Gasification Unit Captures Outgassed Hydrogen and Oxygen
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water treatment systems do not efficiently collect and utilize the gases outgassed during the water treatment process, such as hydrogen and oxygen, which can be valuable resources.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a water intake, a gasification unit with multiple water treatment systems, a chiller/condenser unit, and a salt water discharge, where the gasification unit includes a vortex module and a disk-pack module to generate and collect gases from the water treatment process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If water treatment systems process water to remove contaminants, then water quality is improved, but gases such as hydrogen and oxygen are released and lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and collects gases (hydrogen and oxygen) that are outgassed during the water treatment process using a gas collection system with a hood and ports. This separates the gas collection function from the water treatment function, allowing both to be optimized independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the gases produced during water treatment, the system recovers them for subsequent use. The collected gases are routed to a chiller/condenser unit and can be utilized in desalination processes or other applications, transforming waste into a valuable resource.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a gas collection system is added to capture outgassed hydrogen and oxygen, then gas utilization is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water treatment system is designed to perform multiple functions: water treatment, gas generation, gas collection, and gas utilization. The gas collection hood and chiller/condenser unit serve dual purposes by both capturing gases and preparing them for use in desalination processes, reducing the need for separate dedicated systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the gas collection function with the existing water treatment infrastructure. The hood is integrated into the water treatment system housing, and the gas collection ports are incorporated into the existing structure, minimizing additional components while achieving gas capture.
3Productivity
If gases are collected and routed to a chiller/condenser unit for utilization, then resource efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the cold temperatures achieved during the water treatment process to condense and collect gases, rather than requiring separate heating or cooling systems. The chiller/condenser unit leverages the existing thermal dynamics of the water treatment process to facilitate gas condensation and collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the thermal energy that would otherwise be wasted during gas outgassing into a useful resource for condensing and collecting the gases. The exothermic reactions and thermal effects during water treatment are harnessed to facilitate gas collection and preparation for subsequent use.
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
The system effectively collects and separates hydrogen and oxygen gases from the water treatment process, allowing for their utilization in subsequent processes, such as desalination, and producing fresh water.
Implementation Method 1
at least one water dissociation system in the water tank, the water treatment system including a motor, a driveshaft engaging the motor, a vortex module having a housing; a plurality of inlets spaced around the periphery of the housing near a top of the housing; and a vortex chamber formed in the housing and in fluid communication with the plurality of inlets
Implementation Method 2
a chiller/condenser unit in fluid communication with the gasification unit such that at least a portion of the gas expelled from the plurality of water treatment systems is received by the chiller/condenser unit
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided in at least one embodiment to process water to produce gas that can be separated into at least two gas flows using a water treatment system having a disk-pack rotating in it to cause out gassing from the water. In a further embodiment, the method and system use the gas released from the water to produce substantially fresh water from the processed salt water.