Land-based desalination using positively buoyant or negatively buoyant/assisted buoyancy hydrate
First Claim
1. A method of desalinating or purifying saline or otherwise polluted water, said method comprising:
- providing saline or otherwise polluted input water to a lower, hydrate formation region of a desalination fractionation installation that is located in a shaft formed in land and mixing said input water with a gas or gas mixture to produce gas hydrate, said gas hydrate, per se, having a specific gravity that is greater than the specific gravity of the input water and therefore being negatively buoyant relative to said input water, said mixing being performed at temperature and pressure conditions conducive to the formation of said gas hydrate;
causing said gas hydrate to be provided to a dissociation region of said desalination fractionation installation and allowing said gas hydrate to dissociate into fresh water and the hydrate-forming gas or gas mixture; and
collecting said fresh water;
wherein said mixing is controlled such that said gas hydrate forms assisted buoyancy gas hydrate masses which, in toto, are positively buoyant relative to the input water and which therefore rise naturally within said desalination fractionation installation.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for desalination of salt water (and purification of polluted water) are disclosed. Salt (or otherwise polluted) water is pumped to a desalination installation and down to the base of a desalination fractionation column, where it is mixed with hydrate-forming gas to form either positively buoyant or negatively buoyant (assisted buoyancy) hydrate. The hydrate rises or is carried upward and dissociates (melts) into the gas and pure water. In preferred embodiments, residual salt water which is heated by heat given off during formation of the hydrate is removed from the system to create a bias towards overall cooling as the hydrate dissociates endothermically at shallower depths. In preferred embodiments, the input water is passed through regions of dissociation in heat-exchanging relationship therewith so as to be cooled sufficiently for hydrate to form at pressure-depth. The fresh water produced by the system is cold enough that it can be used to provide refrigeration, air conditioning, or other cooling; heat removed from the system with the heated residual water can be used for heating or other applications.
76 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method of desalinating or purifying saline or otherwise polluted water, said method comprising:
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providing saline or otherwise polluted input water to a lower, hydrate formation region of a desalination fractionation installation that is located in a shaft formed in land and mixing said input water with a gas or gas mixture to produce gas hydrate, said gas hydrate, per se, having a specific gravity that is greater than the specific gravity of the input water and therefore being negatively buoyant relative to said input water, said mixing being performed at temperature and pressure conditions conducive to the formation of said gas hydrate;
causing said gas hydrate to be provided to a dissociation region of said desalination fractionation installation and allowing said gas hydrate to dissociate into fresh water and the hydrate-forming gas or gas mixture; and
collecting said fresh water;
wherein said mixing is controlled such that said gas hydrate forms assisted buoyancy gas hydrate masses which, in toto, are positively buoyant relative to the input water and which therefore rise naturally within said desalination fractionation installation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of desalinating or purifying saline or otherwise polluted water, said method comprising:
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providing saline or otherwise polluted input water to a lower, hydrate formation region of a desalination fractionation installation and mixing said input water with a gas or gas mixture to produce gas hydrate, said gas hydrate, per se, having a specific gravity that is greater than the specific gravity of the input water and therefore being negatively buoyant relative to said input water, said mixing being performed at temperature and pressure conditions conducive to the formation of said gas hydrate;
causing said gas hydrate to be provided to a dissociation region of said desalination fractionation installation and allowing said gas hydrate to dissociate into fresh water and the hydrate-forming gas or gas mixture; and
collecting said fresh water;
wherein said mixing is controlled such that substantially all of said gas forms negatively buoyant gas hydrate which settles in a lower, sump portion of said desalination fractionation installation and wherein said causing said gas hydrate to be provided to said dissociation region of said desalination fractionation installation comprises pumping settled gas hydrate from said lower, sump portion to said dissociation region. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification