Water conservation methods combining osmotic membrane processed water for subsequent efficient use in cooling tower applications
AssigneeWater Conservation Technology International, Inc.
InventorsDan A. Duke, John L. Kubis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Synergies in recovery of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process reject waste and forward osmosis (FO) membrane process water extraction, using such osmotic process byproducts in applications for makeup to evaporative cooling towers, concurrent with use of specific corrosion and scale inhibition methods that permit tower water discharge reduction to approach zero blowdown. Such synergies are derived from methods for application of subsequent RO feed water and reject wastewater with pre-treatment steps, and FO process optimization steps to permit water quality and economic performance efficiencies when used as makeup to evaporative cooling systems.
Claims15
A method for deriving water from an osmotic membrane application and subsequent use thereof in an evaporative cooling tower application comprising the steps:
- a) generating a source of water via a by-product of a reverse osmotic membrane application, wherein said by-product is reject waste water;
- b) removing hardness ions from said water produced in step a);
- c) adjusting the concentration of silica present in the water treated to remove said hardness ions in step b) such that the silica concentration will reach a concentration of at least 200 mg/L (as SiO2) when concentrated by evaporation in an evaporative cooling tower system;
- d) applying said water produced in step c) to an evaporative cooling tower application;
- and
- e) adjusting and controlling the pH of said water applied to the evaporative cooling tower application in step d) to 9.0 or greater.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.