Patent ID: 7678235

Claim:
A water purification system comprising an inlet, a preheater, a degasser, an evaporation chamber, a demister, a waste condenser, a product condenser, a waste outlet, a product outlet, and a control system, wherein the degasser comprises a matrix of particles, wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the preheater, wherein the preheater is in fluid communication with the degasser, wherein the degasser is in fluid communication with the evaporation chamber and the waste condenser, wherein the waste condenser is in fluid communication with the waste outlet, wherein the evaporation chamber is in fluid communication with the demister, wherein the demister is in fluid communication with the product condenser, wherein the product condenser is in fluid communication with the product outlet, wherein the control system permits operation of the purification system through repeated cycles without requiring user intervention or cleaning, and wherein the system is configured to remove, from a contaminated water sample, a plurality of contaminants selected from the group consisting of microbiological contaminants, radiological contaminants, metals, salts, volatile organics, and non-volatile organics, such that water purified in the system has levels of all contaminants below the levels shown in the “MCL” column of Table 1, when the contaminated water has levels of the contaminants that are up to 25 times greater than the levels shown in the “MCL” column of Table 1.