodes C={Ai, A2, ..., AN} and D={Bi, B2, ..., BM } and their associated paths and that these sets are self-connecting. Note that the beginning node is denoted by Ai and Bi and the ending node is denoted by AN and BM. In this example, the ECA has parallel energy pathways between the beginning node and the ending node. Exemplary parallel energy pathways between two nodes through several intermediate nodes on two separate paths are depicted in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, two parallel energy pathways, each comprising a series of connections (005) (i.e., vapor transfer pathways, heat transfer pathways, or another type of energy transfer pathways), carry vapor and / or thermal energy from the emitter chamber in the beginning (i.e., “starting”) node (006) to the receiver chamber in the ending (i.e., “terminal”) node (007). The vapor and / or energy is carried through the series of connections (005) through two parallel energy pathways, wherein each pathway comprises a first set of nodes (008) or a second set of nodes (009), and wherein each node in the two sets of nodes is an entrochemical amplifier (EA). In the parallel energy pathway example shown in FIG. 5, the energy bifurcates from the beginning node (006), which is a forking node, as described in FIG. 3, into the two parallel energy pathways and condenses back at the ending node (007), which is a condensing node, as described in FIG. 2.

[0059] The meaning of these definitions derives from the function of the ECA. As shown in FIG. 6, for a linear configuration of nodes (e.g., EAs), the nodes are connected by a series of connections (005), which are vapor transfer pathways, heat transfer pathways,or another type of energy transfer pathways that carry the energy from one node to the next. Thermal energy originating in the leftmost node (i.e., the emitter chamber of the leftmost EA) eventually finds its way through each subsequent node and makes it to the rightmost node (i.e., the receiver chamber of the rightmost EA) in the example shown in FIG. 6. Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to such linear configurations of entrochemical arrays (ECAs). First, if any node fails along a linear configuration, the entire array fails. It is not fault tolerant. Furthermore, because the energy output (e.g., wattage) of any linear array is limited by the wattage of each of the nodes, a linear entrochemical array (ECA) cannot exceed the minimum wattage among the array components.

[0060] The most straightforward remedy for both the limitations described is the use of two parallel pathways, which allows the second pathway to be still functional in the event of a single node failure in the first pathway. Moreover, the use of the two pathways can increase the overall wattage or the energy output from an ECA. However, the two parallel pathway configuration is still susceptible to a systemic failure if a node in each pathway fails in the ECA.

[0061] Therefore, there exists a need to develop novel architectures that can achieve both a greater fault tolerance and a higher wattage than the linear configuration or the parallel pathway configuration. Described herein are novel entrochemical array (ECA) architectures that can achieve both a greater fault tolerance and a higher wattage than a linear configuration of an ECA. A novel ECA architecture disclosed herein incorporates a novel fault- tolerant structure to limit the overall impact of individual entrochemical amplifier (EA) failures on the overall functionality of an ECA, which contains a plurality of EAs.

[0062] Cross-linking is a novel structural configuration of an ECA to create fault-tolerant ECA architectures. In an entrochemical array (ECA), two independent energy pathways between two nodes A and B can be considered “cross-linked,” if there exists a connection between at least one EA along the first energy pathway and an EA along the second energy pathway. If an EA fails along the first energy pathway beyond the cross-linked connection, the vapor flow of the first pathway will be automatically rerouted to the second pathway, and thereby bypass the faulty EA and the remainder of the first pathway.Cross linking of EAs between at least two energy pathways enables an ECA to automatically adapt to failures of individual EAs and preserve the functionality of the ECA. Moreover, if each pathway is moving less energy than the maximum amount of energy possible along that pathway, the automatic rerouting enabled by the cross-linked structural configuration in the ECA accommodates preservation of some of the energy flux that would otherwise be lost from the malfunctioning pathway.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two parallel pathways can be considered to be maximally cross-linked if each of the EAs in the first pathway is linked with another EA from the second pathway, and if each of the EAs from the second pathway is linked with another EA from the first pathway. A maximally cross-linked pair of parallel pathways can enjoy very significant fault tolerance, making it far more robust than two linear energy pathways. Cross-linking may be used to create various fault- tolerant ECA configurations, such as dilution EGAs, distillation ECAs, and / or regeneration ECAs, which can perform the extraction and distillation of solvent from a contaminated effluent solution with greater fault tolerance and higher wattage than existing ECA configurations.

[0064] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an ECA comprises a number of EA units and connections, in which for every pair of nodes “A” and “B” within the ECA, there exists an energy pathway from A to B, and an energy pathway from B to A. In context of the preferred embodiment of the invention, this particular and unique structure is defined as a ring configuration, which is illustrated, for example, in FIG. 9, FIG. 12, FIG. 15, and FIG. 18. Furthermore, a minimal ring or self mode is defined herein as a single EA whose emitter is connected to its receiver, which is illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0065] If the ECA is configured to draw heat energy from an ESo and deliver it to an ESi, it is defined, in context of the present invention, as an entrochemical thermal energy transfer device. If an ECA is configured to circulate thermal energy among its nodes, instead of delivering the thermal energy to an ESi, it is defined, in context of the present invention, as an entrochemical processor. A Mixed entrochemical system contains at least one entrochemical processor, such as a ring, and at least one entrochemical thermal energy transfer device connected to other components in the system.

[0066] The value of the ring configuration may not appear obvious at first glance. The ring configuration circulates heat around the nodes. Since the circulation can be used to move solvent into the solutions, one application of this is the dilution of these solutions. This might be useful in various industrial processes where the solution is subsequently used in an industrial process involving the solvent.

[0067] In one embodiment of the invention, if the less concentrated solutions in the emitters and the higher concentration solutions in the receivers are identical in all nodes in a ring configuration except that one solution in an emitter chamber is significantly more concentrated than the receiver chambers, the rate of movement of the solvent out of the less concentrated solutions in the emitter chambers and into the more concentrated solutions in the receiver chambers is different. In this case, the rate at which the heat is moved around the ring will be high for all nodes other than the highest concentration solution. Because the rate of heat movement is unequal, heat tends to accumulate in the node containing the highest concentration solution, while heat is pulled from the node(s) immediately following that with the highest concentration solution in the ring. This thermal gradient will enhance the evaporation and transfer of solvent vapor from the highest concentration solution. In this way, the ring structure can enable the drying of higher concentration solutions using lower concentration solutions everywhere else in the ring. As a result, a spontaneous drying of higher concentrated solutions can be accomplished with lower concentration solutions.

[0068] In some embodiments, a dilution ECA is used to draw solvent from a contaminated effluent solution into a known sorbent solution. The diluted sorbent solution can be distilled in a distillation ECA to recover a pure solvent. In one embodiment, the higher concentration sorbent solution is regenerated in a regenerator, which in some cases, may be an ECA-based regenerator.

[0069] Described herein are systems and methods for recovering solvent from a contaminated effluent. The recovery of solvent as described herein can involve various entrochemical arrays (ECAs), such as dilution ECAs, distillation ECAs, and / or regeneration ECAs. Each type of ECA can contain a custom configuration of entrochemical amplifiers (EAs), wherein each EA includes a receiver chamber containing a sorbent and / or draw solution to receive vapor and / or be diluted, an emitter chambercontaining a solution to emit vapor and / or be concentrated, and / or an apparatus for passively transferring heat between the receiver chamber and the emitter chamber. Each type of ECA also can contain at least one vapor transfer pathway or another type of energy transfer pathway to connect various chambers of the EA.

[0070] In its simplest embodiment, to recover solvent from a contaminated effluent, a dilution ECA system can extract the target liquid solvent from a contaminated effluent solution through vaporization and then condensation of the solvent into a higher concentration draw solution to form a diluted draw solution. At the onset of the solvent transfer process, the contaminated effluent can be contained in at least one emitter chamber of the dilution ECA system, and the higher concentration draw solution can be contained in at least one receiver chamber of the dilution ECA system. Upon the completion of the solvent transfer process, the at least one emitter chamber can contain a concentrated contaminated effluent (e.g., contaminated solutes left behind after vaporization), and the at least one receiver chamber can contain a diluted draw solution. The solvent transfer process can remove contaminated solutes because the solutes may not vaporize and transfer with the targeted liquid solvent. Solutes may include organic compounds and dissolved solids.

[0071] In some embodiments, the diluted draw solution is transferred from the dilution ECA to a distillation ECA, in which the diluted draw solution is distilled to recover a pure solvent. In some embodiments, the higher concentration draw solution of the distillation ECA can be regenerated in a regeneration ECA.

[0072] I. Transfer of Heat and Matter Within ECA-Based SystemsIn some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein harness the equilibrium-seeking nature of an ECA-based system by dynamically transferring thermal energy across system elements (e.g., ECAs, vapor pathways, receiver and emitter chambers of the EAs) and capitalizing on differing colligative properties of dissimilar solution variants contained within the system. Distilling liquid from contaminated liquid effluent is used as a primary example throughout this disclosure; however, manipulation of other states of matter is foreseeable with adaptations to the disclosure.

[0073] Due to the purposefully designed structure of the ECA-based system and the dissimilar colligative properties of the solutions within the system, a transfer of heatand / or liquid and / or vapor naturally can initiate as the physically closed ECA-based system tries to reach chemical equilibrium. A thermal gradient can be created within each subsystem consisting of one or more emitter chambers and one or more connected receiver chambers resulting from energy release and absorption through evaporation and condensation, respectively. The deviation from starting temperature can change each solution’s colligative properties to create a dynamic pull through the system. Heat energy can transfer from deposition locations to other systemic elements as intentionally directed by physical system design. This resulting solution temperature can further manipulate colligative properties of each solution. Heat energy can enter the colder parts of the system from the surrounding environment, replacing heat lost due to the heat of mixing. An autonomous feedback loop can be created as each subsystem continues to try to reach equilibrium. This systemic feedback loop can drive the extraction and distillation of liquid without further energy input.

[0074] The systems and methods described herein can accelerate a naturally occurring change in systemic vapor pressure by generating a vacuum within one or more ECAs of the ECA-based system, removing atmospheric gases present during system closure. The dissimilar ratios of solute to solvent in solutions present in the system can affect the solutions’ equilibrium vapor pressures, creating a feedback loop across the system to drive the extraction and distillation of the target solvent. Note the solutions may be different, so long as the solvent is the same between solution variants. One or more chambers of the ECAs may be capped to create a physically closed system. Atmospheric gases sealed into the system during capping can be removed with a vacuum pump or other method so that air remaining in the system is largely the vapor state of the liquid solvent. Once the gases are removed, the method of removing the air may be deactivated and even completely disconnected from the closed system.

[0075] Similar to colligative properties, effusion is the process whereby a gas moves from a relatively higher-pressure area into a relatively lower-pressure area to reach pressure equilibrium. The systems and methods described herein can strategically connect different chambers (e.g., via connections such as vapor transfer pathways) to allow effusion.

[0076] The transfer of heat and matter within ECA-based systems can be accomplished through various connections to form energy pathways, which comprise a collection of vapor transfer pathways, thermal / heat transfer pathways, other types of energy transfer pathways, and / or other connections that transmit energy in the form of heat and / or matter, from one part of the system to another. For example, to transfer or transmit both heat and matter, a vapor transfer pathway (also referred to herein as “vapor pathways” and / or simply as “connections”) can be used. Vapor transfer pathways may transfer or transmit heated solvent vapor between one EA’s emitter chamber and another EA’s receiver chamber, between the emitter and receiver chambers of the same EA, between an ESo and an EA’s receiver chamber, and / or between one EA’s emitter chamber and an ESi, thereby transferring heat and matter simultaneously. A vapor transfer pathway can include, but is not limited to, a pipe, flow, conduit, or other devices for transferring vapor and / or solvent. Another type of connection used to transfer solely heat is a thermal transfer pathway (also referred to herein as “thermal pathways” and / or “heat pathways”). Thermal transfer pathways may transfer heat energy between the receiver and emitter chambers of the same EA. A thermal transfer pathway can include, but is not limited to, an apparatus for passively transferring heat, such as a thermally conductive surface shared between the receiver and emitter chambers of the same EA, a heat pipe, and / or an apparatus for actively transferring heat.

[0077] Heat associated with the heat of vaporization can be transferred between receiver and emitter chambers of different EAs in the form of vapor, which is transferred via the vapor transfer pathways. Heat can be transferred between receiver and emitter chambers of the same EA via the apparatuses for passive heat transfer. An example is provided below of how heat and matter (e.g., vapor) can be transferred within an ECA-based system.

[0078] In some embodiments, an ECA for distilling a solvent may comprise two EAs. A draw solution can be placed in the receiver chamber of the first EA (e.g., via an inlet, a flow pathway, or another form of liquid transfer), and an effluent solution can be placed in both the emitter chamber of the first EA and the emitter chamber of the second EA. Under vacuum, a vapor can be produced by the effluent solution in the emitter chamber of the second EA. The vapor can flow through a vapor transfer pathway connecting theemitter chamber of the second EA to the receiver chamber of the first EA. In the receiver chamber of the first EA, the vapor can be absorbed by the draw solution. When the effluent solution evaporates in the emitter chamber of the second EA, the heat of vaporization can be removed from the effluent solution, reducing its temperature. Thus, when the vapor is absorbed by the draw solution of the receiver chamber of the first EA, the heat of vaporization can be transferred into the draw solution. When a sufficient quantity of vapor is absorbed by the draw solution, the draw solution can become diluted and transforms into a diluted draw solution, which can leave the receiver chamber of the first EA as a diluted draw solution. During the transfer process, the heat of vaporization is transferred through an apparatus for passively transferring heat (e g., a thermally conductive surface shared between emitter and receiver chambers of the same EA) from the draw solution / diluted draw solution in the receiver chamber of the first EA into the effluent solution in the emitter chamber of the first EA. This can induce a vaporization of some of the effluent solution in the emitter chamber of the first EA, generating solvent vapor which can leave the emitter chamber of the first EA via a vapor transfer pathway to the receiver chamber of the second EA (also referred to herein as a “condenser chamber”). At the receiver chamber of the second EA, the vapor can condense and transfer its heat of vaporization to the thermally conductive surface separating the receiver chamber from the emitter chamber of the second EA. This heat can transfer to the effluent solution in the emitter chamber of the second EA. The condensed solvent vapor, which now has been distilled to form the distilled solvent, can leave the receiver chamber of the second EA to be used in a variety of external processes.

[0079] It is to be understood that the above example is not limiting and that any of the ECA configurations and their associated heat / matter transfer processes described herein may follow similar principles as the above example.

[0080] II. Fault-Tolerant ECA ArchitecturesDescribed herein are alternative ECA architectures that can achieve both a greater fault tolerance and a higher energy output (e.g., wattage) than a linear configuration of an ECA. A fault tolerant architecture of the ECA is one in which the structure of the ECA can limit the overall impact of individual EA failures on the overall ECA function.

[0081] Cross-linking is a technique to create fault tolerant ECA architectures as described herein. In one example of an ECA, two independent energy pathways between two nodes A and B can be considered cross-linked if there exists a connection between at least one EA along the first energy pathway and an EA along the second energy pathway. This connection is defined herein as a cross-linking connection. In the case of a failure of an EA along the first energy pathway beyond the cross-linking connection, the vapor flow of the first pathway can be automatically rerouted to the second pathway, and thereby bypass the faulty EA and the remainder of the first pathway. With the cross-linked connection, the combined parallel pathways can automatically adapt to failures of individual EAs and preserve the functionality. In the case that each pathway is moving less energy than the maximum amount of energy possible along that pathway, the rerouting can preserve some of the energy flux that would otherwise be lost from the malfunctioning pathway.

[0082] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary cross-linked parallel energy pathway. Energy originating in a source node (Oi l) (i.e., ESo) bifurcates into two parallel pathways (008, 009) created by two linear sets of nodes, each node of which typically representing an EA. Energy is carried through these parallel pathways (008, 009) through a series of connections (005) (e.g., vapor transfer pathways, heat transfer pathways, other types of energy transfer pathways) that together link all the pathway nodes to the source node (011) and an entrochemical sink (012) (i.e., Esi). As shown in FIG. 7, the series of connections (005) can include a series of vapor transfer pathways connecting an emitter chamber of a preceding EA to a receiver chamber of a subsequent EA along the same vapor transfer pathway. All of the EAs can be linked together via the series of connections (005). A cross-linking connection (010) connects the bottom pathway (009) to the top pathway (008), providing a secondary energy path in the event of a failure of one or more nodes on either of the two pathways (008, 009).

[0083] In the illustrated example of FIG. 7, the cross-linking connection (010) is a vapor transfer pathway connecting an emitter chamber of a leftmost EA of the bottom pathway (009) to a receiver chamber of a middle EA of the top pathway (008). In this example, vapor that originates from the emitter chamber of the leftmost EA of the bottom pathway (009) can be transferred to the receiver chamber of the middle EA of the top pathway(008), which transfers both heat (i.e., in the form of thermal energy) and matter (i.e., in the form of vapor) between the bottom pathway (009) and the top pathway (008). If the leftmost EA of the bottom pathway (009) and / or the middle EA of the top pathway (008) fails, the cross-linked configuration of FIG. 7 can provide automatic fault tolerance. However, the example shown in FIG. 7 may not be the most robust cross-linking configuration because not all nodes have automatic fault tolerance.

[0084] Two parallel pathways can be considered to be maximally cross-linked if each of the EAs in the first pathway is cross-linked with another EA from the second pathway, and if each of the EAs from the second pathway is linked with another EA from the first pathway. A maximally cross-linked pair of parallel pathways can enjoy very significant fault tolerance, making it far more robust than two linear energy pathways. Cross-linking may be used to create various fault-tolerant ECA configurations, such as dilution EC As, distillation ECAs, and / or regeneration ECAs, which can perform the extraction and distillation of solvent from a contaminated effluent solution with greater fault tolerance and higher wattage than existing ECA configurations.

[0085] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary maximally cross-linked configuration. In this maximally cross-linked configuration example, two parallel pathways (008, 009) connect an entrochemical source node (Oi l) (i.e., ESo) to an entrochemical sink (012) (i.e., Esi) through a series of series of connections (005) (e g., vapor transfer pathways, heat transfer pathways, other types of energy transfer pathways) Furthermore, in addition to the main series of connections (005) that generate the linear parallel pathways (008, 009), an additional set of cross-linking connections (010) is incorporated in the maximally crosslinked configuration.

[0086] In the maximally cross-linked configuration example of FIG. 8, the cross-linking connections (010) include vapor transfer pathways that form the following connections between nodes (i.e., EAs):(a) An emitter chamber of the leftmost EA of the bottom pathway (009) to a receiver chamber of the middle EA of the top pathway (008).(b) An emitter chamber of the leftmost EA of the top pathway (008) to a receiver chamber of the middle EA of the bottom pathway (009);(c) An emitter chamber of the middle EA of the bottom pathway (009) to a receiver chamber of the rightmost EA of the top pathway (008); and(d) An emitter chamber of the middle EA of the top pathway (008) to a receiver chamber of the rightmost EA of the bottom pathway (009).

[0087] As shown in FIG. 8, the cross-linking connections (010) allow energy to flow around any malfunctioning node, providing robust fault tolerance. Only if two nodes the same “distance” from the source fail at the same time can it be possible for energy flow to cease. The maximally cross-linked configuration is able to provide an automatic rerouting of the energy flow in any other failure scenarios.

[0088] In an EGA comprising a number of EA units and connections, if there exists an energy pathway from “A” to “B” and an energy pathway from “B” to “A” for every pair of nodes “A” and “B” within the ECA, then the ECA can be defined, for the purpose of describing various embodiments of the invention, as forming a ring configuratio . A minimal ring is a single EA whose emitter is connected to its receiver. The minimal ring configuration is defined herein as a. self mode.

[0089] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary ring configuration of entrochemical amplifiers (EAs), each of which defined herein as a “node.” In this configuration, heat energy is routed through the ring via a series of energy-carrying connections (005) as follows: (1) from the emitter chamber of the first EA (008A) to the receiver chamber of the second EA (008B) via a vapor transfer pathway; (2) from the receiver chamber of the second EA (008B) to the emitter chamber of the second EA (008B) via an apparatus for passive heat transfer (e.g., a thermally conductive surface shared by and located between the emitter and receiver chambers); (3) from the emitter chamber of the second EA (008B) to the receiver chamber of the third EA (008C) via a vapor transfer pathway; (4) from the receiver chamber of the third EA (008C) to the emitter chamber of the third EA (008C) via an apparatus for passive heat transfer; (5) from the emitter chamber of the third EA (008C) to the receiver chamber of the first EA (008A) via a “loopback ring” vapor transfer pathway; (6) and from the receiver chamber of the first EA (008A) to the emitter chamber of the first EA (008A) via an apparatus for passive heat transfer, which completes the cycle through the ring of nodes / EAs.

[0090] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, for an ECA-based regenerator, each receiver chamber of an EA contains a solution, and an emitter chamber in the last of the EA arrays that completes a loopback with a ring vapor transfer pathway to the receiver chamber of another EA contains a solution. Other emitter chambers in the ECA may not need to contain solutions. The energy-carrying connections (005) can include any of the vapor transfer pathways between different EAs and / or apparatuses for passive heat transfer within the same EA. In some embodiments, heat may move along the energycarrying connections (005) at the same speed, such that the different nodes (e.g., different EAs) are at approximately the same temperature (i.e., no significant thermal gradient between nodes). In other embodiments, the emitter chamber and the receiver chamber within a particular node (e.g., an EA) may have different temperatures, such that a temperature gradient exists within the particular node.

[0091] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary minimal ring, which is also defined herein as a self mode configuration, in which a connection from the emitter of an EA brings vapor and heat energy from the emitter chamber to the receiver chamber of the same EA. In this “self mode” configuration, heat energy is routed within one EA via an energy-carrying (e.g., vapor, heat, etc.) connection (005) as follows: from the emitter chamber of the EA to the receiver chamber of the same EA via a vapor transfer pathway, and from the receiver chamber to the emitter chamber via an apparatus for passive heat transfer (e.g., a thermally conductive surface shared by and located between the emitter and receiver chambers). The energy-carrying connection (005) can include the vapor transfer pathways within the same EA and / or the apparatus for passive heat transfer within the same EA.

[0092] In one embodiment of the invention, if an ECA is configured to draw heat energy from an ESo and deliver it to an ESi, it can be defined as an entrochemical thermal energy transfer device. In another embodiment of the invention, if an ECA is configured to circulate thermal energy among its nodes, instead of delivering it to an ESi, it can be defined as an entrochemical processor. In some embodiments of the invention, mixed entrochemical systems can be defined as systems that contain at least one entrochemical processor, such as a ring, and at least one entrochemical thermal energy transfer device that are connected to each other through one or more connections.

[0093] FIG. 11 illustrates an entrochemical thermal energy transfer device wherein an ECA (013) connects an entrochemical source (ESo) (Oi l) to an entrochemical sink (ESi) (012). In this embodiment of the invention, the ECA (013) receives vapor and / or thermal energy from the ESo (Oi l), processes the energy through two EA units, and then delivers vapor and / or thermal energy to the ESi (012) via energy-carrying connections (005), which may be vapor transfer pathways, heat transfer pathways, or a combination thereof.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 11, vapor and / or thermal energy from the ESo (Oi l) travels via the energy-carrying connections (005) under vacuum as follows: from the ESo (011) to the receiver chamber of the first (i.e., leftmost) EA unit of the ECA (013) via a vapor transfer pathway, from the receiver chamber of the first EA unit to the emitter chamber of the first EA unit via an apparatus for passive heat transfer (e.g., a thermally conductive surface shared by and located between the emitter and receiver chambers), from the emitter chamber of the first EA unit to the receiver chamber of the second (i.e., rightmost) EA unit of the ECA (013) via a vapor transfer pathway, from the receiver chamber of the second EA unit to the emitter chamber of the second EA unit via an apparatus for passive heat transfer, and from the emitter chamber of the second EA unit to the ESi (012). The energy-carrying connections (005) can include any of the vapor transfer pathways among the ESo (011), the ESi (012), any of the EAs of the ECA (013), and / or any of the apparatuses for passive heat transfer within the same EA.

[0095] FIG. 12 illustrates a ring-based entrochemical processor in which vapor is carried into the draw solution of each of the EAs. The vapor and heat are carried by energycarrying connections (005), and all vapors end up in a draw solution that is being diluted. As shown in FIG. 12, under vacuum, vapor from the emitter chamber of the first (i.e., leftmost) EA unit travels to the receiver chamber of the second (i.e., rightmost) EA unit via a vapor transfer pathway. The vapor can condense into solvent, diluting / warming the contents of the receiver chamber of the second EA unit and releasing thermal energy. The thermal energy can travel from the receiver chamber of the second EA unit to the emitter chamber of the second EA unit via an apparatus for passive heat transfer (e.g., a thermally conductive surface shared by the emitter and receiver chambers). This can cause the solution within the emitter chamber of the second EA unit to heat up, generating vapor which is then transferred to the receiver chamber of the first EA unit via a vapor transferpathway. The vapor can condense into solvent, diluting / warming the contents of the receiver chamber of the first EA unit and releasing thermal energy.

[0096] The thermal energy can travel from the receiver chamber of the first EA unit to the emitter chamber of the first EA unit via an apparatus for passive heat transfer. This can cause the solution within the emitter chamber of the first EA unit to heat up, generating vapor and completing the vapor / heat transfer cycle through the ring of EAs. The energycarrying connections (005) can include the vapor transfer pathways between different EAs and / or the apparatus for passive heat transfer within the same EA. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, for an ECA-based regenerator, each receiver chamber of an EA contains a solution, and an emitter chamber in the last of the EA arrays that completes a loopback with a ring vapor transfer pathway to the receiver chamber of another EA contains a solution. Other emitter chambers in the ECA may not need to contain solutions.

[0097] The ring-based entrochemical processor as shown in FIG. 12 can also be regarded as a pure dilution ring ECA comprising two EA units. Unlike the pure dilution ECA of FIG. 14, vapor may not be emitted from the ECA and can instead be recycled within the ring ECA. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12, vapor from the emitter chambers of the EAs in the ring can be delivered via the energy-carrying connections (005) to the receiver chambers of the EAs under vacuum. This can dilute the draw solutions in the receiver chambers of the EAs.

[0098] FIG. 13 illustrates a mixed entrochemical system. In this embodiment of the invention, the mixed entrochemical system includes an entrochemical source (Eso) (011), an entrochemical sink (ESi) 012, an entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013), an entrochemical processor ECA (014), and a plurality of energy-carrying connections (005). The entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013) comprises two EAs oriented as a linear thermal energy transfer device, which is similar to the example presented in FIG. 11. The entrochemical processor ECA (014) comprises three EAs linked to one another such that they form a ring-based entrochemical processor, similar to the example presented in FIG. 12 but with three EAs instead of two EAs. Notably, the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013) and the entrochemical processor ECA (014) share an EA as an overlapping EA, so there are four total EAs in the mixed entrochemical systemin the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13. Energy originates from the ESo (Oi l) and circulates through the ring of entrochemical processor ECA (014) while also being delivered to the ESo (012) via the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013). The energy-carrying connections (005) can include any of the vapor transfer pathways among the ESo (Oi l), the ESi (012), any of the EAs in the two EC As (013, 014), and / or any of the apparatuses for passive heat transfer within the same EA.

[0099] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, vapor and heat from the ESo (011), under vacuum, is transferred to the receiver chamber of the overlapping EA, which is the leftmost EA of the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013) and the bottom EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014). The vapor can condense into solvent and dilute and / or warm the contents of the receiver chamber of the overlapping EA, which in turn releases thermal energy. This thermal energy can travel from the receiver chamber of the overlapping EA to the emitter chamber of the overlapping EA via an apparatus for passive heat transfer (e.g., a thermally conductive surface shared by and located between the emitter and receiver chambers). This can cause the solution within the emitter chamber of the overlapping EA to heat up, generating vapor which is then transferred along two different routes among the plurality of energy-carrying connections (005): (1) a first vapor transfer pathway leading to the receiver chamber of the rightmost EA of the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013); and (2) a second vapor transfer pathway leading to the receiver chamber of the top right EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014).

[0100] Following the path of vapor and / or other energy through the entrochemical processor ECA (014), a portion of the vapor from the emitter chamber of the overlapping EA, under vacuum, travels to the receiver chamber of the top right EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014), then condenses into solvent. This can dilute and warm the contents of the receiver chamber of the top right EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014) and releases thermal energy. Then, the released thermal energy travels from the receiver chamber of the top right EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014) to the emitter chamber of the same EA via an apparatus for passive heat transfer. This can cause the solution within the emitter chamber of the top right EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014) to heat up, generating vapor which is then transferredto the receiver chamber of the top left EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014) via a vapor transfer pathway (i.e., one of the energy-carrying connections (005) that connects the two EAs). Then, the vapor can condense into solvent, and dilute and warm the contents of the receiver chamber of the top left EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014) and release thermal energy.

[0101] The released thermal energy can travel from the receiver chamber of the top left EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014) to the emitter chamber of the same EA via an apparatus for passive heat transfer. This can cause the solution within the emitter chamber of the top left EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014) to heat up, which in turn generates vapor that is transferred to the receiver chamber of the overlapping EA via a vapor transfer pathway. The vapor can condense into solvent, and dilute and warm the contents of the receiver chamber of the overlapping EA and release thermal energy. The released thermal energy then travels from the receiver chamber of the overlapping EA to the emitter chamber of the overlapping EA via an apparatus for passive heat transfer. This can cause the solution within the emitter chamber of the overlapping EA to heat up, generating vapor which is then transferred along two outward connections from the overlapping EA among the plurality of energy-carrying connections (005): (1) a first vapor transfer pathway leading to the receiver chamber of the rightmost EA of the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013); and (2) a second vapor transfer pathway leading to the receiver chamber of the top right EA of the entrochemical processor ECA (014). In this embodiment of the invention, the above-described process completes a particular cycle of energy movements through the entrochemical processor ECA (014).

[0102] Following the path of vapor / energy through the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013), a portion of the vapor from the emitter chamber of the overlapping EA, under vacuum, can be transferred to the receiver chamber of the rightmost EA of the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013) via a vapor transfer pathway (i.e., one of the energy-carrying connections (005) that connects the two EAs). The vapor can condense into solvent, diluting and / or warming the contents of the receiver chamber of the rightmost EA of the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013) and releasing thermal energy. Then, the released thermal energy can travel from the receiver chamberof the rightmost EA of the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013) to the emitter chamber of the same EA via an apparatus for passive heat transfer. This can cause the solution within the emitter chamber of the rightmost EA of the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013) to heat up, generating vapor that is transferred to the ESi (012) via a vapor transfer pathway. In this embodiment of the invention, the above-described process completes a particular cycle of energy movements from ESo (Oi l) to the ESi (012) through the entrochemical thermal energy transfer ECA (013).

[0103] The novel advantage of the ring configuration, as illustrated in FIGs. 9, 12, and 13, and later in FIGs. 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21 may not appear obvious at first glance. The ring configuration can circulate heat around the nodes. Since the circulation can be used to move solvent into the sorbent solutions, one application of this can be the dilution of these sorbent solutions. The dilution of sorbent solutions may be useful and advantageous in various industrial processes where one or more sorbent solutions are subsequently used in an industrial process involving a solvent.

[0104] In some embodiments, as energy cycles through the ring configuration, at each stage in which vapor from the emitter chamber enters the draw solution of the receiver chamber, there may be a transfer of heat to the draw solution and a concomitant absorption of heat from the increased entropy of the system (i.e., the heat of mixing). This heat of mixing can reduce a portion of the transferred energy. Thus, in each cycle around the ring, the amount of energy can be reduced. The result is that the ring becomes colder and colder, though the amount of energy may be a minor amount (e.g., only 5% of the total), such that the rate of cooling is slow. The cooling can be countered by embedding a passive heat transfer system between the environment and one of the emitter chambers of the ring configuration. The passive heat transfer system can passively inject heat into the emitter chamber once it is colder than its environment, which eventually happens as the system cools down. With this configuration, an environmental heat source can be passively brought into the system and can maintain or sustain the system’s activity level.

[0105] The functionality of ECAs can be defined not only by their structure but also by the contents of various cells in the EAs that comprise each ECA. As an example, an ECA consisting of a single EA in “self mode” may have no functionality if both chambers are made up of the same liquid. When a vacuum is imposed in such a self-mode ECA withthe single EA, nothing may happen. Likewise, using incompatible solvents can yield a system that may have no functionality. For instance, an EA in “self mode,” which uses a draw solution consisting of pentane and dodecane in the receiver can be incompatible with a water effluent in the emitter. A significant number of incompatible choices for draw solutions and connected effluents exists.

[0106] In context of various embodiments of the present invention, a use configuration of an EGA is defined as the configuration of the ECA that specifies which chambers are filled and with what. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an ECA can be said to have a compatible use configuration if all solvents flowing from emitter chambers through connections into receiver chambers are compatible with the contents of the receiver chamber, forming miscible mixtures therein. If the solvent moving from an emitter chamber is capable of being completely absorbed by the sorbent in any connected receiver chamber, then the solvent / sorbent pair is defined as compatible . An example of a compatible configuration is a case in which receiver chambers contain water-based salt solutions and all the emitters contain water. Another example of a compatible configuration is a case in which all receivers contain propylene glycol and all the emitters contain water.

[0107] In one embodiment of the invention, an ECA contains one or more EA units, ESo’s and ESi’s. A draw solution fills each receiver chamber of each EA and each ESi, and a very dilute solution or a solvent with no solute fills each emitter chamber of each EA and each ESo in this ECA. Moreover, in this embodiment, the solvent in each emitter chamber and / or ESo is the same solvent that underlies the solution in all receiver chambers and / or ESi’s, wherein the emitter chambers and / or the ESo’s in the ECA are connected to the corresponding receiver chambers and / or the ESi’s in the ECA. In context of various embodiments of the invention, the configuration described in this embodiment is defined as a pure dilution ECA. A pure dilution ECA can also be configured as a ring, and is defined as a pure dilution ring. In some embodiments, a pure dilution ECA may contain no other components besides dilution-related components, and does not need to be configured to perform distillation and / or regeneration.

[0108] FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary pure dilution ECA comprising three EA units. In this exemplary pure dilution ECA, under vacuum, vapor can be brought from the emitterchamber of the lower left EA unit into the receiver chamber of the top EA unit and the receiver chamber of the lower right EA unit via energy-carrying connections (005). This can dilute the draw solutions in the receiver chambers of the two receiving EAs. More specifically, under vacuum, vapor from the emitter chamber of the lower left EA unit can be transferred along a first vapor transfer pathway (i.e., one type of an energy-carrying connection) into the receiver chamber of the top EA unit and along a second vapor transfer pathway into the receiver chamber of the lower right EA unit.

[0109] Within the receiver chambers of both the top EA unit and the lower right EA unit, the vapor can condense into solvent, diluting / warming the contents of the respective receiver chambers and releasing thermal energy. The, the released thermal energy can travel from the respective receiver chambers to the emitter chambers of the same EAs as the respective receiver chambers via apparatuses for passive heat transfer (e.g., thermally conductive surfaces shared by the emitter and receiver chambers). This can cause the solutions within the emitter chambers of both the top EA unit and the lower right EA unit to heat up, generating vapor that is transferred out of the pure dilution ECA system via one or more vapor transfer pathways. The emitted vapor can be received by an external process and / or otherwise captured after it exits the pure dilution ECA. In some embodiments, the process can be a hermetically sealed process under vacuum to ensure that vapor is not released into the environment.

[0110] In one embodiment of the invention, an ECA contains one or more EA units, ESo’ s, and ESi’s. In this ECA, at least one receiver chamber of an EA or ESi, which is designated as Ch-1, is filled with a draw solution. Furthermore, in this ECA, at least one emitter chamber of an EA or ESo, which is designated as Ch-2, is filled with a very dilute solution or a solvent with no solute, wherein the solvent in Ch-2 is compatible with the solution in Ch-1. In context of various embodiments of the present invention, this particular embodiment represents a partial dilution ECA . Every partial dilution ECA can contain an ECA made up of a subset of the larger ECA’s EAs that can be a pure dilution ECA. Furthermore, a partial dilution ECA configured as a ring can be designated a partial dilution ring. Moreover, an ECA can be a partial dilution ECA without being a pure dilution ECA, but those which are pure dilution EC As can also be partial dilution EC As. In some embodiments, a partial dilution ECA includes at least one emitter chamberconnected to a receiver chamber that contains no draw solution to be diluted, though the receiver chamber may contain a solvent and / or sorbent.

[0111] FIG. 15 illustrates a bifurcated ring ECA configuration comprising three entrochemical amplifiers (EAs), each of which defined herein as a “node.” In this configuration, heat energy is routed through the ring via a series of energy-carrying connections (005) as follows: (1) from the emitter chamber of the first EA (008 A) to the receiver chamber of the second EA (008B) via a vapor transfer pathway; (2) from the receiver chamber of the second EA (008B) to the emitter chamber of the second EA (008B) via an apparatus for passive heat transfer (e.g., a thermally conductive surface shared by and located between the emitter and receiver chambers); (3) from the emitter chamber of the second EA (008B) to the receiver chamber of the first EA (008A) via a vapor transfer pathway, and also from the emitter chamber of the second EA (008B) to the receiver chamber of the third EA (008C) via another vapor transfer pathway, wherein the emitter chamber of the second EA (008B) incorporates bifurcated vapor transfer pathways connecting to two separate receiver chambers of two separate EAs (i.e., the first EA (008A) and the third EA (008C); (4) from the receiver chamber of the third EA (008C) to the emitter chamber of the third EA (008C) via an apparatus for passive heat transfer; (5) from the receiver chamber of the first EA (008A) to the emitter chamber of the first EA (008A) via an apparatus for heat transfer; (6) from the emitter chamber of the first EA (008A) to the receiver chamber of the second EA (008B) via a first “loopback ring” vapor transfer pathway; and (7) from the emitter chamber of the third EA (008C) to the receiver chamber of the second EA (008B) via a second “loopback ring” vapor transfer pathway, which completes the cycle through the bifurcated ring of nodes / EAs.

[0112] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, for an ECA-based regenerator, each receiver chamber of an EA contains a solution, and an emitter chamber in the last of the EA arrays that completes a loopback with a ring vapor transfer pathway to the receiver chamber of another EA contains a solution. Other emitter chambers in the ECA may not need to contain solutions. The energy-carrying connections (005) can include any of the vapor transfer pathways between different EAs and / or apparatuses for passive heat transfer within the same EA. In some embodiments, heat may move along the energycarrying connections (005) at the same speed, such that the different nodes (e.g., differentEAs) are at approximately the same temperature (i.e., no significant thermal gradient between nodes). In other embodiments, the emitter chamber and the receiver chamber within a particular node (e.g., an EA) may have different temperatures, such that a temperature gradient exists within the particular node.

[0113] FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a partial distillation ECA that enables distillation of a solution. Under vacuum, a solvent and / or solution in the emitter chamber of “EA 2” can partially vaporize, and its vapor can be transferred to the receiver chamber of “EA 1” via a vapor transfer pathway and absorbed by the draw solution “S” in the receiver chamber of “EA 1”. In some embodiments, the draw solution “S” may be a salt solution. The heat energy released by the absorption can be transferred to the effluent “E” in the emitter chamber of “EA 1” via an apparatus for passively transferring heat energy. Upon being heated up by the heat energy, the effluent “E” can produce vapor in the emitter chamber of “EA 1” that travels to the solvent-containing receiver chamber of “EA 3” via a vapor transfer pathway. In some embodiments, the solvent can be a dilute solution. Furthermore, in some embodiments, “EA 3” can be used as a condenser, and it can deliver heat and solvent to a subsequent EA (e.g., the rightmost EA in FIG. 16). Effluent can move from “EA 3” to the subsequent EA’s receiver chamber, lowering the temperature in “EA 3”. This can enable the solvent to condense in the receiver chamber of“EA 3”.

[0114] FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary partial distillation ECA configured as a ring. Liquid and / or vapor can be conveyed by energy-carrying connections (005), which can include any of the vapor transfer pathways described herein. Under vacuum, a solvent and / or solution in the emitter of “EA 2” can partially vaporize and its vapor can be transferred to the receiver chamber of “EA 1” via a vapor transfer pathway and condenses into pure solvent in the receiver chamber of “EA 1”. The heat energy released by the condensation can be transferred to the effluent “E” in the emitter chamber of “EA 1” via an apparatus for passively transferring heat energy. Upon being heated up by the heat energy, effluent “E” can produce vapor in the emitter chamber of “EA 1” that travels to the receiver chamber of “EA 3” via a vapor transfer pathway. Effluent can move from “EA 3” to the receiver chamber of a subsequent EA (014), lowering the temperature in “EA 3”. This can enable the solvent to condense in the receiver chamber of “EA 3”.Vapor from the effluent in the subsequent EA (014) then can circulate back to “EA 2” via a vapor transfer pathway, carrying heat back to “EA 2” and recycling it through the partial distillation ring ECA. Since the rate at which the solvent condenses in the emitter chamber of “EA 1” can be lower than that the rate of transfer of solvent between the emitter chamber of “EA 1” and the receiver chamber of “EA 3”, the emitter chamber of “EA 3” and the receiver chamber of the subsequent EA (014), and / or the emitter chamber of the subsequent EA (014) and the receiver chamber of “EA 2”, the emitter chamber of “EA 1” can be sufficiently cooled by movement of heat through the array of EA units to condense the solvent.

[0115] In one embodiment of the invention, an ECA has a first EA, “EA 1” in which both the emitter and the receiver are filled with draw solutions, “Si” and “S2”, respectively and not necessarily identical. In this embodiment, at least one other EA, designated as “EA 2”, contains an emitter connected with the receiver from “EA 1” and that the solvent or dilute solution in the emitter from “EA 2” is compatible with the solution in the receiver from “EA 1”. In the same embodiment, there is also at least another EA, designated as “EA 3”, which contains a receiver that is connected to the emitter from “EA 1” and contains a draw solution “S3”, which is compatible with that in the emitter in “EA 1”. The two solutions “S2” and “S3”, because of their relative concentrations, have the property that if the temperature of “S2” exceeds that of “S3” by a minimal amount, the solvent in “S2” will transfer to “S3”. In that case, this ECA will concentrate the solution in the emitter chamber of “EA 1”, provided that the temperature gradient, which is spontaneously generated as the heat transfers from the emitter in “EA 1” to the solution “S2” in the receiver of “EA 1”, exceeds the minimal temperature threshold for moving solvent. In context of various embodiments of the present invention, the ECA configuration described in this embodiment can be defined as a regeneration ECA enabled by solutions Si, S2, and S3. When the ECA is configured as a ring, the ECA can be called a regeneration ring, enabled by solutions Si, S2, and S3.

[0116] Corollary 1 : the minimal number of EAs in a regeneration ECA is 2. Proof: In the minimal case, “EA 2” and “EA 3” from the configuration described above are the same EA, as are “S2” and “S3”, and the configuration is a regeneration ring.

[0117] Regenerators are devices that can remove a solvent from a sorbent or solution, which has the effect of restoring a higher concentration state of the sorbent or solution. Such a regeneration of the sorbent or solution can be crucial for the continued operation of sorption-based energy systems. An energy-processing operator can utilize a novel ECA architecture disclosed in various embodiments of the present invention to accomplish this regeneration. An ECA-based device configured to perform regeneration of a sorbent or solution by removing a corresponding solvent can be defined herein as an ECA regenerator . A uniquely-novel aspect of ECA-based regenerators is the ability to use lower concentration solutions to regenerate higher concentration solutions, or to use a single solution to concentrate a quantity of itself spontaneously.

[0118] In particular, utilizing a novel ECA-based regenerator to accomplish a spontaneous regeneration of concentrated solutions from liquid (e.g., water) solutions using an environmental heat as the primary heat source is highly advantageous in the energyprocessing industry for energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. Furthermore, ensuring a novel ECA-based regenerator to achieve scalable energy outputs and / or scalable solvent-extracting capabilities provides advantages in commercialization of such a device. Moreover, incorporating a uniquely fault-tolerant architecture in a novel ECA- based regenerator while achieving high deliquescence salt regeneration provides additional advantages in maintaining robustness and cost effectiveness in commercially operating such a device.

[0119] FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary minimal regeneration ring ECA comprising two EA units (015, 016) connected with two energy-carrying connections (005) (e.g., vapor transfer pathways). In both EA units (015, 016), a salt solution “Si” in the receiver chamber of each EA unit absorbs effluent coming through the energy-carrying connections (005). This can generate a thermal gradient, which, in the rightmost EA unit (016) transfers heat from the receiver chamber to a second salt solution “S2” in the emitter chamber of the same EA unit (016) via an apparatus for passively transferring heat energy. In some embodiments, the effluent from the emitter chamber of the leftmost EA unit (015) transfers to the receiver chamber of the rightmost EA (016) faster than the effluent coming from the emitter chamber of EA 016 transfers to the receiver chamber of the leftmost EA unit (015) as a result of the greater pressure difference between thesolutions in the emitter of the leftmost EA unit (015) and the receiver in the rightmost EA unit (016) than the pressure difference between the solutions in the emitter of the rightmost EA unit (016) and the receiver in the leftmost EA unit (015). Due to the unequal flow rates of the effluent, heat can be transferred at different rates between the leftmost EA unit (015) and the rightmost EA unit (016), causing a thermal gradient to emerge. The thermal gradient can encourage the solvent contained in the emitter chamber of the rightmost EA unit (016) (i.e., the solution “S2”) to evaporate and condense into “Si” in the leftmost EA unit (015), thereby achieving regeneration. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, for an ECA-based regenerator, each receiver chamber of an EA contains a solution, and an emitter chamber in the last of the EA arrays that completes a loopback with a ring vapor transfer pathway to the receiver chamber of another EA contains a solution. Other emitter chambers in the ECA may not need to contain solutions.

[0120] In one embodiment of the invention, an ECA has an EA in which the emitter is filled with an effluent solutions “Si”, and the receiver is empty, filled with a very dilute solution, or filled with a solvent compatible with the effluent solution “Si”. In this embodiment, this EA is designated as “EA 1”. Another EA, designated in this embodiment as “EA 2”, contains an emitter connected with the receiver from “EA 1” and that the solvent or dilute solution “S2” in the emitter of “EA 2” is compatible with the solution or solvent in the receiver of “EA 1”. Furthermore, another EA, designated in this embodiment as “EA 3” contains a receiver connected to the emitter of “EA 1” and contains a draw solution “S3” compatible with the solution in the emitter of “EA 1”. In this embodiment, the ECA can distill the solvent from the emitter from “EA 2”, and condense it in the receiver in “EA 1”. This configuration of the ECA, as described in this embodiment, is defined herein as a distillation ECA, which is enabled by the effluent solution (Si), the solvent or dilute solution (S2), and the draw solution (S3). If the ECA of this type is configured as a ring, the ECA can be called a distillation ring, enabled by solutions (Si, S2, S3).

[0121] Corollary 2, the minimal number of EAs in an ECA comprising a distillation ring, is 2. Proof: In the minimal case, “EA 2” and “EA 3” from the configuration described above are the same EA and “S2” and “S3” are the same solution.

[0122] FIG. 19 presents self-regeneration data from a three-stage ring regenerator in which a 7 molar CaCh solution is used to spontaneously regenerate a 7 molar CaCh solution, producing a 9.75 molar CaCh solution. In the three-stage ring regenerator configuration, the emitter chamber of a first EA is connected to the receiver chamber of a second EA, the emitter chamber of the second EA is connected to the receiver chamber of a third EA, and the emitter chamber of the third EA is connected to the receiver chamber of the first EA, thereby comprising a “ring” configuration. The 7 molar CaCh solution is loaded into all of the receiver chambers of the first, second, and third EAs, as well as into the emitter chamber of the third EA. Solvent is loaded into the emitter chambers of the first and second EAs.

[0123] The data of FIG. 19 illustrates that the initial molarity of the sorbent in the three receiver chambers and the emitter chamber of the third EA is 7 molar. As selfregeneration is performed, the molarity of the CaCh solutions in the three receiver chambers drops to approximately 4 molar, and the molarity of the CaCh solution in the emitter chamber of the third EA increases to 9.75 molar. This indicates that a higher- concentration solution can be successfully regenerated from lower-concentration solutions (e.g., as part of a regeneration ECA) and reused for other applications (e.g., as part of a dilution ECA).

[0124] FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary minimal distillation ring. Solvent from the contaminated effluent “E” is distilled using two EAs (015, 017) connected in a ring configuration. Energy-carrying connections (005) (e.g., vapor transfer pathways) move matter between the two EAs (015, 017). As shown in FIG. 20, vapor from the effluent “E” from an emitter chamber of the leftmost EA (015) travels via a vapor transfer pathway and condenses as a distilled solvent into a condensing chamber “C” (e.g., receiver chamber) in the rightmost EA (017). Similarly, vapor from the effluent “E” from an emitter chamber of the rightmost EA (017) can travel via a vapor transfer pathway and condenses into the salt solution “Si” in the receiver chamber of the leftmost EA (015). This can cool the rightmost EA (017) and warm the leftmost EA (015), which provides the needed thermal gradient for distillation of the effluent “E”.

[0125] In some embodiments of the invention, it is possible to have an ECA that is both a distillation ECA and a regeneration ECA. Moreover, every active ECA can be a dilutionECA and can generate diluted draw solution. Using these different and novel constructions disclosed in various embodiments of the present invention, one of ordinary skill in the art can manufacture devices that are capable of acquiring and distilling solvent from a contaminated effluent solution.

[0126] FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary combined regeneration and distillation ring that is capable of acquiring and distilling solvent from a contaminated effluent solution “E”. Solvent from the contaminated effluent E is distilled using three EAs (015, 017, 016) connected in a ring configuration. Energy-carrying connections (005) (e.g., vapor transfer pathways) move matter between the three EAs (015, 017, 016). As shown in FIG. 21, vapor from the effluent “E” from the emitter chamber of a first (i.e., leftmost) EA (015) travels via a vapor transfer pathway and condenses as a distilled solvent into a condensing chamber “C” (i.e., receiver chamber) in a second (i.e., middle) EA (017). This can distill the solvent from the contaminated effluent solution. Vapor from the effluent “E” from the emitter chamber of the second EA (017) can travel to the receiver chamber of a third (i.e., rightmost) EA (016), wherein the traveled vapor also carries thermal energy that warms the salt solution “Si” within the receiver chamber. This transferred thermal energy can travel from the receiver chamber of the third EA (016) to the emitter chamber of the same EA via an apparatus for passively transferring thermal energy (e.g., a thermally conductive surface shared by and located between the emitter and receiver chambers). This, in turn, can warm the salt solution “S2” within the emitter chamber of the third EA (016) and generates vapor. The vapor from “S2” from the emitter chamber of the third EA (016) can travel to the receiver chamber of the first EA (015), where it condenses into “Si”, thereby regenerating “S2”. This can concentrate the salt solution “S2” and transfers heat back to the first EA (015).

[0127] The value of the dilution ECA. as disclosed in various embodiments of the present invention, can be attributed to its ability to spontaneously move solvent from potentially contaminated solutions into draw solutions, leaving most, if not all, of the contaminants behind. Because the solvent is drawn into the sorbent by differences in vapor pressure caused by the different constituents of the solutions, and because the mechanism by which liquid moves is by evaporation and subsequent condensation, the movement primarily can involve the pure solvent, bypassing any impurities that might be entrained in thevapor flow. As a result, the system can be used to draw solvent from a contaminated effluent solution, leaving most of the contaminants behind. The mechanism may require creating a vacuum in the system and may use no mechanical fdtration or pump to move the liquid; it can be a very low energy and low maintenance system. One output of the dilution EC A, can be a diluted draw solution, which might be used in industrial processes. For instance, using propylene glycol as a draw solution can enable the water from a contaminated water-based effluent to be drawn into the glycol to make a glycol-water mixture. The mixture might be used, for instance, in a boiler where the water would be boiled off and the glycol returned to the dilution ECA for more water.

[0128] Furthermore, the value of the distillation ECA, as disclosed in various embodiments of the present invention, can be attributed to its ability to spontaneously distill solvent from an effluent. The distillation can be driven by the thermal gradient created by the absorption of effluent by the draw solution in a second EA’s receiver chamber in a distillation ECA. Therefore, the distillation can be initiated as soon as a vacuum is created and vapor can begin moving from the effluent into the draw solution. Like any distiller, however, this system can distill contaminants in the effluent in the emitter chamber of the second EA in the distillation ECA, and these can appear in the distillate. For instance, many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be readily transferred in the distillate. If the effluent being distilled has been produced by a dilution ECA, then the contaminants originally in the effluent can be very greatly diminished prior to distillation. This can serve to enable the generation of a highly pure distillate. As with the dilution ECA, the mechanism can require no pumps or filters and can be driven by a spontaneous thermal gradient so the system may need relatively little maintenance and suffers from very little degradation during use.

[0129] Moreover, the value of the regeneration ECA, as disclosed in various embodiments of the present invention, can be attributed to its ability to use the thermal gradient produced by the sorbent in a second EA’s receiving chamber in the regeneration ECA, once it begins absorbing effluent vapor to concentrate a quantity of relatively concentrated liquid sorbent. As with the distillation and dilution ECAs, the system can begin working as soon as a vacuum is created within the system. Unlike membrane systems, this system can use a lower concentration solution to dry out a higherconcentration solution spontaneously, owing to the thermal aspect of the configuration. Unlike thermal systems, this system may not require generated thermal energy. It can be entirely driven by the heat in the environment and in the system itself, requiring only energy from the environment to replace the losses due to the heat of mixing. Like the distillation and dilution ECAs, the regeneration ECA does not require pumps or filters, so the regeneration ECA requires low maintenance and suffers very little degradation during use.

[0130] However, in some embodiments of the invention, conventional pumps and / or filters may be still be incorporated into an ECA-based system for further enhancing system effectiveness and improving practicality of the commercial implementation of the ECA- based system. For example, one or more energy-carrying connections within the system (e.g., vapor transfer pathways) may include at least one filter, at least one pump, at least one valve, at least one port, at least one desiccant, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the filter, if incorporated into the ECA-based system, may comprise an osmotic membrane, an electromagnetic field, activated carbon, or similar, and the filter may be placed along any path (e.g., vapor transfer pathway) to remove impurities from any liquid or vapor flow, including separating entrained liquid from any vapor flow. Moreover, the pump, if incorporated into the ECA-based system, may comprise a gravity system, a pneumatic pump, an electro-mechanical pump, and / or similar. The valve may be completely open, completely closed, electronically controlled, manually controlled, omitted entirely, and / or similar. The desiccant may be chemical, unpowered, powered by systemic internal thermal energy, powered by external sources, and / or similar.

[0131] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention, customary or conventional additions to further direct thermal energy may be utilized in the ECA-based systems. For example, thermal insulation may be added to exterior surfaces of emitter and / or receiver chambers in entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) in an ECA to prevent thermal energy escape from the system into the external environment. In addition, heat pipes, heat exchangers, and / or any other customary or conventional devices designed to introduce or remove heat energy may be incorporated into an ECA-based system.

[0132] 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 appreciatethat 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.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator incorporating entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) connected to each other in a unique ring configuration, the ECA-based regenerator comprising: a first entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a first emitter chamber and a first receiver chamber, wherein the first receiver chamber contains a first solution; and a second entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a second emitter chamber and a second receiver chamber, wherein the second emitter chamber contains a second solution and the second receiver chamber contains a third solution, and wherein the first emitter chamber of the first EA is either directly or indirectly connected to the second receiver chamber of the second EA via one or more intermediate vapor transfer pathways, and wherein the second emitter chamber of the second EA is connected to the first receiver chamber of the first EA via a loopback ring vapor transfer pathway to form the unique ring configuration in the ECA-based regenerator, which allows a solvent from the second solution in the second emitter chamber to evaporate and condense in the first receiver chamber of the first EA as a regeneration process.

2. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 1, further comprising an additional entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising an additional emitter chamber and an additional receiver chamber, wherein the additional receiver chamber in the additional EA is either directly or indirectly connected to the first emitter chamber of the first EA via the one or more intermediate vapor transfer pathways, and wherein the additional emitter chamber in the additional EA is either directly or indirectly connected to the second receiver chamber of the second EA via the one or more intermediate vapor transfer pathways.

3. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 2, wherein a solution in the additional receiver chamber in the additional EA is a pure solvent.

4. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 1, further comprising a thermally- conductive surface located between each emitter chamber and each receiver chamber within each entrochemical amplifier (EA).

5. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more intermediate vapor transfer pathways and the loopback ring vapor transfer pathway is configured to transfer vapor and heat energy between two separate entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) in the ECA-based regenerator.

6. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 1, further comprising a second set of entrochemical array (ECA) incorporating additional entrochemical amplifiers (EAs), wherein the second set of ECA is in parallel to the first EA and the second EA, and wherein at least one of the additional EAs in the second set of ECA is cross-linked or maximally crosslinked with at least one of the first EA and the second EA.

7. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 1, wherein the first solution, the second solution, or the third solution is at least one of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), magnesium chloride (MgCE), calcium chloride (CaCh), iron chloride (FeCh), lithium chloride (LiCl), copper nitrate (Cu(NO.3)2), sodium nitrate (NaNCh), a glycol, and lithium nitrate (LiNOa).

8. An entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator incorporating entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) connected to each other in a unique bifurcated ring configuration, the ECA-based regenerator comprising: a first entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a first emitter chamber and a first receiver chamber, wherein the first receiver chamber contains a first solution; a second entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a second emitter chamber and a second receiver chamber, wherein the second receiver chamber contains a second solution, and wherein the first emitter chamber of the first EA is connected to the second receiver chamber of the second EA via a first loopback ring vapor transfer pathway; and a third entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising a third emitter chamber and a third receiver chamber, wherein the third receiver chamber contains a third solution andthe third emitter chamber contains a fourth solution, and wherein the third emitter chamber of the third EA is connected to the second receiver chamber of the second EA via a second loopback ring vapor transfer pathway, and wherein the second emitter chamber of the second EA incorporates bifurcated vapor transfer pathways to connect to the first receiver chamber of the first EA and also to the third receiver chamber of the third EA, which completes a formation of the unique bifurcated ring configuration in the ECA-based regenerator and allows a solvent from the fourth solution in the third emitter chamber of the third EA to evaporate and condense in the second receiver chamber of the second EA as a regeneration process.

9. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 8, further comprising an additional entrochemical amplifier (EA) comprising an additional emitter chamber and an additional receiver chamber, wherein the additional receiver chamber in the additional EA is either directly or indirectly connected to the second emitter chamber of the second EA via an additional vapor transfer pathway, and wherein the additional emitter chamber in the additional EA is either directly or indirectly connected to the second receiver chamber of the second EA via an additional loopback ring vapor transfer pathway.

10. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 8, wherein the first solution in the first receiver chamber in the third EA is a pure solvent.

11. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 9, wherein a solution in the additional receiver chamber in the additional EA is a pure solvent.

12. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 8, further comprising a thermally- conductive surface located between each emitter chamber and each receiver chamber within each entrochemical amplifier (EA).

13. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 8, wherein each of the first loopback ring vapor transfer pathway, the second loopback ring vapor transfer pathway, and the bifurcated vapor transfer pathways is configured to transfer vapor and heat energy between two separate entrochemical amplifiers (EAs) in the ECA-based regenerator.

4. The entrochemical array (ECA)-based regenerator of claim 8, wherein the first solution, the second solution, the third solution, or the fourth solution is at least one of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), magnesium chloride (MgCk), calcium chloride (CaCh), iron chloride (FeCh), lithium chloride (LiCl), copper nitrate (Cu(NO3)2), sodium nitrate (NaNOa), a glycol, and lithium nitrate (LiNOs).

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