Water-making apparatus with built-in heat pipe

PURPOSE: To provide a water-making apparatus of simple structure which is easily operated and maintained, by dividing a vessel into two chambers by a partitioning plate installed with heat pipes arranged in a rectangular pitch, the surfaces of heat pipes in one chamber being heated with saturated steam and those in the other chamber being cooled by the evaporation of liq. brine film formed on the tube surfaces. CONSTITUTION: Saturated steam for heating is led into a heating chamber 15 in order to heat the heat pipes 17 and condensed water is taken out 5 and recovered as fresh water. In a heating chamber 16, brine 6 is sprayed 7 on the heat pipes 17 to form liq. films on the pipe 17 surfaces, which flow downward, so that the brine is evaporated by heat-exchange with working fluid held in the heat pipe 17. Fresh water vapor evaporated there flows downward and is discharged 10 through under part of the partitioning plate 8 and a demister 9, then it is used as saturated steam for heating apparatus in the next step. The unevaporated brine on the heat pipes 17 having flowed down and having been discharged 11 is decompressed and then used as brine to be sprayed in the next step. The pipes 17 is pref. equipped with a reservoir for the working fluid at the end, for this reason the pipes are inclined at an angle not larger than 15° to the horizontal. COPYRIGHT: (C)1979,JPO&Japio