A reverse osmosis system and method includes a pump pressurizing a feed stream, a first and second membrane array that generates permeate and brine streams. A first energy recovery device uses first energy from the second brine stream to pressurize the first brine stream. A first and second auxiliary and bypass valves are associated with the first and second energy recovery device. A second energy recovery device uses second energy from the second brine stream to increase a second pressure of the feed stream. A first flowmeter generates a first flow signal for the first permeate stream. A second flowmeter generates a second flow signal for of the second permeate stream. A third flowmeter generates a third flow signal for the second brine stream. A motor drives the first energy recovery device. A controller controls the in response to the flow signals.

Laundry, industrial or food processing wastewater is purified to the degree that it can be reused. Water quality is ensured through the final process of reverse osmosis (RO) which removes dissolved contaminants such as mineral hardness, soils and residual detergents. The process combines a ceramic tubular cross-flow membrane filter to remove the suspended solids, oils and greases ahead of the RO. The RO process employs high temperature, low fouling membranes. This enables the RO process to operate sustainably, i.e. without fouling, plugging or membrane degradation.

Improved reverse osmosis (RO) systems include at least first and second stages wherein each stage has at least one RO membrane, each stage has a feed stream inlet, permeate stream outlet, and concentrate stream outlet, the feed stream inlet of the second stage is coupled to the concentrate stream outlet of the first stage, the feed stream entering the first stage is pressurized to a first pressure and the feed stream entering the second stage is pressurized to a second pressure, the second pressure being greater than the first pressure. The systems include M number of reverse osmosis membranes in the first stage and N number of reverse osmosis membranes in the second stage, wherein MN. The first pressure and second pressure are configured so that flux of the permeate streams of the first stage and the second stage has a spatial variance that is minimized.

The present invention relates to processes and systems for basic gas, e.g., ammonia, recovery and/or acid-gas separation. In some embodiments, a system for acid gas separation may be integrated with an ammonia abatement cycle employing a high temperature absorber. In some embodiments, a system for acid gas separation may employ a higher temperature absorber due to the lower energy consumption and cost of the integrated ammonia abatement cycle. Advantageously, heat may be recovered from the absorber to power at least a portion of any acid gas desorption in the process. Reverse osmosis or other membranes may be employed.

The present disclosure describes methods and systems for separating a fluid. The methods and systems include a plurality of osmosis modules operably coupled together. At least some of the plurality of osmosis modules include an osmosis membrane, a feed side on a first side of the osmosis membrane; a draw side on a second side of the osmosis membrane; a feed inlet operably coupled to the feed side; a draw inlet operably coupled to the draw side; a feed outlet operably coupled to the feed side; a draw outlet operably coupled to the draw side. The at least some of the plurality of osmosis units further including a feed recirculation loop operably coupled to the feed inlet, the feed outlet, and a feed inlet of a downstream osmosis module; and a draw recirculation loop operably coupled to the draw inlet, the draw outlet, and a draw inlet of a downstream osmosis module.

A multi-stage polymeric membrane module system separates a gas, such as air, into components of high purity. In at least two of the stages, a portion of the retentate gas is directed into the low-pressure side of the module, to act as a sweep gas. The use of the sweep gas reduces the partial pressure of permeate gas on the low-pressure side of the membrane, and therefore improves the flow of permeate through the membrane. In a preferred embodiment, there are three modules. The output streams are taken from the retentate outlet of one module, and from the permeate outlet of another module. The output streams have very high purity, relative to the number of modules required, as compared with systems of the prior art.

This specification describes membrane based filtration and softening systems and methods. A system has a microfiltration or ultrafiltration (MF/UF) membrane unit upstream of a nanofiltration or reverse osmosis (NF/RO) membrane unit, optionally with no intermediate tank. In some cases, the system and method may be used with feed water provided at municipal line pressure to the membranes. NF/RO permeate is collected in a tank and then pumped to a header. Treated water may be drawn from the header for use or recycled to the system, for example to backwash or flush one or both of the membrane units. In a combined process, NF/RO permeate flushes the feed side of the NF/RO unit and then backwashes the MF/UF unit. In another process, the MF/UF unit and NF/RO unit are filled with NF/RO permeate before being placed in a standby mode.

Examples disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for controllably removing one or more solutes from a solution. Examples disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for removing water from alcoholic beverages.

An inventive apparatus for closed circuit batch-RO desalination comprising a RO-skid with membrane elements and circulation means for the recycling of RO concentrate through membranes and a designed hydraulic-arm with a disc separating between a section of pressurized hydraulic fluid created by a high pressure hydraulic pump under fixed flow and variable pressure conditions and a section of RO recycled concentrates. The batch desalination sequence is completed when the entire hydraulic-arm volume is filled with hydraulic fluid and thereafter, desalination is stopped, said apparatus decompressed, brine removed and hydraulic-arm recharged with fresh feed before the initiation of a new batch sequence. The inventive apparatus enables RO desalination under the lowest energy and highest recovery prospects not possible by any other RO technique.

A fluid filter assembly that is defined by a head portion, a base portion, and a filter tube housing that is captured therebetween. Each head portion includes more than one fluid inlet and more than one fluid outlet that are oriented relative to the respective head portion such that a plurality of fluid filter assemblies can be fluidly connected to one another to provide a desired degree of filtration of the fluid passed therethrough and such that the fluid filter assemblies can be oriented in a plurality of orientations relative to one another to provide a desired configuration of the fluid filter assembly.