Heating up water causes it to evaporate, the temperature does not have to be near the boiling point either. My idea, build a small, insulated structure about 10 X 10 x 20 (w x h x l). The roof will be double paned glass meant to intensify the greenhouse effect and raise the temperature inside the structure significantly. Im not sure if "black" tinted glass would work even better or not. Now place beams or poles across the interior at two levels and on them place eight 8 ft x 2.5ft troughs with semi-circle roofs over haning the trough (four from each end of the structure) on these beams (or poles) two on each level. In the center of the structure there will be the incoming ocean water to eight spickets (for eight troughs) At the end walls of the structure, the troughs can be pulled out like drawers, opened from the bottom, and dumped into whatever... The floor will be a series of open-space metal plates under wich is a large basin that feeds the water into a tank or whatever...

*update: I have learned that it is best to have black interior and clear glass (as that would make sense since I understand how earthships work, similarily). So, that is now the decided part of the solar design...

* Better yet, just remove the semi-circle roofs, and let the glass itself collect the condensing water vapor and drop it into the basin. (like the other linked idea)
-- TimD, Mar 28 2003

(???) I am really depressed by how many "solar powered" water purification systems use the solar power to make electricity, then use that to drive the process http://www.solardome.com/SolarDome84.html
This one doesn't though - no moving parts, no electrical circuits. [DrCurry, Oct 17 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

(???) Design pic http://illdill.org/desalpic.htm
[TimD, Oct 17 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

solar powered https://en.wikipedi...d_desalination_unit
solar and reverse osmosis options [popbottle, May 11 2014]

Hey, I took care of half the process... :)

Pumping it is another story, probably could be solved with wind power from the ocean breeze.

Give me a few and ill provide a pic..
-- TimD, Mar 28 2003


Plenty of solar powered water purification systems out there. Not clear on how being a room helps the process. As noted in the linked system, you want to the interior to be black, and the glass to be clear (glass transmits light but traps heat without any tinting necessary).
-- DrCurry, Mar 28 2003


So, this is baked then...? sorry.
-- TimD, Mar 28 2003


Jeez, I dunno, I can't figure your description out, even with the drawing.

P.S. "spickets" ? "roughs" ? Spigots and troughs, maybe?
-- DrCurry, Mar 28 2003


I guess i was thinking there would be a lot of salt buil-up and that there would need to be an effective and "easy" way to remove it. That is why I have put sliding "Drawer" troughs with opening bottoms in my design, rather than a "bottom" that will need to be carefully scraped as not to damage the materials.
-- TimD, Mar 28 2003


Thanks fogfreak, at least I didn't go through all this for nothin'... ;)
-- TimD, Mar 28 2003


birdbaths on the beach - sorry, its been a long week.
-- po, Mar 28 2003



random, halfbakery