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CO2-Based Heat Pump for Water Purification

Technology Benefits

The process has a number of benefits over existing water purification methods: Cost-effective in comparison to other methods as the device consumes less power, comparable to other household appliances. Increased efficiency in terms of volume of purified water produced as compared to other domestic water purifying systems. Eliminates the requirement of a separate refrigerator or cooling process making the output water ready for immediate consumption. Enhanced mobility of the system is facilitated by its small size and portable nature to be used in areas struck by natural disasters where drinking water is unavailable. Flexibility to be used areas lacking electricity by the use of alternative fuels like natural gas and biomass by configuring compressors to be connected directly to external heating sources.

Technology Application

The most direct application of the technology is in the areas of commercial and domestic water purification including residential consumption, foods and beverages industry and pharmaceuticals. The global water industry is more than a $400 billion market, not including about 1 billion people still lacking access to safe drinking water. The U.S. is the worldΓÇÖs largest consumer for purified and bottled water; the domestic market for drinking water exceeded $1.3 billion in 2006 and is expected to surpass $2.1 billion by 2011 at a growth rate of 11%. Theworldwide demand for drinking water is projected to reach $10 billion by the same year which demonstrates a huge available market for the technology.

Detailed Technology Description

Stage of Development:The technology is at an advanced stage of development. It permits flexibility in configuration of design and operation parameters to alter the temperature of input/output water, power consumption and efficiency factor to meet any requirements.Future Development:The invention can be developed to serve as a versatile technology in order to meet specific requirements as proposed.

*Abstract

The technology is an energy efficient water purification method that can be used for large-scale commercial application. The process works by boiling the contaminated water to destroy the presence of bacterial or parasitic organisms and then instantaneously cooling it. It uses CO2 as the heating agent as well as the refrigerant. In a heat exchanger, compressed CO2 is used to boil water to 116 ˇ C, destroying any harmful bacteria. The water is then cooled in a radiator by using a fan. The liquid CO2 is throttled to reduce its pressure and subsequently cooled to around 5ˇ C. This cooled CO2 is used as a refrigerant to rapidly reduce the temperature of the water in a second heat exchanger. At the end of the process, high purity, cold drinking water is obtained which is ready forimmediate consumption. The CO2 is re-heated and compressed to convert it into heating vapor which can be used for a new cycle of water purification.

*Principal Investigator

Name: David J. Bayless, Ph. D., Chaminda Perera, & Vamadaven Gowreesan

Department:

Country/Region

USA