# US 9,433,900 B2 · Process for the production of hydraulic energy and production of potable water by direct osmosis

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- Number: US 9,433,900 B2
- Document ID: US9433900B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/681,740
- Filed: 2012-11-20
- Published: 2013-06-27
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2010-05-20
- Assignees: Gs Inima Environment SA
- Applicants: Ohl Medio Ambiente, Inima, S.A.U.
- Inventors: Antonio Ordonez Fernandez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9433900B2

## CPC

- B01D 61/002: {Forward osmosis or direct osmosis}
- B01D 61/025: {Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration}
- B01D 61/06: Energy recovery
- B01D 61/58: Multistep processes
- C02F 1/441: {by reverse osmosis}
- C02F 1/445: {by forward osmosis}
- F03G 7/015: {Actuators using the difference in osmotic pressure between fluids}
- F15B 7/00: Systems in which the movement produced is definitely related to the output of a volumetric pump; Telemotors
- B01D 61/00: Processes of separation using semi-permeable membranes, e.g. dialysis, osmosis or ultrafiltration; Apparatus, accessories or auxiliary operations specially adapted therefor (separation of gases or vapours by diffusion B01D53/22)
- B01D 2313/24: Specific pressurizing or depressurizing means
- C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination
- Y02A 20/131: Reverse-osmosis
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- F03G: SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (arrangements in connection with power supply in vehicles from force of nature B60K16/00; electric propulsion with power supply in vehicles from force of nature B60L8/00)
- F15B: SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for the production of hydraulic energy by direct osmosis from two saline solutions having different concentrations made to pass through one or more modules of semipermeable membranes having a double inlet and outlet port, originally designed to execute the process of inverse osmosis, without a requirement to realise any technical modification to said modules of membranes. In this manner, an osmotic potential is produced in the membranes creating a current of solution having a pressure sufficient to produce hydraulic energy. A further object of the present invention is the installation designed to produce hydraulic energy according to the stated procedure and the use thereof, together with a desalination plant and a tertiary waste water treatment plant comprising the installation to produce hydraulic energy.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An installation for production of hydraulic energy by direct osmosis from two saline solutions having different concentrations, comprising:
a module of inverse osmosis semipermeable membranes comprising
a casing,
two separate supply inlets for the solutions inside the module, the two separate supply inlets including a first supply for brine and a second supply inlet for brackish water,
two separate outlets for two respective flows generated inside the module by means of direct osmosis, the two separate outlets including a first outlet for a diluted brine flow, and a second outlet for a concentrated brackish water flow, and
semipermeable membranes separating the two solutions from their entry into the module until their exit thereof,
wherein the module of inverse osmosis semipermeable membranes are a module of hollow fibre semipermeable membranes with a double inlet and outlet port having the following characteristics
product flow (permeate): 34 m3/D;
minimum product flow (permeate): 32 m3/D;
salt rejection: 99.6%;
minimum salt rejection: 99.4%
maximum pressure in working conditions: 8.23 MPa;
temperature range in working conditions: between 5° C.-40° C.; and
brine flow in working conditions: higher than or equal to 25-120 m3/D;
a first hydraulic pump feeding a brine flow towards the interior of the module at a pressure P1 through the first supply inlet thereof, P1 being lower than the osmotic pressure difference between the osmotic pressure of the brine and the osmotic pressure of the brackish water;
a second hydraulic pump, connected to a tertiary waste water treatment plant from which the brackish water comes from, feeding said brackish water flow at a pressure P2 towards the interior of the module through the second supply inlet thereof, the pressure P2 being sufficient to overcome load losses through the module of membranes plus a necessary pressure for final disposal of the concentrated brackish water;
a device connected to the diluted brine flow outlet of the module, the device comprising at least one hydraulic turbine producing energy by means of the passage of the diluted brine flow; and
a third hydraulic pump driving the diluted brine flow after its passage through the device comprising the at least one turbine, to an inlet of a water desalination plant by inverse osmosis to produce supplementary water of potable quality.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein the module comprises at least 750 modules of semipermeable membranes.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein the brine pumping pressure P1 is comprised between 10 bars and 50 bars, including both limits, and the pressure P2 is comprised between 0.5 bars and 5 bars, including both limits.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein the pressure P1 is 25 bars, and the brackish water pumping pressure P2 is 1 bar.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein the device comprising the at least one hydraulic turbine also comprises an electric generator coupled to said turbine.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, wherein the first hydraulic pump is also connected to the water desalination plant, from which the brine comes from.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The installation according to claim 1, further comprising a spillage collector common to the concentrated brackish water flow and a second brine flow, is the second brine flow being generated at the water desalination plant by inverse osmosis, said collector being connected to the outlet of the concentrated brackish water of the module and the outlet of the desalination plan by inverse osmosis to which the diluted brine flow is previously pumped.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A water desalination plant comprising the installation for the production of hydraulic energy according to claim 1, said installation being connected to the inlet of said desalination plant so the diluted brine flow is driven after its passage through the device comprising the at least one turbine by means of the third hydraulic pump as the raw water supply flow of the plant.