Method of recovering fresh water from saline water

Claim 1

A method comprising: extending a conduit downward from a ground surface location to an elevation above the surface area of a body of saline water having an upper portion entrapped from horizontal escape and lying within and partially filling a very permeable portion of an underground geological structure having a vapor-impervious cover layer, wherein the body of saline water has offshore communication with a body of seawater and is sufficiently large so that its surface area and the effective rate of evaporation are virtually unaffected by any local channels therein having an increased concentration of salt in solution being carried to seawater dispersal, the conduit being extended to an elevation located beneath the impervious layer and above the surface area of the underground body of saline water; continuously removing water vapor from beneath the vapor-impervious layer by pumping the water vapor upwardly through the extended conduit to the ground surface location at a rate enabling the resulting dense brine in the underground body of saline water to be simultaneously replaced by the less saline, less dense, warmer seawater due to the access of the underground body of saline water so as to be available in the natural underground geological structure beneath the vapor-impervious cover layer for such continuous removal; condensing the removal water vapor at the ground surface location; the continuous removal of water vapor being accompanied by continuous replenishment of the underground body of saline water with the seawater having access to the underground geological structure to assure dilution of the underground body of saline water and to maintain a balanced condition of salinity between it and the body of seawater; injecting into the underground body of saline water a refrigerant fluid capable of entrapping water vapor as the refrigerant fluid vaporizes and rises through the underground body of saline water, whereby the water is agitated and water vapor is entrapped in the bubbles of refrigerant to increase the resulting rate of water vaporization within the underground geological structure.

Claim 2

A method comprising: extending a conduit downward from a ground surface location to an elevation above the surface area of a body of saline water having an upper portion entrapped from horizontal escape and lying within and partially filling a very permeable portion of an underground geological structure having a vapor-impervious cover layer, wherein the body of saline water has offshore communication with a body of seawater and is sufficiently large so that its surface area and the effective rate of evaporation are virtually unaffected by any local channels therein having an increased concentration of salt in solution being carried to seawater dispersal, the conduit being extended to an elevation located beneath the impervious layer and above the surface area of the underground body of saline water; continuously removing water vapor from beneath the vapor-impervious layer by pumping the water vapor upwardly through the extended conduit to the ground surface location at a rate enabling the resulting dense brine in the underground body of saline water to be simultaneously replaced by the less saline, less dense, warmer seawater due to the access of the underground body of saline water so as to be available in the natural underground geological structure beneath the vapor-impervious cover layer for such continuous removal; condensing the removal water vapor at the ground surface location; the continuous removal of water vapor being accompanied by continuous replenishment of the underground body of saline water with the seawater having access to the underground geological structure to assure dilution of the underground body of saline water and to maintain a balanced condition of salinity between it and the body of seawater; injecting into the underground body of saline water a refrigerant fluid capable of entrapping water vapor as the refrigerant fluid vaporizes and rises through the underground body of saline water, whereby the water is agitated and water vapor is entrapped in the bubbles of refrigerant to increase the resulting rate of water vaporization within the underground geological structure.

Claim 5

A method of recovering fresh warter and petroleum hydrocarbons, comprising: extending a conduit downward from a ground surface location to an elevation above the surface area of a body of saline water having an upper portion entrapped from horizontal escape and lying within and partially filling a very permeable portion of an underground geological structure having a vapor-impervious cover layer, wherein the body of saline water has offshore communication with a body of seawater and is sufficiently large so that its surface area and the effective rate of evaporation are virtually unaffected by any local channels therein having an increased concentration of salt in solution being carried to seawater dispersal, the conduit being extended to an elevation located beneath the impervious layer and above the surface area of the underground body of saline water; continuously removing water vapor from beneath the vapor-impervious layer by pumping the water vapor upwardly through the extended conduit to the ground surface location at a rate enabling the resulting dense brine in the underground body of saline water to be simultaneously replaced by the less saline, less dense, warmer seawater due to the access of the underground body of saline water to the body of seawater and thereby causing additional water vapor to evaporate at the surface area of the underground body of saline water so as to be available in the natural underground geological structure beneath the vapor-impervious cover layer for such continuous removal; condensing the removed water vapor at the ground surface location; the continuous removal of water vapor being accompanied by continuous replenishment of the underground body of saline water with the seawater having access to the underground geological structure to assure dilution of the underground body of saline water and to maintain a balanced condition of salinity between it and the body of seawater; injecting into the underground body of saline water a refrigerant fluid that is soluble in the petroleum hydrocarbon series and which is capable of entrapping water vapor and hydrocarbon constituents as the refrigerant fluid vaporizes within the underground body of saline water and comes in contact with residual petroliferous hydrocarbons to agitate the water and entrap water vapor and hydrocarbon constituents in the bubbles of refrigerant to increase the rate of water vaporization at the surface area of the underground body of saline water; removing the vaporized refrigerant and entrapped hydrocarbon constituents along with the water vapor; and condensing the removed hydrocarbon constituents at the ground surface location.

Claim 6

A method of recovering fresh warter and petroleum hydrocarbons, comprising: extending a conduit downward from a ground surface location to an elevation above the surface area of a body of saline water having an upper portion entrapped from horizontal escape and lying within and partially filling a very permeable portion of an underground geological structure having a vapor-impervious cover layer, wherein the body of saline water has offshore communication with a body of seawater and is sufficiently large so that its surface area and the effective rate of evaporation are virtually unaffected by any local channels therein having an increased concentration of salt in solution being carried to seawater dispersal, the conduit being extended to an elevation located beneath the impervious layer and above the surface area of the underground body of saline water; continuously removing water vapor from beneath the vapor-impervious layer by pumping the water vapor upwardly through the extended conduit to the ground surface location at a rate enabling the resulting dense brine in the underground body of saline water to be simultaneously replaced by the less saline, less dense, warmer seawater due to the access of the underground body of saline water to the body of seawater and thereby causing additional water vapor to evaporate at the surface area of the underground body of saline water so as to be available in the natural underground geological structure beneath the vapor-impervious cover layer for such continuous removal; condensing the removed water vapor at the ground surface location; the continuous removal of water vapor being accompanied by continuous replenishment of the underground body of saline water with the seawater having access to the underground geological structure to assure dilution of the underground body of saline water and to maintain a balanced condition of salinity between it and the body of seawater; injecting into the underground body of saline water a refrigerant fluid that is soluble in the petroleum hydrocarbon series and which is capable of entrapping water vapor and hydrocarbon constituents as the refrigerant fluid vaporizes within the underground body of saline water and comes in contact with residual petroliferous hydrocarbons to agitate the water and entrap water vapor and hydrocarbon constituents in the bubbles of refrigerant to increase the rate of water vaporization at the surface area of the underground body of saline water; removing the vaporized refrigerant and entrapped hydrocarbon constituents along with the water vapor; and condensing the removed hydrocarbon constituents at the ground surface location.