Patent Description:
This research is made by Korean Institute of Science and Technology and funded by Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea. Research project is Infrastructure technology promotion research (R&D), and project name is Development of membrane distillation water purification technology using multilayer thin film light-absorbing heat generating material for decentralized water supply.

Membrane distillation (MD) is a process in which separation is driven by a phase change that occurs on the surface of a hydrophobic polymer separation membrane, allowing vapor to pass through micropores on the separation membrane surface to condense, and it is used in the desalination process for separating and removing nonvolatile materials or materials with relatively low volatility, or used to separate organic matters with high volatility in aqueous solutions.

As opposed to the existing process using heat such as multi-stage flash (MSF) and multi effect distillation (MED), membrane distillation does not need to heat water such as seawater and wastewater up to the boiling point, so a lower operating temperature contributes to the energy cost savings, and moreover, the use of a microfiltration membrane having a large pore size eliminates the need for a very high operating pressure like a reverse osmosis (RO) process. Additionally, the fouling problem raised in the existing water treatment process using membranes is not so serious, and many benefits allow it to be used in applications of seawater desalination, water purification and ultrapure water production.

When renewable energy or waste heat is used as a source of heat for membrane distillation, it is possible to greatly reduce energy costs, and thus membrane distillation using waste heat or solar heat have been studied, and methods using solar collectors as an alternative to a source of heat for membrane distillation have been mostly suggested.

There are patents for membrane distillation using solar collectors, for example, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>. As further non-patent literature <NPL> may be considered.

However, the existing solar collectors applied to membrane distillation have low heat collection efficiency and are very much affected by weather, and these disadvantages are factors that reduce the treatment efficiency of the membrane distillation process. Additionally, when the membrane distillation process is performed using solar heat, as it is closer to the sunset time, the membrane distillation efficiency is lower, and a fundamental solution to this problem has not yet been proposed.

The present disclosure is designed to solve the above-described problem, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing an apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber, in which in the implementation of a membrane distillation process for producing treated water using a temperature difference between raw water and a coolant, raw water is heated using the solar absorber with improved heat collection efficiency, and through this, the treated water production efficiency of the membrane distillation process is improved.

The present disclosure is further directed to providing an apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber, which prevents a sharp reduction in membrane distillation efficiency after sunset, by maintaining the temperature of the raw water for a predetermined time even when sunlight gets weaker after sunset, by the application of a phase change material having heat absorbing and storing properties to the raw water tank.

To achieve the above-described object, apparatuses as defined in the claims <NUM> and <NUM> are proposed.

The apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the present disclosure has the following effects.

It is possible to improve the raw water heating effect by solar heat by the application of the solar absorber with high infrared absorption and the solar heat absorbing device including the same, and based on this, improve the treated water production efficiency of the membrane distillation process.

Along with this, the phase change material having the ability to store and release heat is provided on one side of the raw water tank to prevent a sudden drop in raw water temperature when sunlight gets weaker as sunshine environment changes after sunset, thereby increasing the duration of the membrane distillation process.

The present disclosure proposes technology for, in the implementation of a membrane distillation (MD) process, improving the treated water production efficiency of the membrane distillation process by heating raw water using a solar absorber and maintaining the temperature of the heated raw water for a predetermined time or more through a phase change material.

As mentioned previously in the section 'background', the membrane distillation process is a process that produces treated water from raw water by inducing a partial vapor pressure difference through a temperature difference between raw water and coolant, to cause vapor of the raw water to pass through a MD separation membrane.

To improve the treated water production efficiency of the membrane distillation process, a large temperature difference between raw water and coolant is required, and the membrane distillation process using solar heat requires an extended period of time during which a temperature difference between raw water and coolant is maintained.

In the membrane distillation process using solar heat, at noon, a temperature difference between raw water and coolant is greatest and the membrane distillation efficiency is maximum, and as it is closer to the sunset time in the afternoon, a temperature difference between raw water and coolant gradually reduces and the membrane distillation efficiency tends to reduce. Accordingly, to increase the efficiency of the membrane distillation process using solar heat, it is necessary to maximize a temperature difference between raw water and coolant and prolong the time during which the temperature difference between raw water and coolant is maintained to enable the membrane distillation process.

The present disclosure proposes technology that maximizes a temperature difference between raw water and coolant using a new solar absorber, and prolongs the time during which the temperature difference between raw water and coolant is maintained by using a phase change material.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to first and second embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The first embodiment is the heating of raw water using a solar heat absorbing device and a raw water circulation pipe, and the second embodiment is a combination of a raw water tank with a solar heat absorbing device. First, the first embodiment is described as below.

Referring to <FIG>, the apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a raw water tank <NUM>, a membrane distillation module, a coolant tank <NUM>, a solar heat absorbing device <NUM> and a raw water circulation pipe <NUM>.

The raw water tank <NUM> serves to store raw water to be treated and supply the raw water to the membrane distillation module, and the coolant tank <NUM> serves to supply a coolant to the membrane distillation module and collect treated water produced by the membrane distillation module. The membrane distillation module serves to produce treated water from the raw water by allowing vapor of the raw water to pass through a MD separation membrane <NUM> through a partial vapor pressure difference resulting from a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant.

A raw water supply pipe <NUM> and a concentrated water pipe <NUM> are provided between the raw water tank <NUM> and the membrane distillation module, and a coolant supply pipe <NUM> and a treated water pipe <NUM> are provided between the coolant tank <NUM> and the membrane distillation module. The raw water in the raw water tank <NUM> is supplied to the membrane distillation module through the raw water supply pipe <NUM>, and raw water after separation of treated water, i.e., concentrated water moves to the raw water tank <NUM> through the concentrated water pipe <NUM>. Additionally, the coolant in the coolant tank <NUM> is supplied to the membrane distillation module through the coolant supply pipe <NUM>, and treated water produced by the membrane distillation module, i.e., treated water separated from the raw water moves to the coolant tank <NUM> through the treated water pipe <NUM>. A cooler <NUM> may be provided on one side of the coolant tank <NUM> to cool the coolant within the coolant tank <NUM>.

To enable the treated water production by the membrane distillation module, i.e., to enable the membrane distillation process by the membrane distillation module, the temperature of the raw water should be higher than the temperature of the coolant, and accordingly, it is necessary to heat the raw water above a predetermined temperature.

To heat the raw water, the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> and the raw water circulation pipe <NUM> are provided. In detail, as shown in <FIG>, the raw water circulation pipe <NUM> where the raw water enters and exits is provided on one side of the raw water tank. The raw water circulation pipe <NUM> serves to supply the heated raw water to the raw water tank and circulate the cooled raw water in the raw water tank, and the raw water is heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>.

Two ends of the raw water circulation pipe <NUM> are each connected to the inlet side and the outlet side of the raw water tank, and the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> is provided in a position of the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>. The solar heat absorbing device <NUM> is provided on a position of the raw water circulation pipe <NUM> to heat the raw water circulating along the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>.

To increase the raw water heating effect by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>, a larger heat absorbing area is better, and to this end, a raw water storage channel <NUM> having a predetermined area may be provided in part of the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>. With the raw water storage channel <NUM> having the predetermined area, the thermal contact time between the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> and the raw water increases, thereby effectively heating the raw water.

The solar heat absorbing device <NUM> provided on the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>, to be exact, the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> provided on the raw water storage space of the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>, has the following configuration.

The solar heat absorbing device <NUM> includes a metal plate <NUM> and a solar absorber <NUM>.

The metal plate <NUM> serves to provide a mounting space for the solar absorber, and is provided on the raw water storage channel <NUM> to heat the raw water in the raw water storage channel <NUM> using the solar heat absorbed by the solar absorber. The metal plate <NUM> may be made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, for example, copper and aluminum.

The solar absorber is provided on the metal plate <NUM>, and absorbs solar heat and transfers the absorbed solar heat to the raw water storage channel <NUM> through the metal plate <NUM>, and the solar absorber has a structure in which a so-called Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer including a MgF<NUM> layer on a Ti layer is repeatedly stacked. The MgF<NUM> layer is a dielectric and has excellent infrared absorbing properties, and the Ti layer serves to transfer heat of infrared radiation absorbed by the MgF<NUM> layer. Because the solar absorber is formed by repeatedly stacking the Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer, it is possible to improve the absorption efficiency of solar infrared radiation, and through this, effectively heat the raw water in the raw water storage channel <NUM>. In an embodiment, in the Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer, the Ti layer may be formed with the thickness of <NUM>, the MgF<NUM> layer may be formed with the thickness of <NUM>, and the solar absorber may be completed by repeatedly stacking the Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer <NUM> times.

The raw water in the raw water storage channel <NUM> heated through the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> is supplied to the raw water tank through the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>, and accordingly, the membrane distillation process by a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant can be smoothly performed.

To prevent the raw water in the raw water tank from being cooled down, as described above, the raw water circulation pipe <NUM> is also provided on the outlet side of the raw water tank, and the raw water going out of the outlet side of the raw water tank goes into the raw water storage channel <NUM> again and is re-heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>.

Meanwhile, because the raw water is heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>, as it is closer to the sunset time, sunlight gets weaker, and accordingly a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant gradually reduces. That is, as it is closer to the sunset time, the temperature of the raw water in the raw water tank <NUM> is lower, and thus a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant is smaller, which reduces the membrane distillation efficiency or makes it difficult to perform the membrane distillation process itself. This is because the heating of the raw water is the heating by solar heat.

To smoothly perform the membrane distillation process even when sunlight gets weaker as it is closer to the sunset time, a phase change material (PCM) <NUM> is provided on one side of the raw water tank <NUM>.

The phase change material is a material that changes in phase between solid and liquid, and the material is a solid below the melting point and a liquid above the melting point, and has properties that it absorbs and stores heat when it is in a liquid state at temperatures above the melting point and releases the stored heat at temperatures below the melting point. Accordingly, the surrounding environment can be maintained at a predetermined temperature or above through the phase change material.

When this is applied to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent a sharp reduction in raw water temperature caused by a sunshine environment change, for example, sunset, through the phase change material, and ultimately, prolong the time during which a temperature difference between raw water and coolant is maintained through the phase change material, thereby increasing the duration and efficiency of the membrane distillation process.

In detail, the phase change material is provided in the raw water tank <NUM> according to the following configuration. The configuration in which the phase change material is provided in the raw water tank <NUM> is classified into two embodiments. In the first embodiment, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, an inner wall <NUM> is provided at a location spaced apart from an inner surface <NUM> of the raw water tank <NUM>, and the phase change material <NUM> is provided in a space between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM>. The space between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM> is separated from a space in which the raw water of the raw water tank <NUM> is provided, and accordingly the phase change material <NUM> present between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM> does not leak to the space in which the raw water of the raw water tank <NUM> is provided. In this configuration, the phase change material <NUM> surrounds around the raw water tank <NUM>. The phase change material <NUM> is provided such that it surrounds around the raw water tank <NUM> in which the raw water is stored, thereby effectively absorbing heat from the raw water and releasing heat into the raw water.

The phase change material <NUM> provided between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM> may be provided in the form of an emulsion or a capsule. That is, the phase change material may be dissolved in a fluid in the form of an emulsion, or the phase change material capsule may be dispersed in a fluid. Here, the phase change material capsule refers to a capsule as a result of encapsulating the phase change material.

In the second embodiment, the phase change material capsule may be directly fed into the raw water in the raw water tank <NUM>. In this case, a baffle may be installed on the inlet and outlet side of the raw water tank <NUM> to prevent a loss of the phase change material capsule from the raw water tank <NUM>.

The phase change material provided in the raw water tank <NUM> according to the above-described two embodiments should be optimized for the membrane distillation process. It is known that the melting point of the phase change material is between -<NUM> and <NUM> according to materials. Considering that a coolant used in the membrane distillation process is water of the room temperature, the phase change material applied to the raw water tank <NUM> of the present disclosure may be a phase change material having the melting point of between <NUM> and <NUM>. Additionally, the phase change material is classified into an organic PCM, an inorganic PCM and a eutectic PCM, and the phase change material having the melting point of between <NUM> and <NUM> may be applied to the raw water tank <NUM> of the present disclosure irrespective of classification.

Hereinabove, the entire configuration of the apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. The operation of the apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure having the above-described configuration, i.e., a method for membrane distillation is performed as below.

First, raw water to be treated is supplied and stored in the raw water tank <NUM>. The raw water in the raw water tank enters and exits the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>, and the raw water is heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> while circulating along the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>. Additionally, with the phase change material provided on one side of the raw water tank, when the temperature of the raw water is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the phase change material absorbs heat of the raw water and stores the heat.

In detail, under a structure in which the raw water storage channel <NUM> is provided in part of the raw water circulation pipe <NUM>, and the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> including the metal plate <NUM> and the solar absorber is provided on the raw water storage channel <NUM>, the raw water is heated by the solar heat collected by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> while passing through the raw water storage channel <NUM>, and the heated raw water is supplied to the raw water tank. Additionally, the cooled raw water in the raw water tank re-circulates along the raw water circulation pipe <NUM> and is re-heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>.

The phase change material provided in the raw water tank <NUM> absorbs heat of the raw water and stores the heat when the temperature of the raw water is equal to or higher than the melting point of the phase change material, and releases the stored heat when the temperature of the raw water is lower than the melting point of the phase change material. As the phase change material works in this way, it is possible to prevent a sudden drop in raw water temperature.

The raw water heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> is supplied to the membrane distillation module <NUM>. The membrane distillation module <NUM> may have direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) in which the raw water and the coolant are in direct contact with the MD separation membrane <NUM>, air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) (see <FIG>) having an air gap (<NUM> in <FIG>) between the MD separation membrane <NUM> and the coolant, vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) or sweep gas membrane distillation (SGMD) configuration, and for convenience of description, the following description will be made based on a direct contact membrane distillation apparatus.

The raw water heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>, for example, the raw water of between <NUM> and <NUM>, is supplied to a raw water channel <NUM> of the membrane distillation module <NUM> through the raw water supply pipe <NUM>. At the same time, the coolant in the coolant tank <NUM> is supplied to a coolant channel <NUM> of the membrane distillation module <NUM>. In this instance, the coolant may be adjusted to the room temperature of about <NUM> through the cooler <NUM>. When the raw water and the coolant contact each other with the MD separation membrane <NUM> interposed between, the raw water evaporates due to a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant, vapor moves to the coolant channel <NUM> through the MD separation membrane <NUM>, and treated water having moved to the coolant channel <NUM> moves to the coolant tank <NUM> or a treated water tank through the treated water pipe <NUM>. Additionally, raw water after separation of treated water, i.e., concentrated water moves to the raw water tank <NUM> through the concentrated water pipe <NUM>.

Hereinabove, the apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure and the method for membrane distillation using the same have been described. Next, an apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure and a method for membrane distillation using the same will be described below.

Referring to <FIG>, the apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure includes a raw water tank <NUM>, a membrane distillation module and a coolant tank <NUM>.

To heat the raw water, the raw water tank <NUM> is provided with a solar heat absorbing device <NUM>. In detail, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> is provided on the upper surface of the raw water tank <NUM>. The solar heat absorbing device <NUM> is configured to collect solar heat and heat the raw water tank <NUM>, and includes a metal plate <NUM> and a solar absorber <NUM>.

The metal plate <NUM> is mounted on the upper surface of the raw water tank <NUM> to provide a seating space for the solar absorber <NUM>, and serves to collect solar heat and guide the collected solar heat to be absorbed by the solar absorber <NUM>. Along with this, the metal plate <NUM> serves to transfer the solar heat absorbed by the solar absorber <NUM> to the raw water tank <NUM>.

In addition to providing the seating space for the solar absorber <NUM>, to collect solar heat, the metal plate <NUM> has a tapered groove 211a at the center, and the solar absorber <NUM> is seated in the groove 211a. The groove 211a formed at the center of the metal plate <NUM> has a tapered shape to effectively collect solar heat, and the collected solar heat is effectively absorbed by the solar absorber <NUM>.

The metal plate <NUM> may be made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, for example, copper and aluminum, and to increase the heating effect of the raw water tank <NUM>, the metal plate <NUM> may be disposed over the entire upper surface of the raw water tank <NUM>.

The solar absorber <NUM> absorbs solar heat and transfers the absorbed solar heat to the raw water tank <NUM> through the metal plate <NUM>, and the solar absorber <NUM> has a structure in which a so-called Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer including a MgF<NUM> layer on a Ti layer is repeatedly stacked. The MgF<NUM> layer is a dielectric and has excellent infrared absorbing properties, and the Ti layer serves to transfer heat of infrared radiation absorbed by the MgF<NUM> layer. As the solar absorber <NUM> is formed by repeatedly stacking the Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer, it is possible to improve the absorption efficiency of solar infrared radiation, and through this, effectively heat the raw water tank <NUM>. In an embodiment, in the Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer, the Ti layer may be formed with the thickness of <NUM> and the MgF<NUM> layer may be formed with the thickness of <NUM>, and the solar absorber <NUM> may be completed by repeatedly stacking the Ti-MgF<NUM> double layer <NUM> times.

The solar heat absorbing device <NUM> as described above, i.e., the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> including the metal plate <NUM> and the solar absorber <NUM> may be mounted on the upper surface of the raw water tank <NUM> as well as the side of the raw water tank <NUM>.

Through the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>, it is possible to effectively heat the raw water in the raw water tank <NUM>, and through this, induce a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant, thereby enabling the membrane distillation process by the membrane distillation module.

Meanwhile, because the raw water is heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>, as it is closer to the sunset time, sunlight gets weaker, and accordingly a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant gradually reduces. That is, as it is closer to the sunset time, the temperature of the raw water in the raw water tank <NUM> is lower, and thus a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant reduces, which reduces the membrane distillation efficiency or makes it difficult to perform the membrane distillation process itself. This is because the heating of the raw water is the heating by solar heat.

To smoothly perform the membrane distillation process even when sunlight gets weaker as it is closer to the sunset time, a phase change material <NUM> is provided on one side of the raw water tank <NUM>.

In detail, the phase change material is provided in the raw water tank <NUM> in the following configuration. The configuration in which the phase change material is provided in the raw water tank <NUM> is classified into two embodiments. In the first embodiment, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, an inner wall <NUM> is provided at a location spaced apart from an inner surface <NUM> of the raw water tank <NUM>, and the phase change material <NUM> is provided in a space between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM>. The space between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM> is separated from a space in which the raw water of the raw water tank <NUM> is provided, and accordingly the phase change material <NUM> present between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM> does not leak to the space in which the raw water of the raw water tank <NUM> is provided. In this configuration, the phase change material <NUM> surrounds around the raw water tank <NUM>. The phase change material <NUM> is provided such that it surrounds around the raw water tank <NUM> in which the raw water is stored, thereby effectively absorbing heat from the raw water and releasing heat into the raw water.

Hereinabove, the entire configuration of the apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. A method for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure is performed as below.

First, raw water to be treated is supplied and stored in the raw water tank <NUM>. Under a structure in which the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> including the metal plate <NUM> and the solar absorber <NUM> is provided on the upper surface of the raw water tank <NUM>, and the phase change material is provided between the inner surface <NUM> and the inner wall <NUM> of the raw water tank <NUM>, the raw water in the raw water tank <NUM> is heated by solar heat collection, absorption and transfer by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>, and when the temperature of the raw water is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the phase change material absorbs heat of the raw water and stores the heat.

In detail, the tapered groove 211a provided in the metal plate <NUM> collects solar heat, the solar absorber <NUM> seated in the groove 211a absorbs the collected solar heat, and the solar heat absorbed by the solar absorber <NUM> is transferred to the raw water in the raw water tank <NUM> through the metal plate <NUM>, so the raw water is heated by the solar heat.

The phase change material provided in the raw water tank <NUM> according to various configurations (the above-described two embodiments) absorbs heat of the raw water and stores the heat when the temperature of the raw water is equal to or higher than the melting point of the phase change material, and releases the stored heat when the temperature of the raw water is lower than the melting point of the phase change material. As the phase change material works in this way, it is possible to prevent a sudden drop in raw water temperature.

The raw water heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM> is supplied to the membrane distillation module <NUM>. The membrane distillation module <NUM> may have direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) in which raw water and coolant are in direct contact with the MD separation membrane <NUM>, air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) (see <FIG>) having an air gap (<NUM> in <FIG>) between the MD separation membrane <NUM> and the coolant, vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) or sweep gas membrane distillation (SGMD) configuration, and for convenience of description, the following description will be made based on a direct contact membrane distillation apparatus.

The raw water heated by the solar heat absorbing device <NUM>, for example, the raw water of between <NUM> and <NUM>, is supplied to a raw water channel <NUM> of the membrane distillation module <NUM> through the raw water supply pipe <NUM>. At the same time, the coolant in the coolant tank <NUM> is supplied to a coolant channel <NUM> of the membrane distillation module <NUM>. In this instance, the coolant may be adjusted to the room temperature of about <NUM> through the cooler <NUM>. When the raw water and the coolant contact each other with the MD separation membrane <NUM> interposed between, the raw water evaporates due to a temperature difference between the raw water and the coolant, vapor moves to the coolant channel <NUM> through the MD separation membrane <NUM>, and treated water having moved to the coolant channel <NUM> moves the coolant tank <NUM> or a treated water tank through the treated water pipe <NUM>. Additionally, raw water after separation of treated water, i.e., concentrated water moves to the raw water tank <NUM> through the concentrated water pipe <NUM>.

Hereinabove, the apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure has been described. Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in more detail through experimental examples.

The raw water heating property by solar heat of a raw water tank with a solar heat absorbing device and a raw water tank without a solar heat absorbing device is investigated. A solar absorber having the heat collection area of <NUM><NUM> is placed, a channel below the solar absorber is filled with water of <NUM>, and after sunlight irradiation of <NUM> sun solar irradiance, changes in water temperature over time are measured. The solar absorber used in the experiment has a structure in which a <NUM> Ti layer and a <NUM> MgF<NUM> layer are stacked in an alternating manner <NUM> times.

Referring to <FIG>, with no solar absorber, the water temperature is <NUM> before sunlight irradiation and rises to <NUM> in <NUM> hour after sunlight irradiation. In contrast, with the solar absorber, the water temperature of the heater is equally <NUM> before sunlight irradiation and rises to <NUM> in <NUM> after sunlight irradiation, and thus the water temperature rise is faster about twice, and it can be seen that the heat collection efficiency of the solar absorber is very high.

The membrane distillation efficiency of an apparatus for membrane distillation with an existing solar collector and an apparatus for membrane distillation with a solar absorber according to the present disclosure is investigated.

Referring to <FIG>, it is found that an amount of treated water produced by the apparatus for membrane distillation with the solar absorber of the present disclosure is <NUM>/mabs<NUM>•hr on the average for <NUM> hours from <NUM> a. to <NUM> p. , and an amount of treated water produced by the apparatus for membrane distillation with the existing collector is <NUM>/mabs<NUM>•hr. Accordingly, it can be seen that an amount of treated water produced is very high due to the high heat collection efficiency of the solar absorber of the present disclosure.

Claim 1:
An apparatus for membrane distillation using a solar absorber (<NUM>,<NUM>), comprising:
a raw water circulation pipe (<NUM>) to circulate raw water in a raw water tank;
a solar heat absorbing device (<NUM>,<NUM>) provided on one side of the raw water circulation pipe (<NUM>) to heat the raw water in the raw water circulation pipe (<NUM>);
a raw water tank (<NUM>) to receive the raw water heated by the solar heat absorbing device (<NUM>,<NUM>) through the raw water circulation (<NUM>) pipe and to supply the raw water to a membrane distillation module (<NUM>);
the membrane distillation module (<NUM>) to produce treated water from the raw water through a membrane distillation process; and
a coolant tank (<NUM>) to supply a coolant to the membrane distillation module (<NUM>) and to collect the treated water produced by the membrane distillation module (<NUM>),
wherein a phase change material (<NUM>,<NUM>) is provided on one side of the raw water tank (<NUM>), and
the phase change material (<NUM>,<NUM>) is adapted to absorb heat of the raw water and is adapted to store the heat when a temperature of the raw water is equal to or higher than a melting point of the phase change material (<NUM>,<NUM>) of between <NUM> and <NUM>, and is adapted to release the stored heat when the temperature of the raw water is lower than the melting point of the phase change material (<NUM>,<NUM>),
wherein an inner wall (<NUM>) is provided at a location spaced from an inner surface (<NUM>) of the raw water tank (<NUM>), and the phase change material (<NUM>,<NUM>) is provided in a space between the inner surface (<NUM>) and the inner wall (<NUM>),
the phase change material (<NUM>,<NUM>) provided between the inner surface (<NUM>) and the inner wall (<NUM>) surrounds the raw water of the raw water tank (<NUM>), and
the space between the inner surface (<NUM>) and the inner wall (<NUM>) is spatially separated from a space in which the raw water of the raw water tank (<NUM>) is provided.