FREEZE DESALINATION USING HYDRAULIC REFRIGERANT COMPRESSORS

Freeze desalination of seawater using direct contact freezing and melt ing heat transfer has long been known to be very energy efficient. How ever, practical difficulties and developmental mishaps have blocked co mmercial success. The unsuitability of conventional refrigerant compre ssors for use in freeze desalination plants has been a major obstacle. The recent invention and development of the hydraulic refrigerant com pressor now provides an excellent solution to the compressor problem, and the advantages are such as to make reconsideration of freeze desal ination worthwhile. Herein suitable candidates are described for each of the principal system components including the hydraulic refrigerant compressors, and the characteristics of a resulting freeze desalinati on system are discussed.