Patents: Brackish water desalination

The invention relates to a plant for the desalination/purification of brackish water and industrial waste with zero liquid discharge, including reverse osmosis or filtering modules, containers for receiving waste , a centrifugal module , dryers , a heating circuit and high-vacuum chambers fitted with ejectors that are supplied with fresh water as a driving fluid. The invention also includes an internal combustion engine which is connected to an alternator in order to produce electric power. The invention takes the from of a combined heat and power plant which, in addition to producing the power necessary for the operation of the drinking water production plant, can also produce excess electric power to be transferred to the grid, by harnessing the heat energy of the exhaust gases and the cooling of the engine in order to heat the closed heating circuit using exchangers and to heat the air from the dryers using using air generators.

Publication number: US 2009/0045116

Desalination of brackish water or brine from hydrocarbon wells

Non-brackish water can be produced from the brackish water or brine containing at least 500 ppm total dissolved solids coproduced in many active hydrocarbon product wells and found in many inactive gas wells. The brackish water or brine is desalinated producing non-brackish water, preferably, potable water. A preferred method of desalination is by reverse osmosis.

Patent number: 5128042

Desalination of brackish water from oil wells

Non-brackish water can be produced from the brackish water found in many inactive oil wells. The inactive well is perforated at the level known to have brackish water and the water is pumped out. The brackish water is desalinated producing non-brackish water, preferably, potable water. A preferred method of desalination is by reverse osmosis.

Patent number: 5076934

Method for the purification of a liquid by membrane distillation, in particular for the production of desalinated water from seawater or brackish water or process water

The following process steps are carried out in order to purify a liquid by membrane distillation, in particular to produce desalinated water from seawater or brackish water or process water: passing a relatively warn vaporising stream of liquid (retentate stream) over a porous membrane, vapour flowing via the pores of the membrane to the other side of said membrane, and condensing said vapour on a relatively cool condenser surface to give a distillate stream, said condenser surface forming the non-porous separation between a feed stream to be purified and said distillate steam, which feed stream is in counter-current with the retentate stream so that an appreciable proportion of the latent heat will be transferred via vapour to the feed stream, and a gas gap with a width of less than 5 mm being present between the porous membrane and the condenser surface. In order to improve the distillate flow rate per unit driving force, a pressure which is lower than the atmospheric pressure and higher than the vapor pressure of the feed stream is maintained in the gas gap, the porosity ? of the porous membrane is higher than 0.7, porosity being understood to be the ratio of the open volume to the total volume of the porous membrane, the surface area of the condenser surface is 1.2 to 6 times, preferably 2 to 3 times, the surface area of the porous membrane, the effective local vapour pressure difference between the retentate seam and the condensing stream is less than 10 kPa (0.1 bar), preferably less than 5 kPa (0.05 bar) and the perceptible heat of the distillate stream is released by heat exchange to the feed stream and/or the retentate stream, with preference for the retentate stream.

United States Patent 6716355

De-salinator for brackish salt water

A de-salinator 10 for brackish- or salt-water has a heat insulating shell 11 closed by end plates 12. A heat exchanger 22 in the bottom of the chamber 13 is heated by engine coolant from a marine engine 27, while a pair of condensor coils 19, connected to manifolds 33, 34, use sea water to cool the fresh water vapour which is drawn off by outlets 21. The engine driven pump 37 which draws the water through the condensor coils 19 operates an eductor 36 which generates a partial vacuum in the chamber 13, drawing off brine from the bottom of the chamber and any excess water in the chamber. The level of water in the chamber 13 is maintained by drawing off a portion of the heated water passing through the condensor tubes 19. The condensate is drawn from the outlets 21 via an eductor 46 which is driven by a suction pump 45 connected to the fresh water tank 47.

1985, patent number: 4664751

Water desalination apparatus

A water desalination apparatus which is constructed of a main housing which includes a condensation chamber and a vapor chamber located above the condensation chamber. Brackish water is to be supplied into the vapor chamber with this brackish water to produce a vapor which is to be removed by a centrifugal compressor arrangement into the condensation chamber. The condensed brackish water from the vapor chamber is to flow through a mass of thin-walled tubes to be eventually discharged into the ambient. The exterior wall of these tubes is located within the condensation chamber and it is on the walls of these tubes that the distilled water vapor is to collect and condense and flow from the condensation chamber to a collection source.

patent number: 5232556