Radiative treatment of liquids in desalination and other membrane processes
AssigneeNew Jersey Institute of Technology
InventorsSomenath Mitra, Sagar Roy
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Abstract
Radiative heating and radiative feed modification systems and methods using microwave, radio frequency, magnetic field and ultrasound in membrane separation processes including membrane distillation (MD), reverse osmosis, forward osmosis and pervaporation are disclosed. Membrane distillation systems include at least one MD module, the MD module having at least one membrane, a feed inlet operable to receive a feed media and a feed outlet, and a radiative energy source operable to apply radiation to a feed media entering the feed inlet.
Claims9
A membrane distillation (MD) system comprising an MD desalination system comprising:
- a feed media source comprising salt water;
- a permeate-side cooling media source;
- at least one MD module, the MD module comprising:
- at least one membrane,
- a feed inlet operable to receive the feed media,
- a feed outlet,
- a permeate-side cooling media inlet, and
- a distillate outlet;
- a radiative energy source operable to apply radiation to the feed media prior to the feed media entering the feed inlet, wherein the radiative energy source is a microwave generator;
- and
- a temperature controlled bath coupled to the at least one MD module to receive a reject stream from the feed outlet and to recirculate the reject stream with the feed media.
A method for purifying a feed media with a membrane distillation (MD) system comprising an MD desalination system including at least one MD module, the method comprising:
- supplying the feed media comprising salt water from a feed media source to a feed inlet of the MD module,
- supplying a permeate-cooling media from a permeate-side cooling media source to a permeate-side cooling media inlet of the MD module;
- subjecting the feed media to microwave radiation prior to the feed media entering the feed inlet;
- recovering a reject stream from a feed outlet of the in a temperature controlled bath coupled to the MD module, and recirculating the reject stream with the feed media.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.