Method and apparatus for effecting high recovery desalination with pressure driven membranes
AssigneesBen-Gurion University of the Negev Research and Development Authority, Mekorot Water Company, Ltd
InventorsJack GILRON, Dan PELED, Yevgeny GOLDKINE, Sivan BLEICH
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Abstract
A system and method for switching between flows of water solutions passed in groups of blocks of membrane pressure vessels arranged in parallel in a tapered flow system, wherein the system comprises a system inlet feed line, a system outlet flow line, high pressure booster pumps configured to provide a high pressure feed stream to the system; blocks of membrane pressure vessels arrayed in parallel, and a first and second bypass line each parallel to said blocks.
Claims19
A tapered flow desalination system comprising:
- a system inlet feed line coupled to a first high pressure booster pump configured to provide a high pressure feed stream to the system;
- blocks of membrane pressure vessels arrayed in parallel, wherein the outlet of said first booster pump is coupled by means of flow lines to said blocks at first opening sides of said blocks;
- a second booster pump, coupled at its inlet by a first bypass line parallel to said blocks, to said first booster pump outlet, wherein said second booster pump outlet and inlet are also coupled by means of flow lines to said blocks at second opening sides of said blocks and wherein said first bypass line is also coupled by means of flow lines to said blocks at said second opening sides of said blocks;
- a system outlet flow line coupled to said first opening sides of said blocks, coupled to said second opening sides of said blocks and to the second booster pump outlet, wherein said system outlet flow line is coupled to said second opening sides of said blocks and to said second booster pump outlet by means of a second bypass line;
- wherein the first bypass line comprises a valve and wherein the second bypass line comprises a valve;
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said first booster pump outlet and said first opening sides of said blocks each comprise a valve;
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said second booster pump outlet and said second opening sides of said blocks each comprise a valve;
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said second opening sides of said blocks and said second booster pump inlet each comprise a valve;
- and
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said first opening sides of said blocks and said system outlet flow line each comprise a valve.
A method for switching between flows of water solutions passed in groups of blocks of membrane pressure vessels arranged in parallel in a tapered flow system, wherein said method comprising the steps of:
- A) passing feed water solution through one or more of said system blocks in a first stage and the concentrated water solution exiting said blocks of the first stage is passed through one or more of the system blocks in a second stage and the concentrated water solution exiting the blocks of the second stage is passed through a system concentrate outlet;
- B) slowing the stream(s) passed in said second stage by bypassing a portion of the concentrated water solution exiting the blocks of the first stage to the system concentrate outlet;
- C) stopping the slowed stream(s) of a first group of blocks being of one or more of the blocks of the second stage;
- D) slowing the stream(s) passed in the first stage by bypassing a portion of said feed water solution, to the system concentrate outlet;
- E) stopping the slowed stream(s) of a second group of blocks being of one or more of the blocks of the first stage, wherein said second group of blocks comprise the same number of blocks as in said first group of blocks;
- and passing a portion of the feed water solution through said first group of blocks;
- F) stopping the bypassing of step D and passing a portion of the concentrated water solution exiting the blocks of the first stage through said second group of bocks;
- G) stopping the bypassing of step B.
A tapered flow desalination system comprising:
- a system inlet feed line coupled to a first high pressure booster pump configured to provide a high pressure feed stream to the system;
- a first group of blocks of membrane pressure vessels arrayed in parallel, wherein the outlet of said first booster pump is coupled by means of flow lines to said first group of blocks at first opening sides of said first group of blocks;
- a second booster pump, coupled at its inlet by means of flow lines to said first group of blocks at second opening sides of the first group of blocks;
- and
- coupled at its outlet to a second group of blocks of membrane pressure vessels arrayed in parallel at first opening sides of the second group of blocks;
- a third booster pump, coupled by means of flow lines to said second group of blocks at second opening sides of the second group of blocks;
- and coupled by means of flow lines to said first group of blocks at said second opening sides of said first group of blocks;
- a system outlet flow line coupled by flow lines to said first opening sides of said first group of blocks, coupled to said second opening sides of said first group of blocks and to the third booster pump, wherein said system outlet flow line is coupled to said second opening sides of said first group of blocks and to said third booster pump by means of a bypass line;
- wherein the bypass line comprises a valve;
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said first booster pump and said first opening sides of said first group of blocks each comprise a valve;
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said second booster pump and said second opening sides of said first group of blocks each comprise a valve;
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said third booster pump and said second opening sides of said first group of blocks each comprise a valve;
- wherein at least two of the lines coupling between said first opening sides of said first group of blocks and said system outlet flow line each comprise a valve.
A method for switching between flows of water solutions passed in groups of blocks of membrane pressure vessels arranged in parallel in a tapered flow system, wherein said method comprising the steps of:
- A) passing feed water solution through one or more of said system blocks in a first stage and the concentrated water solution exiting said blocks of the first stage is passed through one or more blocks in a second stage and the concentrated water solution exiting the blocks of the second stage is passed through one or more blocks in a third stage and the concentrated water solution exiting the blocks of the third stage is passed through a system concentrate outlet;
- B) slowing the stream(s) passed in said third stage by bypassing a portion of the concentrated water solution exiting the blocks of the second stage to the system concentrated outlet;
- C) stopping the slowed stream(s) of a first group of blocks being of one or more of the blocks of the third stage;
- D) stopping the stream(s) of a second group of blocks being of one or more of the blocks of the first stage, wherein said second group of blocks comprise the same number of blocks as in said first group of blocks;
- and passing a portion of the feed water solution through said first group of blocks;
- E) passing a portion of the concentrated water solution exiting the blocks of the second stage through said second group of blocks;
- F) stopping the bypassing of step B.
A flushing loop system for periodically flushing a concentrate removal line with undersaturated solution comprising:
- a flushing undersaturated solution feed tank coupled to a recycle line ending back at said feed tank;
- wherein said recycle line comprises a recirculation pump configured to drive said undersaturated solution from said feed tank and back to said feed tank;
- wherein a portion said recycle line is connected in parallel with said concentrate removal line.
A flushing loop system for periodically flushing a concentrate removal line with undersaturated solution comprising:
- a flushing undersaturated solution feed tank coupled to a recirculation pump by a flow line;
- wherein a first portion of the concentrate removal line is coupled to a third portion of the concentrate removal line by two parallel flow lines, one being a second portion of the concentrate removal line and the other being a flush removal line;
- wherein said recirculation pump is coupled to the second portion of the concentrate removal line by two parallel flow lines;
- and wherein said feed tank is coupled to the second portion of the concentrate removal line by two parallel flow lines.
A method for flushing a portion of a concentrate removal line, comprising:
- A) passing a concentrated solution through a portion of a concentrate removal line;
- B) redirecting the concentrated solution and passing it through a flow line parallel to said portion of the concentrate removal line;
- and passing a flow of undersaturated solution through said portion of the concentrate removal line;
- C) stopping the passing of the undersaturated solution;
- and redirecting the concentrated solution and passing it back through said portion of the concentrate removal line;
- D) periodically repeating steps B-C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.