System and method for water distillation
View Patent ↗A condensing system has a boiler system, a tubing assembly, a condenser, and a control module. The condenser comprises a cycloid piston moveably positioned within a condenser vessel. The cycloid piston includes a cycloid wall that extends down from an internally formed a three dimensional cycloid surface, i.e. a tautochrome. The control module includes a control logic communicatively coupled with a boiler heater of the boiler system, a boiler temperature sensor, a condenser temperature sensor, and a strain gauge scale The tubing assembly provides a pathway for the steam to travel from the boiler system to the condenser. The control system controls the boiler heater in view of temperature readings of the boiler temperature sensor. The control system imposes one or more temperature pre-heating gradients in heating the volume of water before the boiling point of water is reached. The effluent vapors that escape the boiler during the course of the temperature pre-heating gradient(s) have a lower boiling point than that of the volume water. These effluent vapors exit from the boiler as their respective boiling points are imposed on the volume of water, and escape via a check valve. Readings from the boiler temperature sensor and the condenser temperature sensor are applied by the control logic to determine an observed boiling point of the volume of water.
1 . A device comprising:
a condensation element, the condensation element forming a cycloid surface, wherein the cycloid surface forms an increasingly large circle in an x-y plane as the cycloid surface extends in a downward direction along a z-axis, wherein the x-y plane is defined by an x-axis and a y-axis, and the x-axis, y-axis, and the z-axis are mutually orthogonal, and any condensation formed on the cycloid surface will tend to flow in a downward direction along the z-axis and along the cycloid surface;
a condenser vessel chamber configured to hold condensation received from the cycloid surface, and condenser vessel chamber having an input aperture, a condenser vessel wall, and a condenser vessel internal floor, and coupled with the condenser vessel wall, the internal floor comprising the input aperture, and the condenser vessel wall shaped and sized to at least partially accept and enclose the condensation element; and
a source of steam coupled with the input aperture, whereby the steam flows upwards and makes contact with the cycloid surface.
2 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a boiler system comprising a boiler steam outlet, a heating element, a volume of water, and at least one volume of an effluent, the at least one volume of effluent (hereinafter, “effluent”) having a lower boiling point than water, and the heating element configured to generate a volume of steam (hereinafter, “steam”) by boiling the volume of water, and the boiler steam outlet positioned to allow the steam and the effluent to leave the boiler;
a tubing having a first tubing section, an effluent check valve, and a second tubing section, the first section coupled at a first end with the boiler steam outlet and adapted to receive the steam and the effluent from the boiler system, and the first tubing section coupled at a first valve end to the effluent check valve;
the effluent check valve configured to receive the steam and the effluent from the first tubing section enabling at least a first portion of the effluent to exit the tubing, and inhibiting the steam from exiting the tubing, the effluent check valve further coupled with the second tubing section and delivering steam and effluent remaining into the second tubing section; and
the second tubing coupled to the effluent check valve at a second valve end and coupled to the input aperture at an input end, wherein the remaining steam and effluent is delivered into the condenser vessel chamber via the input aperture.
3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein the device further comprises:
a strain gauge coupled to the condenser vessel chamber, the strain gauge configured to measure the combined weight of the condenser chamber vessel and the condensation, and inform a control logic of an indication of the combined weight;
the control logic communicatively coupled with the strain gauge and controllably coupled with the heating element, wherein the control logic is configured to direct the heating element to eliminate providing heat to the water and the effluent when the strain gauge indication meets or exceeds a preselected value.
4 . The device of claim 2 , further comprising:
an output channel coupled with the condenser chamber vessel and an output valve, the output channel providing a channel for the condensation to exit the condenser vessel chamber; and
the control logic controllably coupled with the output valve, whereby the control logic switched the output valve from an open to a closed state.
5 . The device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a boiler temperature sensor, the boiler temperature sensor communicatively coupled with a control logic and providing a boiler temperature indication to the control logic; and
the control logic communicatively controllably coupled with the heating element, wherein the control logic is configured to direct the heating element through a temperature gradient on the basis of boiler temperature indications received from the boiler temperature sensor.
6 . A device comprising:
a condensation element, the condensation element forming a cycloid surface, wherein the cycloid surface forms an increasingly large circle in an x-y plane as the cycloid surface extends in a downward direction along a z-axis, wherein the x-y plane is defined by an x axis and a y axis, and the x-axis, y-axis, and the z-axis are mutually orthogonal, and any condensation formed on the cycloid surface will tend to flow under the influence of a gravitational force in a downward direction along the z-axis and along the cycloid surface, wherein the condensation element further comprises a condensation wall extending from the cycloid surface and downward along the z-axis;
a condenser vessel chamber configured to hold condensation received from the condensation element, and the condenser vessel chamber having an input, a condenser vessel wall, and a condenser vessel bottom coupled with the condenser vessel wall, the condenser vessel wall shaped and sized to at least partially accept and enclose the condensation element, and wherein the condenser vessel wall forms an oversize inner radius along the x-y plane, the oversize inner radius being within the range 0.01% to 10% larger than an external radius of the condensation wall within the x-y plane; and
a source of steam coupled with the input aperture, whereby the steam flows upwards and makes contact with the cycloid surface.
7 . The device of claim 6 , further comprising an inlet channel, the inlet channel coupled with the input aperture and configured to deliver a gas stream into the condenser vessel chamber.
8 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the gas stream comprises steam.
9 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the gas stream comprises water vapor and at least one effluent, wherein the concentration of the at least one effluent varies over a temperature range.
10 . The device of claim 7 , further comprising a fan, wherein the fan is configured and positioned to cool the condensation element.
11 . The device of claim 7 , wherein a condensation peltier device is comprised within the condensation element.
12 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the fan is oriented to blow air toward the cycloid surface, and the fan is coupled with the condensation element.
13 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the fan comprises at least one cooling fin extending along the z-axis toward away from the cycloid surface.
14 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the fan further comprises a plurality of cooling fins extending along the z-axis away from the cycloid surface.
15 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the condenser vessel wall forms an internal radius normal to the z-axis, and the internal radius is equal to or greater than a largest cycloid internal radius of the cycloid surface within the x-y plane.
16 . The device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a control module communicatively coupled with both the height sensor and a control valve, and the control module configured to switch the control valve from an open state to a closed state upon receipt of the height signal from the height sensor; and
a source of gas, the source of gas coupled with the inlet channel, wherein the control valve is disposed between the condenser vessel chamber and the source of gas, and whereby the gas then flows through the inlet channel when the control valve is in the open state, and the gas is impeded from flowing into the condenser vessel chamber when the control valve in the closed state.
17 . The device of claim 16 , wherein the source of gas comprises a boiler.
18 . The device of claim 17 , further comprising a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor configured and adapted to detect a temperature of the device and thereupon generate an overheat signal when the device is at or higher than a predetermined temperature.
19 . The device of claim 17 , further comprising:
a control module communicatively coupled with both the temperature sensor and a control valve, and the control module configured to switch the control valve from an open state to a closed state upon receipt of the overheat signal from the temperature sensor; and
a source of gas, the source of gas coupled with the inlet channel, wherein the control valve is disposed between the condenser vessel chamber and the source of gas, and whereby the gas then flows through the inlet channel when the control valve is in the open state, and the gas is impeded from flowing into the condenser vessel chamber when the control valve is in the closed state.
20 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising an effluent egress channel formed between the condensation wall and the condenser vessel wall, whereby a volume of effluents received into the via the input aperture rise above the cycloid surface without condensing thereon, wherein at least a portion of the effluents exit the system via the effluent egress channel.