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US 2002/0170863 A1Published application
Carbon dioxide recycle for immersed membrane
OwnerManwinder Singh, Scott Lenhardtinventors
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Abstract
Carbon dioxide, liberated by introducing fouling inhibiting bubbles into a tank containing an immersed membrane module, is captured and returned to the tank by way of the bubbles to minimize increases in pH in the tank water caused by carbon dioxide stripping. Minimizing the pH increase reduces the amount of acid required to produce a desired pH in the tank water or, with scaling feed water, reduces the rate of membrane fouling.
Claims11
A reactor for filtering water comprising:
- (a) one or more modules of filtering membranes located within a tank;
- (b) a source of transmembrane pressure to the membranes for withdrawing a permeate from the insides of the immersed membranes;
- (c) an aeration system operable to supply bubbles to the tank to inhibit fouling of the membranes;
- (d) a feed inlet for introducing feed water to the tank;
- (e) a retentate outlet for removing retentate from the tank;
- (f) a gas recirculation system to collect one or more gases liberated from feed water in the tank and return the collected gases to the aeration system.
3 more elements
A process for filtering a feed water comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a tank containing modules of filtering membranes;
- (b) introducing feed water to the tank to keep the modules immersed in feed water in the tank;
- (c) withdrawing a filtered permeate from the modules;
- (d) withdrawing a retentate from the tank;
- (e) introducing bubbles into the water in the tank to inhibit fouling of the membranes, the bubbles also causing increased amounts of gases to be liberated from the water in the tank;
- (f) collecting gases liberated from the water in the tank and returning the collected gases to the tank by way of the bubbles.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.