10/09/2026
Mass Megawatts Solar Desalination Summary
Mass Megawatts’ new patent pending solar desalination innovation reduces the cost of solar desalination using no electricity and low-cost materials. Several devices in the past have been introduced to efficiently desalinate salt water and attempt eliminate the clogging of the process with the accumulation of salt on parts of the system during the desalination process using a substantial amount of electricity and expensive materials. Recent advances hold significant promise for seawater desalination. However, salt accumulation is key obstacle for reliable adoption.
Our object of the new technology is to demonstrate a more efficient method of salt transport enabled with localized solar concentration and salt rejection. It also offers an innovative strategy for high performance solar evaporation.
The key goal is to remove the “salt foul” caused by the salt accumulation which is largely caused by slow moving water with an increasing salt density due to the ongoing evaporation in the solar desalination process.
Another goal is to use low-cost materials for reducing the capital cost of the solar desalination units. With the objective of reducing each square meter of the solar desalination unit to a cost of less than two dollars, the new product can deliver desalinated water as a cost less than tap water.
Since two thirds of the global population is impacted by water shortages, significant opportunities for clean water production with seawater desalination fuels research toward innovation seeking a low cost source of clean water.
In the recent past, there were innovations related to a wick structure used in the process of solar thermal conversion. Although a wick structure is a good technological advancement, the salt transport during the evaporation process resulted in clogging and crystallization. A direct localization of heating water can completing eliminate the need for a wick structure and the associated disadvantages. Superior salt rejection has been demonstrated with non-wick direct localization of heating water while at the same time is not as efficient toward avoiding heat losses as a wick structure. The use of concentrated solar offsets the heat loss related disadvantages of direct localization of heating water.
We developed a low-cost path toward simultaneous solar thermal process with salt rejection during the solar evaporation process. A key element of keeping the cost low in the process of preventing salt accumulation which is a challenge of other solar desalination innovations. Although significant enhancement of salt rejection can be achieving by engineering passive water convection and movement.
In previous recent innovations and advancements led by innovative scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology heat losses were limited with a self-floating thermal insulation layer with microchannels to create a natural convection. The heavier and more concentrated salt water is transported to the lower larger pool of water through the microchannels as a method of salt rejection when the hot water on the upper side of the microchannels are desalinated. It is considered to be a better method than pursuing extreme water confinement using wick structures. The heavier high salt concentrated water sinking to lower density areas has been established through previous experiments related to the salt rejection and water convection techniques. The high salt concentration is a result of the evaporation process of the solar desalination. Since significant salt rejection can be achieved by introducing convective flow, an opportunity to innovate and create an improved and low cost solar desalination became apparent. Some scientists believed that it is the “holy grail” toward desalinated water being cheaper or the same cost as tap water.
Mass Megawatts improved the recent MIT technological advancement by “reshaping” the microchannels and creation of laminar flow of the boundary layer on the surface of the microchannels that energize the natural salt rejection enhancing natural convection to improve and even eliminate the salt accumulation challenges related to the process. It is likely that the “reshaping” and boundary layer energizing of microchannels would eliminate salt accumulation by creating a shape and active laminar flow process that enhances the flow of salt similar to the shape of enhancing air flow using aerodynamic principles. The round exterior of the aerodynamically inspired microchannels avoid the slowdown of salt rejection causing salt movement stoppage that could result in salt accumulation. As in air flow behavior, avoiding turbulence in the salt rejection process allow an unobstructed high salt movement through the microchannel passageway to the cold bulk water below barrier with the microchannels. The additional feature of a dynamic boundary layer with the use of low cost rotating tubular structures would eliminate any salt accumulation of the recent MIT technological advancement.
The size of the microchannels can be larger without much concern of heat loss using a stationary solar concentration reflection section shaped that is optimal to the area where the salt water is being heated. The understanding of solar albedo ( light reflection) behaviors result in a method to maximize the cost effective approach toward using solar concentration techniques to “turbocharge” the salt rejection natural convection process.
Specifically, the invention has a wick free self-floating confined water layer with the shape of pipes with a small space in between each pipe shaped area acting like a microchannel. The salt can be pulled rather than pushed through the microchannels similar to a wind diffuser pulling air through a small tunnel area since the pressure is lower with less salt particles on the cold side of the barrier with microchannels. The circular shape of both the input area (upper hot area) and the diffuser (lower cold bulk water area) allow a swift and steady salt rejection without the turbulence of previous methods that would slow down the salt rejection process and cause salt accumulation. The pipe shaped material can be low thermal conductive polystyrene of polyurethane foams with black paint spayed on top to maximize the absorption of heat for the solar desalination process.
The two biggest issues of previous microchannel techniques are addressed in this invention. The rounded microchannel with a dynamic boundary layer resolves the salt accumulation issue and the stationary solar concentration innovation resolved the concern for any heat losses through microchannels. Since confined water thickness has an impact on the uniformity of salt concentration, the curved shape of the input and diffuser areas of the microchannels prevents the non-uniform salt concentration and resulting salt crystallization events.
The device with the small area of solar concentrated heated water is preferred to be supported by water flotation devices or buoy like objects. It would allow a steady steam of salt water to replenish the evaporated salt water to maintain thin layer of heated water for an efficient evaporation process. As the salt water becomes more concentrated, the heavy salt water triggered by gravitational forces travels through the diffuser enhanced microchannels. In an additional feature, an identical layer of microchannel diffusers can be a short distance below in order to preserve heat in between the two layers of microchannel diffusers.
In another key innovation of the new solar desalination invention, the use of an elongated reflector on the south side with the elongated solar desalination structure sea level surface area would be able to concentrate the sun’s rays in a low cost stationary manner. Using historical data related to the albedo effect of sunlight and specific behavior of light reflection from specific angle onto specific slope of surface areas, a cost effective stationary solar reflector comprising low cost 10 mil thick shrink wrap proven to have a long life expectancy to turbocharge the salt water evaporation process can enhance the goal of solar desalinated water not only being cheaper but more abundant than many tap water sources.
The new product is a serious improvement of the most advanced recent research in solar desalination technologies of passive salt rejection techniques.
Using aerodynamic principles in creating an optimal shape for the microchannel diffusers for enhanced aquadynamics to eliminate turbulence for more salt efficient salt rejection is one step toward avoiding salt accumulation on the solar desalination process. Furthermore , a low cost and optimally shaped solar reflectors in conjunction to an optimally shaped surface area of the solar desalination process turbocharges the salt rejection process.
About Mass Megawatts Wind Power Inc. Mass Megawatts Wind Power, Inc. (OTCBB: MMMW) is a leader in the development of low-cost, clean energy systems designed to meet the increasing global demand for energy through the use of environmentally-friendly technologies. This … Continued
