This invention relates to a method of, and apparatus for the separation of water cr other liquids from chemical or solid orcanic matter therein. For ease of description reference will be made hereinafter to only one mcin application of the dppdudtus, i.e. the desolination of seawater.

The prevision of fresh water is a problem in many countries in particular desert countries, where rainfall is scarce one there is a lack of rivers or other water sources. Attempts have been made to provide water by the desalination of seawater, to which many of such countries have ready access but conventional desalination plants which could operate on a scale sufficient for the purpose of providing water for drinking, irrigation etc. are extremely costly both to install and maintain, requiring a considerable input of power for running of the plant.

It is an object cf the present invention to provide an apparatus for use in the desalination of seawater which can be designed to provide continuously a sufficient quantity of fresh water from seawater, and yet which once installed at a desired location, is relatively simple to maintain and can generate itself the power required for continuous running.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for use in the desalination of seawater, said apparatus comprises means for transferring seawater from a reservoir arranagement, effecting evaperatinn of the seawater, and passing the evaporated water to heat exchange means sc as to effect condensation of the evaporated water, and means for delivering sedwater remaining in the evaporating means into the reservoir drrangement for heating therein by s lar energy.

Preferably the dpparatus includes means for continupusly maintaining the salinity balancs in the sedwster delivered into the reservoir drrangement, which means cemprises a flow circuit defined by first conduit means connected between an butlet of the heat exchange means and an upstream side cf a pump provided for removing the seawater remcining in the evaporating means, and second conduit means connected between the downstream side of the pump and an cutlet, means being provided in each conduit means for controlling flow of seawater therein in accordance with the rate of evaporation, such that the salinity balance is maintained without any additional pawer consumption.

Preferably ciso the means for delivering seawater into the reservoir arrangement comprises a flow arrangement for collecting solar energy, the flow arrangement comprising elongate flexible conduit means arranged to be located on a terraced suppart surface which slopes in a direction towards the reservoir arrangement, at least the surface of the conduit medns arranged to be adjacent to the support surface having heat absorbing properties.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

• Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an apparatus aceording to the invention;
• Fig. 2 is a schematic representation cf a flow arrcnae- ment of the apparatus of Fig. 1; and
• Fig. 3 is a flow circuit diagram of the apparatus of Firs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, a desalination apparatus is arranged to be erected particularly on a coastal strip of a desert area and requires an initial excavation of the area. A reservoir for seawater in the form of a lagoon 10 is formed in a known way at a location inland and, further inland of the lagcon 10, the ground is formed in a terraced fashion having a series of horizontal terrace areas 12 increasing steeply in height in a direction away from the lagoon 10. Each area 12 has a backfall against the direction cf the slope.

The terraced area is covered by conduit means in the form cf tubular elements 14 (Fig. 2) of a dense black flexible plastics material, for example polythene, independent of one another, but arranged, for ease of handling, in batches. Each tube 14 is connected at the upper end of the terraced area to an eutlet of a distribution manifold 15 and the tubes 14 and manifold 15 are located within a main tubular member 16. The latter is formed in two parts 160, 16b releasably joined together, the lower part 16a, on which the tubes 14 lie on the terraced area, being fermed of a dense black flexible plastics material, and the upper part 16b being formed of a transparent, ultrc- violet inhibited flexible plastics material. The terraced nature of the ground causes the tubes 14 to deform when passing from one area 12 to another, which constricts the flow through the tubes to maintain them in a full condition and also improves agitation of the water. The back fall maintains the tubes 14 in a half full condition if the system is non-operative. The lagoon 10 is covered with a transparent bubbles plastics material 18 which reduces heat loss by re-radiation, wind effect and evaporation. The member 16 also reduces heat loss by re-radiation and wind effect and protects the tubes 14 against ultra-violet degradation.

Between the lagoon 10 and the sea there is provided, in a housing 20, a heat exchanger 22 which has an inlet pipe 24 leading from the sea and incorporating a pump 26, and an outlet pipe 23 which also leads into the sea. At one side of the housing 20 there is provided a vacuum boiler 30, which has an inlet 32 communicating by means of a pipe 34 with the seawater in the lagoon 10 and a drain outlet 36 leading into a delivery pipe 38 for a purpose hereinafter described. The boiler 30 has a steam cutlet 40 communicating with the upper end of the housing 20 such that the steam is subjected to limited travel between the bailer 30 and the housing 20.

The delivery pipe 38 extends to the uphill end of the tubes 14 and water is pumped from the boiler 30 to the manifold by medns of a pump 42. Upstream of the pump 42 a first conduit or pipe 44 of an arrangement for continucusly maintaining a salinity balance in the apparatus connects the delivery pipe 33 with the heat exchanger outlet 28 through a flow control valve 46. Downstream of the pump 42 a second conduit or outlet pipe 43 connects with the delivery pipe 38 through a flow control valve 50.

The condensate in the housing 20 can be removed to a store 55 by means of a pipe 56 provided with a pump 58.

It may also be preferable to include a pump in the pipe 34 to assist in drawing seawater from the lagoon 10 and to provide a further pump operated by a vacuum switch in the housing 20 so as to remove any build-up of non- condensables in the seawuter.

Further, power generating means in the form of a turbine 54 is located at the upper end of the housing 20 in the path of the steam from the boiler 30, such that passage of the steam through the turbine can, by virtue of a generator 60, generate power which can then be utilised to operate the various pumps in the apparatus via an output 62 and provide any surplus electricity at an output 64.

In use, the vacuum applied to the boiler 30 draws in sedwater through the pipe 34 via a flow control valve, the heating of the seawater by salor energy enabling flash boiling to take place. The steam produced then passes int; the housing 20 through the turbine 54 and candenses on the heat exchanger 22.

During day time hours the seawater in the lagoon 10 is heated by solar energy, and the seawater which drains from the boiler 30 into the delivery pipe 38 is passed to the tubes 14 to abscrb solar energy when flowing into the lagoon 10. The arrangement of the tubes 14 is designed to be 2.4 times the size required to operate during day time hours so as to accommodate energy loss at night. The apparatus can then operate for 24 hours each day. Alternatively during the night the seawater in this pipe 38 may be diverted through a bypass pipe (not shown) directly into the lagoon 10.

The arrangement for continuously maintaining the salinity balance operates without any power consumption additional to that necessary for normal operation of the desalination apparatus. This can be achieved because the inlet end of the pipe 44 is at at least atmospheric pressure while the other end of the pipe 44 is at the pressure at which flash boiling takes place, this being a convenient constant sub-atmespheric pressure. The flow of the seawater into the delivery pipe 38 is thus effected. As the pump 42 is required to raise the seawater to the level of the lagoon 10 which will be not less than 20 feet above sec level, this head of water, in addition to the pipe friction which is at a maximum at the downstream side of the pump 42, creates a pressure at the inlet end of the pipe 48 greater than the pressure at the other end cf the pipe 48, which is atmospheric. Thus flow through the pipe 48 is effected. The flow control valves 46, 50 are contrelled by the turbine 54, the operation of which is of course dependent on the rate of evaporation, i.e. the flow of the dry saturated steam from the flash boiler.

To enable the salinity level in the lagoon 10 to be maintained at a predetermined multiple of the normal salinity level in the available seawater which is drawn in through the pipe 44, the flow rate in the latter is adjusted to be that predetermined multiple of the flow rate of the dry saturated steam from the boiler 30, the flow rate in the pipe 48 being adjusted to be the same as the flow rate of the dry saturated steam. By way of example, if 100 lb/min of dry saturated steam is desired this will determine the required flow of seawater from the lagoon 10 to the boiler 30, and if the desired salinity level is to be twice that of the normal salinity level (assumed to be 5%), then this will require a flow rate of 1000 lb/min of seawater containing 100 lbs salt through the lagoon 10 into the boiler 30. The removal of the steam in the latter provides a flow rcte of the seawater remaining in the boiler 30 of 900 lbs/min still with 100 1bs of salt. Added to this through the pipe 44 is 200 lbs/min of seawater containing 10 lbs of salt (5%), creating a total flow to the pump 42 of 1100 lbs/min of seawater containing 110 lbs of salt. Seawater is then passed through the pipe 48 at 100 lbs/min, the proportion of salt included in this flow being 10 lbs. Thus in the oipe 38 to be delivered to the tubes 14 and the lagoon 10 there is 1100-100 = 1000 lbs/min ofseawater including 110-10 = 100 lbs of salt, this being the flow requirement.

As the inlet end of the pipe 44 is a high temperature point and as the temperature of the seawater is increased before being transferred into the pipe 48, a flow rate could be selected which will prevent too much dumping of heat energy. It is envisaged that the heat energy contained in the seawater in the pipe 48 can be utilised by being arranged to have a heat exchange relationship with the incoming seawater in the pipe 44. As the inlet end of the pipe 44 is at relatively high temperature this minimises any cooling effect the seawater would otherwise have by being introduced into the flow circuit.

Thus there can be provided a continuous maintenance of the salinity level in the apparatus by means of this self balancing arrangement which requires no power additional to that already required by the desalination apparatus itself. Also as the arranremant is continuously operating there are no abrupt temperature changes occurring in the lagoon 10 which would be otherwise occasioned by pumping seawater into the reservoir only when required by the change in salinity level.

In a modification the solar collecting arrangement defined by the tubes 14 may be dispensed with and the lagoon 10 formed as a non-convecting solar pond. Such a pond is stratified with a low salinity layer on top of a high salinity layer such that sunlight can pass through the upper layer and be converted into heat energy in the lower layer, but a thermal barrier is defined by the junction of the two layers so as to prevent heat from escaping from the pond by means of convection. This arrangement is particularly suitable for the apparatus according to the invention wherein the salinity level can be predetermined as a multiple of the normal salinity level in the seawater.

The interface between the two layers may be further defined by a membrane stretched across the pond on the top of the lower layer, such a membrane being formed of a transparent material, for example plastics. The inlet to the pond and the outlet from the pond would communicate with the lower layer and at the inlet a baffle arrangement could be provided to ensure distribution of the incoming seawater throughout the lower layer. In a modification the seawater may pass through the solar pond in a closed circuit which is in heat exchange relationship with the lower salinity layer.

Various other modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The tubes 14 may be formed of ultra-violet inhibited plastics material and can in fact be transparent.