Evaporative purification of fluids
Project title
Evaporative purification of fluids
Name of Beneficiary/Beneficiaries
Wrocław University of Science and Technology
Name of programme
Operational Program “Smart Growth”
Competition
Energy- and process-efficient construction – home retention technologies
Project value
PLN 3,215,000.00
Funding value
PLN 3,215,000.00
Project delivery period
01.01.2023 – 31.12.2023
Results of our work
Technology prototype in a pilot project
Issues addressed
Water purification / desalination and fluid thickening system able to treat water with a high load of contaminants into demineralized (distilled) water with minimal energy input (or null for when combined with solar panels). Electricity consumption is approximately 1-1.5 kWh/m3 of treated liquid (more than twice less than the best hitherto commercialized methods). The technology uses renewable energy resulting from the natural thermodynamic imbalance of dry air and the water vapor contained in it (the so-called “psychrometric energy”) and is based on the principles of the dew point evaporative cooling (DPEC) process. The DPEC process is widely used, among others, to cool air and water in air conditioning, as well as to increase efficiency of combustion engines and gas turbines. The technology is an extension of the use of the DPEC process for water recovery.
In the conventional distillation process, the energy necessary to evaporate water is supplied from an external source. In the case of the proposed technology, energy is obtained primarily from the flowing atmospheric air, using its thermodynamic imbalance. Therefore, only a device producing a continuous air flow is required to evaporate and condense water. It is also advisable to use additional waste heat in order to increase efficiency of the process. A pump forcing the movement of liquids in the collectors is necessary to obtain thermal energy in solar collectors. In the proposed technology, renewable psychrometric energy is obtained, and the device causing air movement is a fan.
Project beneficiaries
Enterprises interested in low-energy water purification and liquid thickening (e.g. production of fruit juices, concentration of brines). The main purpose of the technology is not to treat rainwater in retention systems, but to desalinate water (sea, mine and other brines), as well as remove excess water from liquids requiring thickening. The technology will be developed for the needs of these markets. A new prototype of a unit intended for desalination of mine water is currently being developed.