Gas separation: processes – Solid sorption – With plural indirect heat transfer steps on solid sorbent or...
Patent
1997-03-17
1998-12-08
Spitzer, Robert
Gas separation: processes
Solid sorption
With plural indirect heat transfer steps on solid sorbent or...
95117, 95126, 96122, 96126, 96130, 96143, B01D 5304, B01D 5326
Patent
active
058462961
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a 35 USC371 case of PCT/NO95/00168, filed on Sep. 19, 1995.
A method for recovering and/or purifying water which is absorbed from a humid atmosphere, wherein the moisture from the air is adsorbed on a suitable medium in a defined space by means of cooling, whereupon by the application of heat to the medium in a closed room, the moisture is transferred to a condenser where it passes into a liquid state and is collected in a suitable manner.
The supply of water, and clean water in particular, has progressively become a serious problem in many parts of the world. The ground water level sinks, severe droughts occur, landscapes dry up and deserts spread. The water which exists in these areas is generally very highly polluted, which in turn can lead to disease among both people and animals, with infections which can result in major disasters. Lack of water has also caused the landscape to dry up with the consequent spread of the desert.
Many attempts have been made to supply such problem areas with water in some form or other, either by drilling to great depths, damming up and channelling water in particular directions, and attempts have also been made to utilize the moisture which exists in the atmosphere or the air. Furthermore plants have been developed for purifying sea water in order to provide drinking water.
With regard to the exploitation of the moisture in the air, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,285,702, 4,342,569 and 4,146,372. A device of the same kind for the production of drinking water is described in DE 3313711 A1. In these publications methods and devices are described for extracting water from the air, wherein an adsorption medium which is normally silica gel is employed in order to collect the moisture from the air, whereupon by means of heat the collected moisture is evaporated and then condensed in a condenser. For this purpose technical aids are employed in the form of evaporators and condensers together with forced air streams. The difference between day temperature and night temperature is also partially used in order to extract the moisture from the air. All of these known devices are based on the supply of a forced through-flow of air in order to achieve the desired capacity for the plant.
From U.S. Pat. No. 2,139,689 a plant for recovering humidity from the atmosphere is known. This plant consists of a house in which an absorbing material is stored which can absorb humidity from the air. This material is at night time transported out of the house and positioned into special areas in which it is resting during the night in order to absorb the humidity. At day time the material is transported back into the house which is closed and heated so that the humidity may evaporate and be condensed in the house. The plant according to the U.S. patent will require large space and efforts in order to transport the absorbing material in and out of a house.
Finally, it is in U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,516 described a further device for production of water from the atmosphere, in which a plurality of disks are used in order to provide a large surface area for absorbing humidity from the air. During the condensing step a cover is placed over the disks and water is condensed in the top area and passed out through a pipe from the top area.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method for recovering water from a humid atmosphere, wherein the method can be implemented with the simplest possible means and will be completely independent of external power sources, thus enabling the method to be implemented at any location whatever.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device for use in such a recovery process, which device should have a simple and economical construction with minimum maintenance requirements, thus enabling it too to be employed at any location whatever in a simple and reliable manner.
These objects are achieved with a method and a device of the type mentioned in the introduction, which are characterized by the features in the patent claims present
REFERENCES:
patent: 1092434 (1914-04-01), Daubine 95125
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