RU2660273C1 - Method of water from air producing - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: technological processes.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to methods of autonomous fresh water production by evaporating sea water and condensing a steam-air mixture and can be used for drinking water supply, as well as for household needs. Method of obtaining water from air includes saturation of air with water vapor, formation of a steam-air flow by blowers, supply of compressed air saturated with water vapor into condensers with moisture extraction. Superchargers, powered by the energy of a sea wave, primarly purified air is moved in a closed thermodynamic cycle. Compressed hot moisture-saturated air from the superchargers is fed along vertical ducts located inside vertical water supply lines of external sea water into floating thermally insulated tanks for evaporation. Seawater is heated in water lines by the thermal energy of compressed air. Hot seawater is transferred from the water lines to the tanks by convection due to the difference in densities of cold outside and heated seawater in the water lines for intensive evaporation of water in tanks at elevated temperature and saturation of water vapor pulled by superchargers. Compressed air is throttled after processing in the capacitors, and the dehumidified air that is supercooled by the throttling is heated by the heat of the surrounding seawater. Dried air is supplied for additional heating and saturation with moisture in floating tanks, followed by pulling the steam-air mixture from the tanks and compressing the superchargers.

EFFECT: higher productivity of obtaining fresh water method.

1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to methods for autonomously producing fresh water from atmospheric moisture-saturated air. The invention can be used for drinking water supply, as well as for domestic and household needs.

A known method of extracting water from a steam-air mixture, which consists in the fact that they form a stream of air containing water vapor, carry out artificial cooling of the air stream, condense water vapor and the resulting fresh water-condensate is fed into a tank for collecting water (RF patent No. 2081256, IPC E03B 3/28, published on June 10, 1997). The disadvantage of this method is the need to use external input energy to form a stream of vapor-air mixture directed to a condenser to precipitate moisture, which is not renewable.

The closest technical solution to the claimed method according to a combination of features is a method for producing fresh water, which consists in forming a stream of air containing water vapor, cooling it to a temperature below the dew point, condensing water vapor into water, and dehydrated air is emitted into the atmosphere ( US patent No. 5203989, IPC EV 3/28, publ. 04/20/1987). When pumping a stream of atmospheric air containing water vapor, they condense on the cooling element of the chiller and at the same time cool the air stream that is released into the atmosphere. To pump a stream of atmospheric air, a supercharger is required, which requires the cost of external non-renewable energy. The known method, which also involves the use of external input energy for the operation of the chiller, is characterized by low efficiency of using the cooling capacity of the machine, since only a small part of the energy consumed by the chiller is used to condense water vapor. Moreover, most of the cooling capacity is spent on cooling dehydrated air discharged into the atmosphere.

The technical challenge facing the invention is the creation of a simple method for producing fresh water using renewable energy of the sea wave, which allows to obtain fresh water from saturated air with low cost.

The technical result of the claimed invention is to increase the productivity of the method for fresh water due to the forced saturation of air with moisture at an elevated temperature by pre-heating sea water and evaporating it, using the thermal energy of compressed air generated by the energy of the sea wave, as well as by using low-grade heat of the external sea water for heating the dried air used in a closed thermodynamic cycle. Moving the initially purified air in a closed thermodynamic cycle allows you to reduce the cost of its continuous cleaning in comparison with an open cycle involving the intake of air from the atmosphere, and to obtain clean fresh water.

According to the invention, the technical problem is solved, and the technical result is achieved as follows. A method of producing water from air includes compressing moisture-saturated air with superchargers, driving superchargers with sea energy, saturating air with water vapor in containers with evaporating sea water, heating sea water, supplying compressed air saturated with water vapor to condensers, deposition of water vapor at overpressure in condensers and fresh water selection. Superchargers, according to the method, move air in a closed cycle. Compressed hot moisture-saturated air is supplied from the blowers through vertical ducts located inside the vertical ducts for supplying external sea water to the evaporation tank. Sea water is heated in conduits with the thermal energy of compressed air. Hot seawater is transported from the water lines to the containers by convection, due to the difference in densities of cold external and heated sea water in the water pipes, for intensive evaporation of water in containers at elevated temperatures and saturation of the air drawn in by compressors with water vapor. The compressed air after the condensers is throttled. Supercooled as a result of throttling, the air is heated with the heat of the surrounding sea water and fed into containers for additional heating and saturation of the air with moisture, followed by suction of air from the tanks and compression with superchargers.

Figure 1 - scheme for obtaining water from the air.

The following positions are indicated in the figures:

1 - volumetric supercharger;

2 - suction duct;

3 - thermally insulated floating tank;

4 - fixing anchor;

5 - duct compressed steam mixture;

6 - conduit for sea water;

7 - moisture condenser;

8 - throttle;

9 - duct of drained air;

10 - pipeline with a valve for draining fresh water.

The method of obtaining water from air (see figure 1) is implemented as follows. Volumetric superchargers (1), powered by sea wave energy, take the vapor-air mixture through the air ducts (2) from floating thermally insulated containers (3), rigidly connected to the movable bodies of the superchargers (1). The stationary bodies of the superchargers (1) are fixed with the bottom of the sea by fixing anchors (4). The compressed hot steam-air mixture after the blowers (1) moves along the vertical air ducts (5) located inside the water ducts (6), gives off its thermal energy to seawater, which, as a result of convection, enters the floating containers (3). Heated seawater evaporates in containers (3). The steam-air mixture partially gave up its thermal energy to sea water under pressure enters the condensers (7) through heat exchangers to heat the dried air, where moisture is deposited from the steam-air mixture, followed by selection through pipelines (10). The dried air after the condensers (7) is throttled, depressurizing the throttles (8). The dried air cooled after throttling is heated with the heat of the surrounding sea water and fed back to the floating containers (3) through the air ducts (9), further heating the air and saturating it with moisture, followed by suction by the superchargers (1).

The claimed technical solution allows you to convert the free energy of the sea wave into thermal energy, for the forced saturation of air with evaporating moisture. Thermal energy is generated in a closed thermodynamic cycle of air movement using low-grade heat of the surrounding sea water. The advantage of a closed thermodynamic cycle is that the air used must be cleaned only once, unlike an open cycle with constant intake and purification of atmospheric air. The claimed technical solution allows to reduce the cost of obtaining fresh water from the air.

Claims (1)

A method of producing water from air, including saturating air with water vapor, forming a steam-air stream by superchargers, supplying compressed air saturated with water vapor to condensers with moisture extraction, characterized in that the superchargers operating from the energy of the sea wave move the initially purified air in a closed thermodynamic cycle, they supply compressed hot air saturated with moisture from the blowers through vertical ducts located inside the vertical ducts for supplying external sea water to the melt thermally insulated containers for evaporation, heat seawater in water pipelines with the heat energy of compressed air, move hot seawater from water pipelines to tanks by convection due to the difference in densities of cold external and heated sea water in water ducts for intensive evaporation of water in tanks at elevated temperatures and saturation of the suction pump air with water vapor, throttle the compressed air after the condensers, the dry air supercooled by throttling is heated by the heat of the surrounding sea rows, dehumidified air is fed to the auxiliary heating and moisture saturation in the floating tanks followed by suction of vapor from containers and compression superchargers.

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