Other

Vinod Narayanan

Deborah V Pence

Kevin Drost

Microchannel or fractal plate desorption retains the advantage of high-flux, thin-film desorption without using membranes and allows for lightweight, compact desorbers for either LiBr and water or ammonia and water. Working embodiments of the process comprise providing a droplet desorber, feeding a multicomponent fluid mixture comprising at least a first fluid and a second fluid to the desorber, and performing a desorption process on the mixture using the desorber. The primary fluid mixtures used were ammonia and water, and aqueous lithium bromide. Various working embodiments of desorbers are disclosed, including several desorbers comprising plural, substantially straight, substantially parallel microchannels in an array, and a fractal plate desorber, such as a bifurcating fractal plate. The method also comprises separating a first fluid from a second fluid using a separation process, such as gravity separation, wicking separation, electro hydrodynamic separation, centrifugal separation, cyclone separation, and combinations thereof. Disclosed embodiments of the system useful for performing the desorption process include a desorber; a manifold positioned to deliver a mixture of fluids to the desorber, the mixture comprising a refrigerant; a heater, including thin film deposited heaters, operatively associated with the desorber; and a separator downstream of the desorber for separating a refrigerant vapor from a liquid fraction remaining from the mixture following vaporization of the refrigerant. Such systems also typically include an expansion valve through which the refrigerant flows, where the pressure is reduced and the refrigerant boils at a low temperature, and may include additional optional devices useful for practicing the desorption process, such as pumps, fluid collectors, etc.

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Corvallis, OR, United States of America

Vinod Narayanan