A refining system includes a Peltier heat exchanger, an evaporation tank, and a nozzle. The Peltier heat exchanger is configured to receive unrefined liquid and comprising a Peltier cell. The nozzle is positioned within the evaporation tank and configured to receive unrefined liquid from the Peltier heat exchanger and provide unrefined liquid into the evaporation tank such that vapor is formed. The Peltier heat exchanger is configured to receive vapor from the evaporation tank while simultaneously receiving unrefined liquid. The Peltier cell is configured to heat unrefined liquid within the Peltier heat exchanger and cool vapor within the Peltier heat exchanger simultaneously.

A method of generating electrical power or hydrogen from thermal energy is disclosed. The method includes separating, by a selectively permeable membrane, a first saline solution from a second saline solution, receiving, by the first saline solution and/or the second saline solution, thermal energy from a heat source, and mixing the first saline solution and the second saline solution in a controlled manner, capturing at least some salinity-gradient energy as electrical power as the salinity difference between the first saline solution and the second saline solution decreases. The method further includes transferring, by a heat pump, thermal energy from the first saline solution to the second saline solution, causing the salinity difference between the first saline solution and the second saline solution to increase.

A reverse electrodialysis device using a precipitation reaction, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises a first cell stack alternately forming solid salt chambers and precipitation chambers through cation-exchange membranes and anion-exchange membranes which are alternately provided, and a first water-soluble solid salt and a second water-soluble solid salt which are filled in the solid salt chambers, wherein the first water-soluble solid salt and the second water-soluble solid salt are alternately filled in the solid salt chambers, and can react with each other so as to generate a precipitate in neighboring precipitation chambers when water is supplied.

A stack of ion exchange membranes suitable for water purification comprising a plurality of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and a plurality of cation exchange membranes (CEMs), wherein the colour properties of the AEMs are visibly different to the colour properties of the CEMs. The invention also provides a process for making membrane stacks in which the likelihood of there being two consecutive membranes of like charge is reduced. Furthermore, it is easy to identify whether there are two consecutive membranes of like charge present in the stacks.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for enhancing the performance and efficiency of separation processes. The methods include flowing a fluid through a processing zone defined by an antiferromagnetic portion of a conduit and, as the fluid flows through the processing zone, exposing the fluid to a magnetic field produced by oscillating electromagnetic waves, wherein the direction of the magnetic field is generally counter to the direction in which the fluid is flowing. The systems include magnetic treatment units, separation systems, and the like.

The purpose of the present invention is to effectively reduce the corrosion fatigue of an evaporating tube in a boiler which occurs in association with a corrosive environment or repeated application of stress due to the presence of scales. A method for reducing the corrosion fatigue of an evaporating tube in a boiler, in which each of the concentration of chloride ions and the concentration of sulfate ions in the boiler water is managed at 10 mg/L or less. It is preferred to manage each of the concentration of chloride ions and the concentration of sulfate ions in boiler water by subjecting boiler feed water to a desalination treatment with an ion exchange device, a reverse osmosis membrane device or an electrodeionization device or by increasing the collection rate of boiler condensed water.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

A water treatment system includes a primary evaporator and a secondary evaporator that is also a primary condenser. The primary evaporator relies on imparting rotational motion to the fluid to atomize it. The secondary evaporator may be a tube and shell heat exchanger. Embodiments include heat exchangers for using waste heat of various components. In an embodiment, concentrated effluent is recirculated and combined with influent to improve efficiency of the system to achieve zero liquid discharge and aid in continuous cleaning of the system.

The present disclosure provides an electrodialysis stack that may be used for the treatment of an electrically conductive solution. The stack includes two electrodes (at least one is a recessed electrode), a plurality of ion-transport membranes and stack spacers. The membranes and spacers are arranged between the electrodes to define electrodialysis cell pairs. The stack includes an electrically insulated zone that extends substantially from a distribution manifold past the recessed edge of the electrode and substantially from the recessed electrode to the opposite electrode for a distance that is about 8% to 100% of the total distance between the electrodes. The overlap distance that the electrically insulated zone extends past the recessed edge of the electrode is calculated as: distance in cm=(0.062 cm.sup.−1)*(exp(−60/total cp)*(area in cm.sup.2 of the manifold ducts of the concentrated stream at the recessed edge) +/−10%.

A heat exchanger includes a plurality of first members, and a plurality of second members located between adjacent first members of the plurality of first members. The plurality of first members each include a plurality of openings and a first flow path connected to the plurality of openings. The plurality of second members each include a second flow path connected to the openings of the adjacent first members. The plurality of openings and the first flow path of the first member, and the second flow path of the second member define a flow path for a first fluid. A region between the adjacent first members defines a flow path for a second fluid. The heat exchanger further includes a third member extending toward the region on the first member.