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Indybay Feature

Natural Desalination would bring new rivers of fresh water to California - Ending Droughts

by Joseph Rizzi
Natural Desalination/ Not Desalination = eliminating all issues with traditional Desalination by using RO and natures forces to desalinate ocean water and convey it to shore and near zero cost and energy
Natural Desalination uses ZERO man made energy to desalinate new RIVERS of water with little to no environmental issues.
• Ocean water needs 1,000 psi to desalinate water using Reverse Osmosis (RO).
• Off shore at ½ mile under the water you get 1,000 psi for the outside of a RO tubes.
• A flexible air pipe from the surface down to the RO system would bring air and 0 psi pressure to the inner part of RO tubes.
• The difference between the RO outside pressure and inside pressure gives a constant 1,000 psi
• Constant free flowing salt free water flows into the RO tubes which can be collected and sent back to shore
• Gravity would carry the water to shore in a pipeline or tunnel.
• Once at shore the water would be lifted for use or put in aqueduct or other transportation systems.

Advantages of Natural Desalination:
• Can supply all of California with drought resistant water supply for crops and people.
• No brine because only water is taken from the ocean, located far off shore an near the ocean floor helps too.
• Large area for RO system for expansion with no impact to coastal residents.
• Little to no impact to ocean, plants or sea creatures; and no shipping hazard, due to location and design.
• Side benefit of increased water would be more farming, increased economic, more oxygen, cleaner air, etc..
• Droughts, Delta, water quality, sea level rising and many other water issues can be decreased or eliminated.
by Mike Novack
"• Ocean water needs 1,000 psi to desalinate water using Reverse Osmosis (RO).
• Off shore at ½ mile under the water you get 1,000 psi for the outside of a RO tubes.
• A flexible air pipe from the surface down to the RO system would bring air and 0 psi pressure to the inner part of RO tubes.
• The difference between the RO outside pressure and inside pressure gives a constant 1,000 psi
• Constant free flowing salt free water flows into the RO tubes which can be collected and sent back....

Uh, it flows into the air filled tube (at the start). So you have some fresh water at the bottom of that half mile down air filled pipe. You now have to pump it up 1/2 mile to get it to the surface. That takes the SAME amount of energy as it would have taken to have done the entire process at the surface in the first place pumping through the membrane so you could have saved that half mile long pipe.

That pipe CAN'T simply be full of water flowing all by itself to the surface because the you wouldn't have that 1000 psi pressure difference.

Hey, high school physics teachers, how about collecting these schemes being posted on the internet. Might make good extra credit problems for you students "why won't this work".

by Joseph Rizzi (Joseph_Rizzi [at] sbcglobal.net)
The air / Pressure tube to the surface from the desalination field is to bring the ZERO pressure to the inner part of the RO filed and tubes. The fresh water flows down hill from the RO tubes to the collection area and out the bottom to the shore. Yes this means that at shore the water would be more than half a mile down and would need to be pumped up. Pumping water up is only a small fraction of the cost compared with traditional Desalination tubes needing to be presurized to 1,000 psi along with the fulusing of water needed.
by Tom Dewey
Floatation of a light weight flexible tank might solve the problem or use the principle of fresh water being less dense in some way. Otherwise the cost will probably still be high. I was wondering if there is a creature that naturally desalinates like a bacteria or a sea sponge.
I agree with your equation made Mr. Rizzi in that a half mile below the water surface would equate too 1,169.5 lbs./ft although what I am not understanding is this: Assuming at a half mile out to sea the sea floor is at a lower elevation than that of onshore (sea level) so gravity would not aid in the transfer of water too a higher elevation meaning it would have to be pumped unless you could create some sort of a venturi pump effect. I also question how the membrane will receive preventative maintenance knowing that it requires ongoing maintenance. I do like your concept though and if it worked I certainly would applaud you for it as I am now for thinking out of the box. And last, I am not certain that water with relatively a high concentration of salt (usually sodium chloride) accumulated and or discharged in or near the RO membranes would not create an issue in itself with regard to its surrounding environment. Thank you for your time. David Rossi
natural_desal___buoyancy_presentation_s.pdf_600_.jpg
see the attached presentation for more details. Please contact me if you have further questions.
Thanks for your interest.
by Mike Bryan
0 psi would only be helpful if it could be introduced on the discharge side of the RO device. Since water by nature seeks its own level it cannot be done without the use of pumps. If the flexible tube is to produce a 0 psi atmosphere around the ROmembrane and tubes it would not do anything than to make the devise more buoyant. All the work of an RO devise is done in the membranes once the salt laden water passes through the device it will continue to flow only up to the delivery pipings point of equilibrium with the surrounding waters. At this point you'll need pumps. The pump has to be large enough to offset the 1000 psi required to desalinate water.
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