LARGE-SCALE WATER PURIFICATION AND DESALINATION
Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for water purification and desalination. The systems have a preheater, a degasser, multiple evaporation chambers with demisters, heat pipes, and a control system, wherein the control system permits continuous operation of the purification and desalination system without requiring user intervention or cleaning. The system is capable of recovering heat from each distillation stage, while removing, from a contaminated water sample, a plurality of contaminant types including: microbiological contaminants, radiological contaminants, metals, salts, volatile organics, and non-volatile organics.
1 . A water purification and desalination system comprising an inlet, a preheater, a degasser, a plurality of evaporation chambers, demisters, heat pipes, and product condensers, a waste outlet, multiple product outlets, a heating chamber, and a control system, wherein:
the system is configured to recover the heat of condensation and reuse it for additional evaporation;
distillation energy is obtained from a source selected from the group consisting of electricity, combustion, and waste heat, and said combustion is of a material selected from the group consisting of oil, hydrocarbons, and natural gas;
the control system is configured to permit continuous operation of the purification and desalination without requiring user intervention or cleaning;
the system is configured to be capable of removing, from a contaminated water sample, at least one contaminant type selected from the group consisting of microbiological contaminants, radiological contaminants, metals, salts, volatile organics, and non-volatile organics; and
the system is configured such that water purified in the system has levels of all contaminant types below the levels shown in the MCL Column of Table 1, when the contaminated water has levels of the contaminant types that are up to 25 times greater than the levels shown in the MCL Column of Table 1.
2 .- 64 . (canceled)