HIGH-EFFICIENCY THERMAL-ENERGY-DRIVEN WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM

摘要

Water is separated from a liquid composition (e.g., salt water) by directing a carrier gas flow through an evaporator and directly contacting the carrier gas with the liquid composition to humidify the carrier gas with water evaporated from the liquid composition, producing a humidified gas flow. The humidified gas flow is compressed by injecting a fluid that includes steam and/or an organic compound at an elevated pressure at least five times greater than the pressure in the evaporator and at a temperature at least as high as a saturation temperature of the steam / organic compound at the elevated pressure of the fluid. After being compressed, the humidified gas flow is directed through a condenser where water is condensed from the compressed humidified gas flow and collected. The dehumidified gas flow is re-circulated from the condenser back through the evaporator for reuse as the carrier gas.