A beverage dispenser has a supply opening that supplies an aqueous liquid from a source; a recooling heat exchanger having a heat receiving portion, a recooling inlet and a recooling outlet; a reverse osmosis filter having an inlet for aqueous liquid, a permeate outlet and a concentrate outlet; and a cooling device having a cooling portion extracting heat energy from the permeate and a heat dissipation portion dissipating energy to the heat receiving portion of the recooling heat exchanger. The heat dissipation portion of the cooling device is thermally coupled with the heat receiving portion of the recooling heat exchanger. The cooling portion of the cooling device is thermally coupled with the permeate exiting the permeate outlet of the reverse osmosis filter, wherein the permeate enters the cooling portion by a cooling portion permeate inlet and exits the cooling portion by a cooling portion permeate outlet.

A method and system 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. The method may include a process of membrane distillation, forward osmosis, evaporation, electrodialysis, and/or salt decomposition for further energy efficiency and power generation.

An apparatus, comprising: a membrane; a membrane holder including an output, wherein the membrane holder is operable to hold the membrane and the membrane holder has three or more ports, and a permeate attachment coupled to the output of the membrane. The apparatus may further comprise a flow meter coupled to an output of a first pump, wherein the flow meter is disposed between the pump and the membrane holder.

An apparatus, system and method to purify produced water from a wellbore using energy. 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 fluid pressure of the production fluids including produced water; and at least one reverse osmosis membrane connected to the pressure recapture device wherein the at least one reverse osmosis membrane uses at least a portion of the fluid pressure from the energy recapture device to move a volume of the produced water through the reverse osmosis membrane to remove contaminates 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 the at least one energy recapture device and the at least one reverse osmosis membrane in a coordinated manner.

An apparatus and method are provided for extraction compounds from raw materials. The control and manipulation of heat formed and contained within the extraction vessel or column may be vital in obtaining a certain flavor profile or intensity of the effluent extracted from the raw materials. As such, the solvent entering the apparatus to extract the raw materials may be heated to a specified temperature range with the aid of energy already formed within the extraction column. The apparatus to extract the raw materials may include a body comprising a pressure vessel capable of withstanding high temperatures and pressures. Additionally, a flow of pressurized solvent may enter the base of the extraction column, where the flow of pressurized solvent has a select temperature such that the temperature may be manipulated to obtain a distinct flavor profile of the effluent extracted from the raw materials.

A dehumidifying and humidifying apparatus is provided. The dehumidifying and humidifying apparatus includes a first exchange part in which steam is exchanged between a first fluid and external air due to a difference between partial pressures of the first fluid and the external air, and a heat exchange unit configured to supply the first fluid having a first partial pressure to the first exchange part and receive the first fluid having a second partial pressure that is different from the first partial pressure from the first exchange part.

A water purification system utilizes an ionomer membrane and mild vacuum to draw water from source water through the membrane. A water source may be salt water or a contaminated water source. The water drawn through the membrane passes across the condenser chamber to a condenser surface where it is condensed into purified water. The condenser surface may be metal or any other suitable surface and may be flat or pleated. In addition, the condenser surface may be maintained at a lower temperature than the water on the water source side of the membrane. The ionomer membrane may be configured in a cartridge, a pleated or flat plate configuration. A latent heat loop may be configured to carry the latent heat of vaporization from the condenser back to the water source side of the ionomer membrane. The source water may be heated by a solar water heater.

In a fuel supply device for separating raw fuel into high-octane fuel and low-octane fuel and supplying the fuel, to arrange the structural components compactly and to facilitate sealing against fuel vapor, the fuel supply device (1) includes: a raw fuel tank (2) for storing raw fuel; a separator (6) provided inside the raw fuel tank to separate the raw fuel into high-octane fuel that contains a greater amount of components with high octane numbers than the raw fuel and low-octane fuel that contains a greater amount of components with low octane numbers than the raw fuel; and a high-octane fuel tank (5) provided inside the raw fuel tank to store the high-octane fuel separated from the raw fuel by the separator.

A blood processing apparatus may include a heat exchanger and a gas exchanger. At least one of the heat exchanger and the gas exchanger may be configured to impart a radial component to blow flow through the heat exchanger and/or gas exchanger. The heat exchanger may be configured to cause blood flow to follow a spiral flow path.

A system for crystallizing a material that is dissolved in a solvent includes: a crystallization device through which a solution that is to be concentrated flows, the solution including the solvent containing the material to be crystallized and dissolved in the solvent, and a liquid having a lower temperature than the solution to be concentrated. The system includes at least one flow channel guiding the solution to be concentrated and at least one flow channel guiding the liquid, where the inner space of each respective flow channel guiding the liquid is delimited at least in part by a membrane wall that is permeable for the vaporous solvent, where a vapor pressure difference enables the solvent to pass from the solution to be concentrated across the membrane wall.