At least one pressure exchange unit with a hollow cylindrical body, a piston sliding in the body, the piston including a piston head separating the interior of the cylindrical body into a downstream chamber and an upstream chamber, the downstream chamber being provided with a device for the admission and discharge of water to be treated, the upstream chamber being provided with a five-way distributor linkage including, for hydraulic balancing, two pressurized liquid supply orifices, two orifices for the evacuation of the liquid and an opening in communication with the upstream chamber.

At least one pressure exchange unit with a hollow cylindrical body, a piston sliding in the body, the piston including a piston head separating the interior of the cylindrical body into a downstream chamber and an upstream chamber, the downstream chamber being provided with a device for the admission and discharge of water to be treated, the upstream chamber being provided with a five-way distributor linkage including, for hydraulic balancing, two pressurized liquid supply orifices, two orifices for the evacuation of the liquid and an opening in communication with the upstream chamber.

A reverse osmosis system for a seawater desalination system is provided. The reverse osmosis system includes: a high pressure pump configured to supply pretreated seawater at high pressure; a reverse osmosis apparatus configured to desalinate by reverse osmosis the seawater supplied from the high pressure pump; and a pressure exchanger connected to a high salinity water outlet of the reverse osmosis apparatus and configured to recover part of pressure of discharged high salinity water to the reverse osmosis apparatus, wherein the reverse osmosis apparatus includes: a vessel in which a plurality of reverse osmosis membrane units are arranged in a first stage and a second stage; an inflow and outflow portion coupled to a first end of the vessel and connected to a seawater inlet and a high salinity water outlet; a partition wall configured to partition an inner space of the inflow and outflow portion into two spaces; and a transport space portion coupled to a second end of the vessel and configured to guide the seawater moved from a plurality of reverse osmosis membrane units arranged in the first stage to move to a plurality of reverse osmosis membrane units arranged in the second stage.

A reverse osmosis system for a seawater desalination system is provided. The reverse osmosis system includes: a high pressure pump configured to supply pretreated seawater at high pressure; a reverse osmosis apparatus configured to desalinate by reverse osmosis the seawater supplied from the high pressure pump; and a pressure exchanger connected to a high salinity water outlet of the reverse osmosis apparatus and configured to recover part of pressure of discharged high salinity water to the reverse osmosis apparatus, wherein the reverse osmosis apparatus includes: a vessel in which a plurality of reverse osmosis membrane units are arranged in a first stage and a second stage; an inflow and outflow portion coupled to a first end of the vessel and connected to a seawater inlet and a high salinity water outlet; a partition wall configured to partition an inner space of the inflow and outflow portion into two spaces; and a transport space portion coupled to a second end of the vessel and configured to guide the seawater moved from a plurality of reverse osmosis membrane units arranged in the first stage to move to a plurality of reverse osmosis membrane units arranged in the second stage.

The reverse osmosis centrifuge converts rotational energy into fluid velocity and conserves the energy placed into the concentrate. As concentrate travels back towards the center of the reverse osmosis centrifuge, the velocity of the fluid is converted into rotational force, thus conserving energy. To accomplish this, the reverse osmosis centrifuge includes a stationary cylindrical housing having a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump for generating vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber, a driveshaft coupled to a membrane cylinder rotatable within the stationary cylindrical housing, the membrane cylinder having a plurality of vertical desalination membranes, and an energy recovery turbine. The reverse osmosis centrifuge can be placed on the concentrate or waste stream outlet of a desalination or reverse osmosis facility to increase freshwater production. Through using the methods described above, plant water production can be increased up to 40%, which in turn has a dramatic effect on plant profitability.

The reverse osmosis centrifuge converts rotational energy into fluid velocity and conserves the energy placed into the concentrate. As concentrate travels back towards the center of the reverse osmosis centrifuge, the velocity of the fluid is converted into rotational force, thus conserving energy. To accomplish this, the reverse osmosis centrifuge includes a stationary cylindrical housing having a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump for generating vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber, a driveshaft coupled to a membrane cylinder rotatable within the stationary cylindrical housing, the membrane cylinder having a plurality of vertical desalination membranes, and an energy recovery turbine. The reverse osmosis centrifuge can be placed on the concentrate or waste stream outlet of a desalination or reverse osmosis facility to increase freshwater production. Through using the methods described above, plant water production can be increased up to 40%, which in turn has a dramatic effect on plant profitability.

An apparatus, system, and method to desalinate water. The apparatus comprises an outer housing with at least one inlet and two outlets, wherein contaminated water flows into the at least one inlet and purified vapor exits from a first outlet and the contaminated water with a portion removed as vapor exits from a second outlet; at least one finned tube heat exchanger inside the outer housing; a heat energy source connected to the finned tube heat exchanger causing a portion of the contaminated water in the finned tube heat exchanger to form the vapor; and an inner tube with a plurality of holes inside the finned tube heat exchanger, wherein the inner tube is connected to the first outlet, and the vapor flows through the inner tube to the first outlet and exits the thermal desalination apparatus.

An apparatus, system, and method to desalinate water. The apparatus comprises an outer housing with at least one inlet and two outlets, wherein contaminated water flows into the at least one inlet and purified vapor exits from a first outlet and the contaminated water with a portion removed as vapor exits from a second outlet; at least one finned tube heat exchanger inside the outer housing; a heat energy source connected to the finned tube heat exchanger causing a portion of the contaminated water in the finned tube heat exchanger to form the vapor; and an inner tube with a plurality of holes inside the finned tube heat exchanger, wherein the inner tube is connected to the first outlet, and the vapor flows through the inner tube to the first outlet and exits the thermal desalination apparatus.

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.

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.