E3H - SOLAR/ELECTRIC HYBRID DISTILLATION

The E3H system utilizes a heat transfer fluid and heat storage system to guarantee continuous operation when the sun is intermittent or during the night. This hybrid system consists of several Epiphany solar collector dishes, but instead of there being distillation units mounted at the focal points, the dishes are fitted with solar receiver units. Cold heat transfer fluid is pumped through the receivers, which convert the concentrated sunlight to heat and then transfer the heat to the heat transfer fluid. As the fluid absorbs the sun’s heat, its temperature is increased several hundred degrees and is then stored in a “Hot” storage tank (thermal battery). The fluid in the hot tank is then used to power the distillation unit as a replacement for the distiller’s conventional heat source (e.g. electrical resistance heat, natural gas, etc.). To power the distillation unit, the fluid is pumped through a heat exchanger in the distiller, where the heat is transferred to the water causing it to boil. Once the heat from the fluid has been exhausted (e.g. to create steam) it is transferred into a “Cold” storage tank, where it waits to be cycled through the dish receiver again to absorb more solar energy. The output of fresh water from these hybrid systems can be scaled up from several hundred gallons per day to tens of thousands of gallons per day. The figure below shows a diagram of a small hybrid system setup.