An integrated, membrane-based process to produce purified water and conversion of salt to high value chemicals from oil and gas well produced water is described. A liquid stream including water and dissolved salt is flowed through pretreatment units and one or more desalination and concentration units which remove at least a portion of the water to form a brine enriched in dissolved salt. The purified high-density brine may be subjected to electrically-enforced salt dissociation techniques to produce chemicals from oil and gas produced water.

The present application includes a symbiotic reverse osmosis train system for maximizing desalinated water recovery, meanwhile yielding high salinity brine suitable for osmotic power generation or commercial salt production. The trains comprise a series of cells operating in an interrelated sequential pattern within a salinity field. Each cell forms a closed hydraulic brine loop having pumping means, power recovery means and shared semipermeable membranes between adjacent cells. Used are a semipermeable Flat Sheet or Hollow Fiber Membrane in desalination and osmotic power generation of brackish, seawater and brines of 15% salinity or more. Charging each cell in the train of cells with a formulated brine having a specified ionizable inorganic salt concentration and type, without permitting mixing of the given brines among adjacent cells. Allowing the train to achieve water recovery exceeding 85% with concentrated rejected brine of 28-30% salt content.

An apparatus, system, and method to purify produced water from a wellbore using heat energy recovery. The apparatus comprises a wellbore with a wellhead attached to the wellbore; at least one energy recapture device connected to the wellhead of the wellbore with produced water, wherein the at least one energy recapture device captures heat energy of the production fluids including produced water, and at least one distillation device connected to a heat recovery device wherein the at least one distillation device uses at least a portion of the energy from the heat energy recovery device to heat a volume of the produced water in the distillation device to remove contaminants from the produced water to create purified water. The method comprises steps to use the apparatus and the system comprises a control panel that operates at least one energy recapture device.

A system and method for increasing the water production efficiency of a desalination plant and producing concentrated calcium and magnesium is provided. A saline source water is preferably subjected to a first treatment such a passage through a first desalination unit, followed by dual treatment of the first treatment reject stream using physicochemical adsorption and electrodialysis to remove scale-forming calcium and magnesium. The reject stream from the dual treatment may then be received by a second desalination unit. Due to the removal of the majority of the saline source water's scale-forming minerals, the second desalination unit may be operated at higher operating limits than in conventional desalination units without significant concern for fouling due to scaling. The approach of the present system and method efficiently increases the fresh water production ratio from the source saline water while generating commercially attractive concentrated calcium and magnesium products.

Disclosed are methods of treating wastewater using a membrane bioreactor and achieving a target phosphorus concentration for the membrane permeate stream. These methods include the steps of dosing a wastewater stream with a rare earth clarifying agent and passing the dosed wastewater stream through the membrane to obtain a membrane permeate stream with a permeate concentration that is less than the phosphorus concentration of the influent stream. This permeate concentration also can be equal to or less than a target phosphorus concentration. In the methods as disclosed herein, the rare earth clarifying agent can be chloride salts of one or more rare earth elements and in certain embodiments, the rare earth clarifying agent can be CeCl.sub.3 and LaCl.sub.3.

Embodiments of this invention provide an integrated system for clean energy generation and storage and RO desalination. The integrated system includes a first subsystem that stores hydraulic energy. The integrated system further includes a second subsystem that desalinates water. The integration system also includes a penstock that facilitates flow of the water between the first subsystem and the second subsystem. The integrated subsystem may also incorporate solar and/or wind power generation plants as a power source for the integrated system.

Embodiments of this invention provide an integrated system for clean energy generation and storage and RO desalination. The integrated system includes a first subsystem that stores hydraulic energy. The integrated system further includes a second subsystem that desalinates water. The integration system also includes a penstock that facilitates flow of the water between the first subsystem and the second subsystem. The integrated subsystem may also incorporate solar and/or wind power generation plants as a power source for the integrated system.

Dumping a reverse osmosis (RO) reject stream from a wastewater treatment and reclamation plant (WWTRP) into the sea directly destroys aquatic life and indirectly affects public health. This triggers solving the problem by methods and systems provided herein. One embodiment begins with utilizing two types of waste; one is the RO reject stream in its entirety, and the other is letdown steam from once-through-steam-generators (OTSGs) or steam from a standalone OTSG fueled by co-produced sour gas. It ends with thermally sterilizing toxicity and isolating it by the alkalinity content of the RO reject stream itself, combating sulfate scale and recovering it as a useful product, and producing distillate for heavy oil recovery by steam injection and de-scaled brine for improved oil recovery by water flooding. The vehicle to attain this set of solutions is a recycle-brine multi-stage flash (RB-MSF) desalination train with two modified flashing stages.

An integrated, membrane-based process to produce purified water and conversion of salt to high value chemicals from oil and gas well produced water is described. A liquid stream including water and dissolved salt is flowed through pretreatment units and one or more desalination and concentration units which remove at least a portion of the water to form a brine enriched in dissolved salt. The purified high-density brine may be subjected to electrically-enforced salt dissociation techniques to produce chemicals from oil and gas produced water.

A solar distillation device includes a feed water chamber having an open interior feed water compartment and a feed water inlet to the feed water compartment. A distillate chamber has a top and sides and an open interior distillate compartment, and a distillate water outlet in liquid communication with the distillate compartment. The top, the rear wall, and the sides of the distillate chamber includes a solar radiation transmissive portion. A distillation membrane separates the feed water compartment from the distillate compartment, and has a feed water facing surface and a distillate facing surface. The membrane can include a porous hydrophobic material, and the distillate surface of the distillation membrane can be black. The transmissive portion allows solar radiation to pass through the top, the rear wall, and the sides of the distillate chamber and strike the distillation membrane.