Process and apparatus for seawater desalination

摘要

The patent application relates to a process and a corresponding apparatus for seawater desalination, the evaporation with subsequent recondensation of seawater proceeding solely with the utilisation of solar energy. In this case, the air which is to take up the seawater to be evaporated is drawn by suction through a natural stack-draught effect between the water surface and the film serving as a cover. As a result, the air is heated because of the solar radiation with simultaneous increase of the absolute air humidity, caused by the seawater evaporated by solar radiation. This air enriched with moisture is then cooled on surfaces which are situated beneath the water level, the condensate precipitating here and running off into a collector tank, before the air passes into a stack. The air flow is driven by the continuous heating on the path from the stack entrance to the stack outlet, caused by the temperature difference between the seawater and the upper part of the stack heated by solar radiation, because the temperature level overall in the stack is higher than in the surroundings. <IMAGE>