Water distillation apparatus, method, and system

Abstract

A water vapor distillation system. The system includes a water vapor distillation device configured to receive a volume of source water from a fluid source and produce distillate, the device comprising: a concentrate flow path comprising a concentrate output; a distillate flow path comprising a distillate output; at least one source proportioning valve; a first heat exchanger comprising at least a portion of the distillate flow path; a second heat exchanger including at least a portion of the concentrate flow path, wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in fluid flow communication with the fluid source; a distillate sensor assembly in communication with the distillate flow path and located downstream the first heat exchanger, the distillate sensor assembly configured to generate a distillate temperature measurement; and a controller configured to control the source proportioning valves, the controller configured to: receive the distillate temperature measurement; determine the difference between a first target temperature and the distillate temperature measurement; and split the source water from the fluid source between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger based on the difference between the first target temperature and the distillate temperature measurement.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A medical system comprising;
 a distillation device having an evaporator, a condenser, and a purified product water heat exchanger having a source fluid flow path and a purified product water flow path in heat exchange relation with one another;   at least one concentrate fluid;   a medical treatment device the medical treatment device including a treatment fluid preparation circuit in selective fluid communication, via a point of use valve, with the purified product water flow path and a treatment device processor, the treatment device processor, configured to command mixing of the at least one concentrate and purified water to generate a prescribed treatment fluid with the treatment fluid preparation circuit;   a communications link between the treatment device processor of the medical treatment device and a distillation device processor of the distillation device, the medical treatment device processor configured to transmit mode commands to the distillation device processor;   a sensor assembly in communication with the purified product water flow path; and   a source valve fluidly connecting a fluid source and to the source fluid flow path, the distillation device processor configured to actuate the source valve based at least in part on the mode commands and data from the sensor assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly includes at least one temperature sensor and at least one conductivity sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the distillation device processor configured to actuate the source valve based at least in part on the mode commands and temperature data from the sensor assembly. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the distillation device processor configured to actuate the source valve based at least in part on the mode commands and data from the sensor assembly and a target set point for purified water. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the target set point is a temperature set point. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the target set point is determined by the distillation device processor based on the mode commands. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the target set point based off a first mode command of the mode commands is in the range of 20-35° and a target set point based off a second mode command of the mode commands is greater than 90° C. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the medical treatment device is a dialysis machine. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the medical treatment device is a hemodialysis device. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the treatment fluid is a dialysis fluid. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the condenser includes a condensing section and a product storage section, the product storage portion having a volume of at least one liter. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the distillation device processor is further configured to govern operation of a compressor motor of the distillation device based at least in part on the mode commands. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the distillation device processor is further configured to govern operation of a concentrate outlet valve of the distillation device based at least in part on the mode commands.