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US 10,071,927 B2Granted
Apparatus, systems, and methods for fluid filtration
Assignee1934612 Ontario Inc.
InventorsBrian E. Butters, Anthony L. Powell, John D. Pearce
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to apparatus, systems, and methods for reduction and/or removal of one or more contaminants (e.g., heavy metals, chromium, phosphorous, phosphorous compounds, nitrogen, nitrogen compounds) from a feed composition (e.g., a fluid). Apparatus, systems, and methods, in some embodiments, may be operable to decontaminate a fluid with comparatively little or no contaminant containing waste fluid.
Claims56
A decontamination system for removing a contaminant from an intake fluid comprising the contaminant, the system comprising:
- (a) a fluid reactor configured
- (i) to receive the intake fluid,
- (ii) to permit the contaminant to bind an adsorbent to form a contaminant-adsorbent material, and
- (iii) to form a fluid reactor output stream comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material;
- (b) a catalyst recovery unit (CRU)
- (i) comprising a CRU porous membrane defining a CRU retentate portion and a CRU permeate portion of the catalyst recovery unit,
- (ii) configured to receive the fluid reactor output stream in the CRU retentate portion of the CRU porous membrane and fractionate the fluid reactor output stream into
- a CRU retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material in the CRU retentate portion of the catalyst recovery unit and
- a CRU permeate substantially free of the contaminant in the CRU permeate portion of the catalyst recovery unit,
- wherein the CRU retentate portion is in fluid communication with an intake stream and a CRU filtrate forms a first discharge stream;
- (c) a contaminant-concentrating module (DeWRS)
- (i) in fluid communication with the CRU retentate portion of the catalyst recovery unit,
- (ii) comprising a DeWRS porous membrane, oriented in a vertical position, defining a DeWRS retentate portion and a DeWRS permeate portion of the contaminant- concentrating module,
- (iii) configured to receive at least a portion of the CRU retentate in the DeWRS retentate portion of the contaminant-concentrating module and fractionate the CRU retentate into
- a DeWRS retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material in the DeWRS retentate portion of the contaminant-concentrating module and
- a DeWRS permeate substantially free of the contaminant in the DeWRS permeate portion of the contaminant-concentrating module, wherein a DeWRS filtrate forms a second discharge stream, and
- (iv) configured to permit the contaminant-adsorbent material in the DeWRS retentate to
- settle into a contaminant trap positioned below the DeWRS porous membrane, and
- form a contaminant trap slug;
- (d) a contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit, wherein the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit:
- (i) is in fluid communication with the DeWRS retentate portion of the contaminant-concentrating module and in fluid communication with a first storage tank so as to receive an acidic composition or a basic composition of the first storage tank,
- (ii) comprises a heating unit, a desorbed adsorbent separation device comprising a contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit porous membrane defining a contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit retentate portion, the first storage tank configured to contain the acidic composition having a pH below about 7 or the basic composition having a pH above about 7, and a contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit permeate portion of the the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit,
- (iii) is configured to
- receive at least a portion of the DeWRS retentate in the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit retentate portion of the a contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit and fractionate the received DeWRS retentate into
- a contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material in the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit retentate portion of the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit and
- a contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit permeate substantially free of the contaminant in the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit permeate portion of the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit, wherein the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit filtrate forms a third discharge stream;
- receive from the first storage tank into the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit retentate portion of the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit an amount of the acid composition,
- desorb the contaminant from the adsorbent by mixing the contents of the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit retentate portion of the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit to permit desorption of the contaminant from the adsorbent to form a desorbed contaminant stream, a desorbed adsorbent stream, and, optionally, a residual contaminant-adsorbent material, wherein the heating unit is configured to heat the contents of the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit retentate portion of the contaminant-adsorbent desorption unit to promote desorption of the contaminant from the adsorbent, and
- convey the optional residual contaminant-adsorbent material, if present, to the first storage tank;
- (e) a clean adsorbent storage tank in fluid communication with the desorbed adsorbent stream and the intake stream;
- (f) a second storage tank configured to contain a second storage tank fluid comprising
- (i) a base if the first storage tank contains the acidic composition, or
- (ii) an acid if the first storage tank contains the basic composition;
- (g) a rinse tank in fluid communication with the desorbed contaminant stream, in fluid communication with the second storage tank and configured to receive and mix the received desorbed contaminant stream with the received second storage tank fluid to permit formation of a contaminant precipitate and a rinse tank supernatant, wherein the rinse tank supernatant forms a fourth discharge stream.
31 more elements
A method for separating an intake fluid comprising a contaminant into
- a contaminant solid fraction and
- a discharge fluid fraction substantially free of the contaminant, the method comprising:
- (a) reducing the contaminant in a reduction reactor to form a reduced contaminant or oxidizing the contaminant in an oxidizing reactor to form an oxidized contaminant;
- (b) adsorbing the reduced contaminant or the oxidized contaminant to an adsorbent to form a contaminant-adsorbent material;
- (c) forming a fluid reactor output stream comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material;
- (d) optionally combining a portion of the fluid reactor output stream into the intake fluid;
- (e) fractionating up to all of the fluid reactor output stream in a catalyst recovery unit (CRU) comprising a CRU porous membrane into
- a CRU retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material and
- a CRU permeate substantially free of the contaminant, wherein the CRU permeate forms a first discharge stream;
- (f) fractionating the CRU retentate in a contaminant-concentrating module (DeWRS) comprising a DeWRS porous membrane oriented in a vertical position, into
- a DeWRS retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material and
- a DeWRS permeate substantially free of the contaminant, wherein the DeWRS permeate forms a second discharge stream;
- (g) gathering the contaminant-adsorbent material in the DeWRS retentate into a contaminant slug;
- (h) fractionating the contaminant slug in a contaminant-concentrating mixer tank (DeWMT) comprising a DeWMT porous membrane into
- a DeWMT retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material and
- a DeWMT permeate substantially free of the contaminant, wherein the DeWMT permeate forms a third discharge stream;
- (i) adding acid from an acid storage tank to the DeWMT retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material to form an acidified DeWMT retentate or adding acid or base from a storage tank to the DeWMT retentate comprising the contaminant-adsorbent material to form an acidified or basic DeWMT retentate;
- (j) mixing the acidified or basic DeWMT retentate to desorb the contaminant from the adsorbent and form a desorbed contaminant stream, a desorbed adsorbent stream, and, optionally, a residual contaminant-adsorbent material;
- (k) optionally combining up to an entirety of the desorbed absorbent stream into the intake fluid;
- (l) combining in a rinse tank the desorbed contaminant stream with sufficient base to form a contaminant precipitate and a rinse water tank supernatant, wherein the rinse water tank supernatant forms a fourth discharge stream;
- and
- (m) optionally conveying the residual contaminant-adsorbent material to the acid storage tank or the storage tank,
- wherein the contaminant precipitate forms the contaminant solid fraction and the first, second, third, and fourth discharge streams together form the discharge fluid fraction.
20 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.