The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 01, 2018
Filed:
Sep. 15, 2015
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
John H. Lienhard, Lexington, MA (US);
Jaichander Swaminathan, Cambridge, MA (US);
David Elan Martin, Potomac, MD (US);
Hyung Won Chung, Cambridge, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
Apparatus for energy-efficient conductive-gap membrane distillation includes a feed-liquid source and a distillation module. The distillation module includes a feed-liquid chamber in fluid communication with the feed-liquid source. The feed-liquid chamber includes a selectively porous material that allows a component of the feed liquid to pass through the selectively porous material and exit the feed-liquid chamber in vapor form but not in liquid form. The distillation module also includes a conductive-gap chamber adjacent to the selectively porous material on an opposite side of the selectively porous material from the feed-liquid chamber; a heat-transfer surface maintained at a lower temperature than the feed liquid in the feed-liquid chamber, wherein the heat-transfer surface is in thermal contact with the conductive-gap chamber; and a thermally conductive material extending across the conductive-gap chamber.