Selective mixer for solar pond and method of using same

US4336999A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Solmat Systems Ltd. · IL

Inventor

• Gad Assaf · Rehovot, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: May 14, 1980
• Grant date: Jun 29, 1982
• Expiry date: May 14, 2000

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E10/44
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The density profile of a halocline, which increases monotonically with depth, is modified by drawing water from different levels of the halocline (and therefore of different densities) into a mixing chamber, mixing the water in the mixing chamber and discharging the water in the mixing chamber into the halocline intermediate the levels from which the water is drawn. In one technique, a closed chamber is inserted into the halocline, the chamber having a vertically oriented slot defining a preselected layer of the halocline. The contents of the chamber are mixed to establish a uniform density equal to the average density of the water in the preselected layer. As a consequence, the vertical variation in density across the slot between the water inside and outside the chamber establishes a static pressure differential which causes water in the layer to flow into and out of the chamber until the density of the layer is uniform. In another technique, water is pumped into a mixing chamber from two different levels in the halocline and discharged into the halocline intermediate the levels from which the water is drawn. With this arrangement, the density of the water in the mixing chamber c…