摘要:
Water is separated from a liquid composition (e.g., salt water) by directing a carrier gas flow through an evaporator and directly contacting the carrier gas with the liquid composition to humidify the carrier gas with water evaporated from the liquid composition, producing a humidified gas flow. The humidified gas flow is compressed by injecting a fluid that includes steam and/or an organic compound at an elevated pressure at least five times greater than the pressure in the evaporator and at a temperature at least as high as a saturation temperature of the steam / organic compound at the elevated pressure of the fluid. After being compressed, the humidified gas flow is directed through a condenser where water is condensed from the compressed humidified gas flow and collected. The dehumidified gas flow is re-circulated from the condenser back through the evaporator for reuse as the carrier gas.
摘要:
A feed of at least one of (a) a source liquid including a solvent with a dissolved impurity and (b) a retentate of the source liquid is pumped in a substantially closed loop through a liquid-separation module. The liquid-separation module includes a membrane that passes at least partially purified solvent to a permeate side of the membrane while diverting the impurity in a retentate on the retentate side of the membrane. The purified solvent is extracted from the permeate side of the membrane; and the retentate from the liquid-separation module is pumped to or through a pressurized reservoir with a variable volume for the feed component and recirculated as a component of the feed. Over time, the volume for the feed is reduced and the pressure applied to the feed in the reservoir is increased to balance against an increasing difference in osmotic pressure across the membrane.
摘要:
Portions of a feed liquid pass through respective condensers and heat exchangers. The feed liquid is then heated and injected into a first containment chamber, where vapor from the feed liquid passes through a first gas-permeable membrane and into a first condenser, where the vapor condenses to produce a first liquid permeate. The first liquid permeate passes through the first heat exchanger, where it is cooled by the feed liquid passing therethrough. After the vapor is removed from the feed liquid in the first containment chamber, the remaining feed liquid is injected into a second containment chamber, where the process is repeated. The first liquid permeate from the first heat exchanger is combined with the second liquid permeate from the second condenser to form a combined liquid permeate, which is passed through the second heat exchanger where the combined liquid permeate is cooled by the feed liquid passing therethrough.
摘要:
Water is separated from a liquid mixture ( e.g. , sea water) using a humidification chamber and a dehumidification chamber that are each operated at a pressure less than ambient atmospheric pressure ( e.g. , at least 10 % less than ambient atmospheric pressure). A carrier gas is flowed through the humidification chamber; and inside the humidification chamber, the carrier gas directly contacts the liquid mixture to humidify the carrier gas with water evaporated from the liquid mixture to produce a humidified gas flow. The humidified gas flow is directed through the dehumidification chamber, where water is condensed from the humidified gas flow and collected.
摘要:
Enhanced cleaning of a fouled membrane is achieved via controlled deformation in a method wherein a feed composition, comprising a solvent and dissolved components, flows into a retentate side of a membrane module. The solvent passes through the membrane from the retentate side to a permeate or draw side of the membrane module while retaining the dissolved components on the membrane. As a foulant accumulates on either side of the membrane, a driving force is generated across the membrane, wherein the membrane responds cyclically by deforming back and forth toward the permeate or draw side and toward the retentate side. The foulant is dislodged from the membrane via mechanical fatigue at the foulant-membrane interface caused by the deformation of the membrane and contact with a spacer in contact with the membrane.
摘要:
A first stream of an aqueous solution flows through an upstream desalination or nanofiltration system. A second stream of the aqueous solution is mixed with the diluate output from the upstream desalination system or with the diluate or concentrate output from the upstream nanofiltration system with a flow ratio of the second stream of the aqueous solution to the feed stream of 0.63. A liquid composition flows into the concentrate channels of an electrically driven separation apparatus, while the feed stream flows into at least the diluate channels at a ratio of 0.3 to 0.81 to the flow of the liquid composition. An applied voltage selectively draws monovalent ions from the feed stream in the diluate channels through the monovalent-selective ion exchange membranes into the concentrate channels to produce a treated diluate having a sodium chloride ratio (SCR)
摘要:
A carrier gas and a combined feed liquid are directed through a humidifier, where water vaporizes from the combined feed liquid into the carrier gas, and through a dehumidifier, where the combined feed liquid cools the carrier gas to condense water from the carrier gas. At least a portion of the concentrated brine stream from the humidifier is directed through a pressure-retarded osmosis unit, while an initial feed solution is directed, in counter-flow, through the osmosis unit. Water from the initial feed solution flows through a membrane in the osmosis chamber into the concentrated brine stream to dilute and increase the volumetric flow rate of the brine stream. The diluted brine stream is extracted from the osmosis chamber and depressurized to produce power, while the concentrated initial feed solution is combined with the depressurized, diluted brine stream to form the combined feed liquid.
摘要:
A carrier gas is directed through a humidification chamber in a humidifier, where the carrier gas flow is directly contacted with a feed liquid to humidify the carrier gas with water evaporated from the feed liquid, producing a humidified gas flow. The humidified gas flow is then compressed in a compressor and then directed through a dehumidification chamber in a dehumidifier, where the compressed humidified gas flow is dehumidified to condense water from the compressed humidified gas flow. The dehumidified gas flow is then expanded in an expander, wherein the expansion of the dehumidified gas flow generates motion (e.g., rotation of a shaft), and wherein the motion generated in the expander is transferred to the compressor, where the motion compresses the humidified gas flow. Heat is also removed from the expanded dehumidified gas flow and transferred to compressed dehumidified gas flow upstream from the expander.
摘要:
Targeted metal ions can be harnessed from brines by feeding a mixed, aqueous, brine stream including the targeted metal ions and other dissolved ions through a water-recovery module on a first side of a first membrane. In the water-recovery module, water is passed from a monovalent-ion-rich stream on a second side of the first membrane through the first membrane into the mixed, aqueous, brine stream on the first side of the first membrane to produce a diluted, mixed, aqueous, brine stream. The diluted, mixed, aqueous, brine stream is then passed through a valency-selective ion-separation module to produce the monovalent-rich stream, and a multivalent-ion-rich stream, one of which includes a concentration of the targeted metal ions.
摘要:
A multi-effect membrane distillation system includes first and second membrane distillation effects. Each effect (stage) includes a feed channel, a gap, and a vapor-permeable membrane separating the feed channel from the gap. A liquid feed is fed into the feed channel of the first effect via a feed inlet, and the liquid feed is extracted from the firt-stage feed channel ia a first feed-transfer conduit that delivers the liquid feed to the second-stage feed channel. The feed is extracted from the second-stage feed channel via a second feed-transfer conduit. At least one permeate-extraction conduit is coupled with the first-stage and second-stage gaps and is configured to extract permeate (e.g., pure water) therefrom.