Distillation: apparatus – Apparatus – Systems
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-19
2001-09-18
Manoharan, Virginia (Department: 1764)
Distillation: apparatus
Apparatus
Systems
C202S181000, C202S188000, C202S185300, C202S206000, C202S237000, C202S242000, C203S001000, C203S010000, C392S448000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290819
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to a distillation device for purification of water, and more particularly to a compact, continuous flow distiller for supplying pure drinking water.
The global need for safe drinking water is commonly recognized. Increasing awareness of health problems resulting from chemicals, bacteria and viruses in drinking water is well documented. Point of use water purification by distillation is the best and only solution that addresses all water contamination problems.
Many water distillers have been developed to provide pure drinking water, however certain problems still exist in the art. Examples of some of these problems are: (1) some distillers are not economical since they have unnecessary maintenance cost and a low energy efficiency; (2) some produce too much heat radiating into the air, particularly in small offices and enclosed work area; (3) most water distillers are noisy because they have electric cooling fans that run at inconvenient times; (4) some water distillers have attempted to overcome the noise problem by using water cooled condensers; however, in the prior art this has created wastewater and required additional plumbing; and (5) some water distillers are difficult to maintain in good operating condition because of the difficulties encountered in cleaning sediment and scale from the interior of the distiller. In fact most water distillers require a substantial amount of disassembly involving multiple parts in order to fully clean the boiler. In many cases, the user will not realize the difficulty of this job until the water distiller fails to produce water up to its rated capacity.
Numerous attempts have been made to facilitate the de-scaling and cleaning of distillers, but such attempts have not completely solved the problems in the prior art. In most cases, such attempts have resulted only in additional plumbing and additional components, requiring additional maintenance and increasing the cost of the unit. Thus, the cost and maintenance of these prior art devices is an acknowledged disadvantage.
To avoid the need to disassemble a distiller, many attempts have been made to address the cleaning problem by the use of after market chemicals for removing scale in the boiler. However, this has not eliminated the difficult periodic required manual cleaning for proper maintenance of distiller components. Further, the use of chemicals for this purpose is expensive, a waste of natural resources and ultimately adds to the already-serious pollution problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to address environmental and public health concerns regarding the provision of safe drinking water in an effective manner.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a water distiller that is more economical and energy efficient; for example; by effectively utilizing thermal energy recovery to preheat water to be treated; by operating during lower electrical rate periods; and by eliminating wastewater.
It is another object of the invention to reduce heat radiation into the surrounding air space, particularly during normal office and working hours by operating primarily during off work hours and/or by evacuating heat to a remote location.
It is another object of the invention to provide a water distiller which is so constructed as to protect the condenser from being negatively affected by radiant heat from the boiler or from the boiler heat source by positioning the condenser below the boiler and heat source.
It is another object of the invention to provide a water distiller that reduces noise, particularly during normal office and working hours, by eliminating a condenser fan and/or by operating during off work hours.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a water distiller that may use cooling water to enhance heat exchange without creating wastewater, without requiring plumbing and connections to a house or building drain system, and without fouling cooling water tubing by utilizing distilled water from the reservoir for this purpose.
A still further object of the invention is to eliminate the difficulties and the cost encountered in cleaning sediment and scale from the interior of a boiler in a distiller by providing a removable boiler [in a distiller], which is seated within the housing in such a way that it can be easily removed for cleaning or replacement.
Another object of the invention is to provide a water distiller with a protective control to prevent the boiler from running dry, thus preventing scale.
Briefly, the present invention is directed, in its preferred embodiments, to a water distillation system which effectively addresses known problems in the art. The embodiments are directed to a continuous-flow distiller for permanent placement as a freestanding unit in any desired location. Such a device provides a continuous supply of pure water and may, for example, serve as a drinking fountain. The distiller includes a removable heating vessel, or boiler, which receives water that is to be treated, and a heater. The water in the boiler is boiled by the heater and the resulting steam or vapor is directed into, and through, a condenser which provides heat exchange surfaces to allow the steam to give off its heat through the condenser walls, thereby causing the steam to return to its water form. The lowermost end of the condenser includes a drain opening which directs the distilled water into a reservoir, or storage container. The storage container may be a stationary container for use, for example, in a water fountain and a pump may be provided to deliver water from this container.
In a preferred embodiment, the components are located within a housing having a hinged access lid at the top. The boiler is supported in the housing, as by suitable angle brackets or other supports, and may be in the form of an insulated double wall pot of stainless steel. The boiler may have a recessed area in its bottom with a drain tube and a drain spigot connected to a drain hole therein, extending downwardly and outwardly through a side hole in the housing. The open top of this boiler is closed and sealed by the housing lid, with an outlet steam port in the lid being connected to the inlet of a condenser. Preferably, the steam port is connected by way of a suitable pipeline, which passes through a raw water pre-heating chamber on its way to the inlet of the condenser. The raw water pre-heating chamber has an inlet and an outlet. Water to be distilled is supplied by way of a raw water inlet pipe to the pre-heating chamber inlet and preheated raw water is supplied from the chamber outlet to the boiler by way of a supply pipe passing through the hinged lid.
The outlet steam port and pipeline leads steam from the boiler to the inlet of the condenser, which in accordance with the present invention is located below the boiler and below the boiler heat source. The condenser, in a preferred embodiment, is water and air-cooled and includes a downwardly coiled, double-wall tubing or a smaller tube within a larger tube. Cooling water flows through the inner tube, while steam enters the larger outer tube at a steam inlet and flows downwardly as it condenses. The resulting distillate flows downwardly by gravity to a distillate outlet drain.
An enclosed container or storage vessel is located below the condenser and receives water from the distillate drain for storage and subsequent distribution through a suitable outlet such as a distillate spigot which may be located at any desired position on the housing. If the spigot is located above the storage container, a pump may be provided to deliver water to it.
The smaller, cooling-water, inner tubing of the condenser extends downwardly, through the distillate drain at the lower end of the condenser, and is connected to an outlet of a cooling-water pump located, if so desired, at the bottom of the storage container. At the upper end of the condenser the cooling-water tubing exits the condenser through a hole in the outer steam
Environmental Technology Enterprises, LLC
Jones, Tullar & Cooper
Manoharan Virginia
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