Seawater Desalination Tank with Sealed Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current seawater desalination systems face inefficiencies and high costs, particularly in terms of energy consumption and maintenance, and often struggle with maintaining water quality due to the entrainment of saltwater droplets with vapor.
Innovation Solution
A leaktight tank system is used, where seawater is filled and sealed, with controlled openings to the sea, allowing gradual communication to equalize pressure and facilitate vapor condensation for desalination, utilizing a flash distillation-like process with a demister to prevent droplet entrainment and employing multiple tanks with temperature-controlled seawater for enhanced efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional desalination systems (RO, MSF, MED) are used, then desalinated water can be produced, but energy consumption is high and operating costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the thermal parameters by using seawater at different temperatures (cold seawater for condensation, warm seawater for evaporation) to create a thermodynamic cycle that produces fresh water without high energy input. The temperature difference between incoming cold seawater and the evaporation chamber seawater drives the natural condensation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transitions of water (evaporation from liquid to vapor, then condensation back to liquid) as the core mechanism for desalination. Seawater evaporates in a closed chamber, the vapor condenses on cold surfaces formed by incoming cold seawater, and the condensed fresh water is collected, while salt remains in the evaporation chamber.
2Productivity
If vapor is rapidly evacuated from the tank to increase productivity, then more desalinated water can be produced, but saltwater droplets are entrained with the vapor reducing water quality
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a demister as an intermediary device between the evaporation chamber and condensation system. The demister acts as a filtering medium that allows vapor to pass through while intercepting and removing saltwater droplets, ensuring high-quality fresh water production without sacrificing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention controls the phase transition process by managing the evaporation and condensation rates. The vapor is allowed to form and then naturally condense on cold surfaces, and the condensed liquid is collected. This controlled phase transition approach prevents droplet entrainment while maintaining high production rates.
3Reliability
If the tank is completely sealed to maintain pressure differential, then flash evaporation can occur, but maintenance and cleaning become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the system into separate functional modules: an evaporation chamber, condensation chambers, and collection systems. This segmentation allows individual components to be accessed, maintained, and cleaned independently without requiring complete system shutdown or emptying, while the evaporation chamber maintains its sealed pressure differential.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates dynamic access mechanisms that allow the sealed evaporation chamber to be opened for maintenance only when needed. The system can operate in a sealed state to maintain pressure differential, and can be dynamically opened for cleaning or repair, then resealed. This dynamic approach balances reliability during operation with ease of maintenance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method significantly reduces capital and operating costs, minimizes maintenance, and produces high-quality desalinated water with low salt concentration, while being environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, with the ability to increase water treatment capacity through stacked basins and temperature-controlled condensation.
Implementation Method 1
The phenomenon of 'flash' evaporation is thus maintained
Implementation Method 2
the evaporation (mainly MSF: Multi-Stage Flash, and MED: Multi-Effect Distillation)
Implementation Method 3
It is then sufficient to use the appropriate systems to condense this vapor in order to obtain desalinated water
Implementation Method 4
The same result can be obtained by replacing the operation of condensation by the continual evacuation of a part of the vapor located above the sea water of the tank
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a system and method using a vessel specially designed for desalinating seawater. The invention makes it possible to evaporate the seawater and condense the resulting steam at low pressure. Discharges into the sea resulting from said desalination operations have a low salt concentration. The present system and method can be used to recycle energy, even when difficult to recycle, for desalinating seawater, or can be combined with other desalination techniques, for example such as MSF or MED.