Patent ID: 7416666

Claim:
A system for desalinating seawater to yield desalinated water and a concentrate, the system comprising: a first sea-going vessel comprising a hull and being positioned on the surface of a body of seawater; a water desalination system installed on the first sea-going vessel, the water desalination system capable of removing salt from seawater; a water intake system installed on the first sea-going vessel and comprising an apparatus for taking up seawater from the body of seawater, the apparatus comprising at least one water intake positioned in the body of seawater; a mixing system for mixing the concentrate with seawater to yield a diluted concentrate, the mixing system being installed on the first sea-going vessel in communication with the water desalination system and comprising a space in which concentrate can be mixed with seawater to form the diluted concentrate, an inlet for introducing concentrate into the space, an inlet for introducing seawater into the space, and an outlet for discharging the diluted concentrate from the space; and a concentrate discharge system for discharging the diluted concentrate from the first sea-going vessel, the concentrate discharge system being installed on the first sea-going vessel and comprising at least one discharge port, wherein the mixing system is integrated with the concentrate discharge system, and comprises a concentrate discharge member extending from the hull into the body of seawater, the concentrate discharge member comprising (a) a conduit through which concentrate can flow from the water desalination system to the body of seawater and (b) an aspirator though which seawater from the body of seawater can be drawn into the concentrate discharge member by the Venturi effect to mix with concentrate in the conduit.