The disclosure relates to water treatment systems that may be used to remove impurities from water, particularly systems that inserted at the point of entry of a water supply into a building.

A porous membrane includes a polymer which includes one or more structural units selected from the group consisting of a structural unit represented by Formula (I) and a structural unit represented by Formula (II), in which a content of the structural unit represented by Formula (II) is 1% by mass or more and less than 10% by mass with respect to a total mass of the structural unit represented by Formula (I) and the structural unit represented by Formula (II) ##STR00001##

A modular filtration platform having at least one manifold head and at least one respective filter cartridge assembly. Each manifold head is connected to one another to establish a water flow in a series or parallel manner. Each filter cartridge assembly is releasably secured from rotation relative to the manifold head by a locking mechanism. An aperture on the filter cartridge assembly annular collar mates with a protruding resilient extension on either the manifold head or support bracket. Alternatively, an aperture on the filter cartridge assembly annular collar and an aperture on the manifold head annular collar mate with a protruding member from a locking ring extending through both apertures. An integrated sensor package may be integrated with the system for true managed water visible/audible indications and Wi-Fi interface to facilitate virtually instantaneous response times for filtration needs.

A submersible water desalination apparatus includes an array of generally parallel water separation membrane cartridges each having a water separation membrane, an impermeable cartridge wall surrounding the membrane, and a product water collection tube that collects from inside the cartridges at least partially desalinated product water passing through the membrane, and through which the at least partially desalinated water exits the cartridges and enters a product water collection manifold. The cartridges are mounted in a perforated divider plate. In embodiments, a) the manifold is adhesively bonded to a plurality of the collection tubes, orb) the divider plate is adhesively bonded to a plurality of the cartridge walls or ends, or both a) and b). The adhesive reduces the likelihood of leakage at the manifold or divider plate.

Portable water conditioning systems include a water conditioner having a plurality of conditioning stages including, in a direction of flow of the water through the water conditioner, a reverse osmosis stage having a reverse osmosis membrane, and a deionizing stage. A first sensor is configured to detect a first condition of the water before the reverse osmosis stage and a second sensor configured to detect a second condition of the water after the reverse osmosis stage. The conditions each include (i) a level of total dissolved solids of the water and (ii) temperature of the water. A controller is in communication with the sensors and configured to determine of a percent of dissolved solids that are rejected by the reverse osmosis membrane based on the conditions when backpressure on the reverse osmosis stage is at a known state.

A submersible reverse osmosis desalination apparatus uses low temperature concentrate or brine from the desalination apparatus to provide a high volume cold liquid stream to an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) heat engine. The OTEC engine also employs a warm liquid stream and uses the cold and warm liquid streams to obtain electrical power from a closed-cycle or open-cycle heat exchange and generator system. Use of the concentrate or brine stream provides a much greater liquid volume and much greater cold thermal energy content than would be obtained by using cold desalinated product water from the desalination apparatus in the OTEC heat engine.

Forward osmosis membrane vessels, and particularly stackable forward osmosis membrane vessels, are provided as well as systems and methods thereof. The forward osmosis membrane vessel has a body, a strong draw solution chamber, a first and a second semipermeable membrane, and a brine chamber. The first and second semipermeable membranes each are disposed within the cavity of the body. The first and second semipermeable membranes are configured to produce diluted draw solution streams and brine streams. The brine chamber is disposed at least partially between the first semipermeable membrane and the second semipermeable membrane. The forward osmosis membrane vessel may be configured such that in a stacked configuration the brine chamber and the strong draw solution chamber of the forward osmosis membrane vessel aligns with a brine chamber and a strong draw solution chamber of an adjacent second forward osmosis membrane vessel.

A submersible water desalination apparatus includes an array of hot-swappable water separation membrane modules arrayed in an approximately polygonal configuration around a product water collection conduit that represents or is proximate to and generally aligned with a central axis of the array; a plurality of hot-swap product water valves connected to the conduit and detachably connected to generally radially-extending product water collection manifolds in fluid communication with a plurality of water separation membrane cartridges within the modules; the modules having in cross-section generally tapered module sides that converge towards the conduit and assist in underwater docking and attachment of a replacement module to a hot-swap product water valve.

A submersible water desalination apparatus includes a plurality of water separation membrane elements that when supplied with salinated water under pressure at a first depth will produce at least partially desalinated product water and concentrate or brine; a product water collector that receives product water from the membrane elements; and a permeate conduit that transports product water from the collector downwardly to a motorized submersible pump remotely located from the membrane elements and collector at a second depth greater than the first depth. The second depth is sufficiently greater than the first depth so that the height of a standing column of product water in the product water collector and permeate conduit between the membrane elements and the suction side of the pump maintains a net positive suction head that prevents inlet side cavitation during pump startup and operation.

A fluid circuit (160) defining a flow path for a fluid from a fluid supply (152) toward a process stage (156). The fluid circuit may include a plurality of operative components (168) including a body portion (182) and a plurality of tubing connector fittings (186). The operative components may be connected by a plurality of tubing segments (164). Each body portion may include a non-conductive fluoropolymer portion and an outer conductor (234) that extends between each of the plurality of tubing connector fittings and that is unitary with the non-conductive fluoropolymer portion. The plurality of tubing segments may include a non-conductive fluoropolymer tubing portion (187) and an axial strip (188) of conductive polymer. The outer conductor of each body portion conductively connected with tubing segments connected thereto. Each of the connectors may include a bridging component (262) for conductively connecting the respective outer conductor of the body portion to the strip of conductive polymer of the connecting tubing segments.