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OTEC Vacuum Desalination/Videography
The PACIFIC DESALINATION FOUNDATION has agreed to accept a prototype desalination invention as a tax-deductible contribution, in order to promote the cause of international ocean water desalination, on the condition that it includes a documentary video about the project. In this way, the estimated $100,000 prototyping costs are expected to be completely shielded by tax-deductible status in the event the project does not lead to the significant returns projected. PDF has been organized by principals of AQUAVANTAGE, but the PDF Board is unrelated to AQUAVANTAGE CORPORATION, and is a 501 (c) 3 charitable public benefit corporation.
AQUAVANTAGE is a producer of equipment for the approximately 12 billion dollar annual ocean and brackish water desalination industry. Over four billion gallons of ocean water are desalted daily.
The majority of desalination plants fall into two categories: thermal distillation and reverse osmosis (RO). Both of these technologies have been evolving rapidly: RO technology which separates water from other molecules by ionic means using large plastic polymer filters wound similar to a roll of "saran wrap" is evolving in the direction of durable ceramic filters and nanofiltration. Thermal distillation is evolving, most notably, in the direction of low pressure boiler design.
As pressure decreases, the required minimum heat for boiling drops. People who visit high altitudes typically bring pressure cooking boilers with valves to maintain normal boiling temperatures, or their coffee and soup would blissfully boil at lukewarm temperatures remaining uncooked. The treeline phenomenon is related to water boiling at lower temperatures at higher elevations. Thermal distillation engineers worlwide are currently working to minimize boiler pressure so that expensive gas and oil are minimally used, keeping desalted ocean water affordably $5.00 per thousand gallons.
AQUAVANTAGE is developing a low pressure boiler system.