Automated solar still

Claim 1

An automated solar still having a temperature sensitive valve incorporated within a deployed solar absorber panel, comprising: a feedwater storage tank having an opening for supplying feedwater at nominal pressure; an evaporation chamber containing a series of evaporation trays for receiving and evaporating said feedwater and a condensor plate for condensing water vapor, said series of evaporation trays being affixed within said evaporation chamber in spaced apart relationship at descending heights, the upper tray of said series of trays being connected by a pipe to said opening of said feedwater storage tank, said upper tray of said series of trays being positioned below said opening of said feedwater storage tank so that feedwater may flow by gravity through said pipe from said feedwater tank into said upper tray; a series of solar absorber panels detachably attached to the exterior of said evaporation chamber, each of said solar absorber panels having a fluid-tight conduit for passage of said feedwater, each of said solar absorber panels being associated in one-to-one relationship with a particular tray in said series of trays; a piping network for feeding feedwater from a particular tray to the associated solar absorber panel and for feeding feedwater from said associated solar absorber panel to the next lowest tray from said particular tray, said piping network including a series of inlet pipes connected between particular trays in said series of trays and the inlet of said fluid-tight conduit in said associated solar absorber panel, and further including a series of outlet pipes connected between the outlet of said fluid-tight conduit in said associated solar absorber panel and said next lowest tray; and a temperature sensitive valve incorporated within said fluid-tight conduit in one of said panels in said series of solar absorber panels, said valve thereby being in thermal communication with said feedwater flowing through said fluid-tight conduit in said one of said panels, whereby said valve is open when the temperature of said feedwater is at or above the threshold temperature for evaporation within said series of trays in said evaporation chamber and wherein said valve is closed when the temperature of said feedwater is below the threshold temperature for evaporation within said series of trays in said evaporation chamber.