Patent ID: 8496732

Claim:
A dehumidification system for removing water vapor from an airstream, comprising: a plurality of dehumidification and cooling stages, each dehumidification and cooling stage comprising a cooling unit and a dehumidification unit, the dehumidification unit having a first and a second channel separated by a membrane, wherein the membrane is configured to facilitate removal of water vapor from an airstream flowing through the first channel by facilitating passage of H 2 O from the first channel to the second channel through permeable volumes of the membrane while substantially blocking all other components of the airstream from passing through the membrane; a pressure increasing device fluidly coupled to the plurality of dehumidification and cooling stages, wherein the pressure increasing device is configured to create a lower partial pressure of water vapor within the second channels than in the first channels, such that the H 2 O moves through the membranes to the second channels, wherein the pressure increasing device is configured to increase the pressure of water vapor at an outlet of the pressure increasing device to a partial pressure of water vapor in a range suitable for subsequent condensing into liquid water; at least one condensation device configured to receive the water vapor from the pressure increasing device and condense the water vapor into the liquid water; and at least one water transport device configured to transport the liquid water from the at least one condensation device.