Invention:
This invention combines three desalination methods into one system to treat brackish water for a high freshwater yield per footprint and per unit solar input compared to existing small-scale solar systems. These methods include a cooled chimney condenser, a scalable solar heater, and mesh-based wick evaporation.
Background:
Freshwater scarcity is growing, but many regions facing this problem have a lot of brackish groundwater and seawater available. These, however, are expensive to treat with conventional systems. The current solutions to freshwater scarcity, like reverse osmosis and multi-effect distillation, require high energy, pumps, membranes, and ongoing maintenance. Another current solution is solar stills, but these typically produce low output due to weak airflow and limited thermal separation. Combining some of these existing solutions could enable water production without pressure, pumps, or electronics. This technology overcomes these limitations by using solar-heated brackish water and a chimney-driven natural draft to reduce energy demand, avoid brine issues, and improve efficiency compared to mechanical desalination and traditional solar stills.
Applications:
- Water desalination
- Disaster relief and humanitarian aide
- Rural and off-grid drinking water supply
- Agricultural water production
Advantages:
- Energy efficient system
- Combines several desalination methods in one system
- Small-scale system
- Uses chimney-driven natural draft to reduce energy demand
- Scalable solar heater
