A submersible water desalination apparatus includes a plurality of water separation membrane elements, a product water collector that receives product water from the membrane elements, and a variable output motorized submersible pump having a suction side that receives product water from the product water collector and a discharge side that pumps product water away from the apparatus through a product water conduit for surface or subsurface use. An automatic control or coupling is employed to reduce the pump output upon the occurrence or onset of suction side cavitation, and discourage or prevent cavitation over a range of product water flow rates from the membrane elements.

A submersible water desalination apparatus includes a plurality of water separation membrane elements, a product water collector that receives product water from the membrane elements, and a variable output motorized submersible pump having a suction side that receives product water from the product water collector and a discharge side that pumps product water away from the apparatus through a product water conduit for surface or subsurface use. At least a portion of the product water is used to lubricate and optionally also cool at least a portion of the pump, motor or both the pump and motor.

An Atmospheric Storage Tank (AST) system designed to be an alternative to the existing RO pressure storage tank that operates on water pipeline pressure. It eliminates the disadvantage of subjecting the RO system to back pressure on the feed water which reduces the efficiency of the system and also has a higher probability of leakage. When the AST system is installed below the faucet, a pumping gadget is required to pump the water. It is primarily designed, although not exclusively, to be used together with a zero waste reverse osmosis system.

An apparatus and a method use permeate to flush a reverse osmosis filter membrane in the same flow direction as when fluid is being filtered through the membrane. The apparatus includes a housing having a membrane positioned therein. The membrane has an interior surface and an exterior surface. The housing has an inlet port located outward of the exterior surface of the membrane and first and second outlet ports. The first outlet port is located outward of the exterior surface of the membrane and the second outlet port is located inward of the interior surface of the membrane. A first pump is used to route pressurized, untreated fluid from a fluid source through the membrane to produce permeate. A second pump is used to route permeate to a desired function while also routing some permeate at low pressure to the housing to flush the membrane.

A priming subsystem of a cell processing system carries out a method for priming a spinning membrane separator having an inlet and first and second outlets. The method includes opening a first selectable junction disposed between a priming fluid container and the inlet to open a path between the priming fluid container and the inlet, operating a first pump coupled to the first outlet to draw priming fluid from the priming fluid container into the spinning membrane separator, and closing the first selectable junction and a second selectable junction coupled to the second outlet after drawing the priming fluid into the spinning membrane separator. The method further includes operating the first pump after the first selectable junction is closed to draw a vacuum, and opening the first selectable junction after drawing the vacuum.

A subsea fluid processing system includes an electric motor that rotates a shaft on which impellers are fixedly mounted. Diffusors are static and fixed to the pump housing. The electric motor includes a rotor surrounding the shaft and a stator that is filled with a dielectric stator fluid. The stator is sealed or “canned.” The inner surface of the stator which faces the rotor is canned with a canning non-metallic material. The motor, as well as bearings for the rotating shaft are lubricated and cooled with a fluid that in some cases is taken from the process fluid and some alternative source. Alternative sources include: MEG, methanol, treated seawater and untreated seawater.

A water purification system and method embodying a submerged conduit with a semipermeable surface, thereby leveraging water pressure to cost-effectively and energy-efficiently purify the water that permeates the semipermeable surface. A intake conduit may provide the semipermeable surface, wherein the system contemplates rotating the intake conduit so that as it rotates it engages brushes or blades that clear the semipermeable surface of obstructions.

A portable filtration system is described. The system may comprise: a mixing portion, comprising: a pump adaptor and a contaminant regulator. The pump adaptor may comprise: an upper plate, a lower plate, and a screen. The screen may axially extend between the upper and lower plates, wherein the upper plate, the lower plate, and the screen define a channel of a mixing chamber. The contaminant regulator may comprise a through-passage coupled to the upper plate, wherein the through-passage is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber.

A self-purging water pressure regulator and system using same is disclosed. The self-purging water pressure regulator includes a housing assembly and a chamber within the housing assembly. The housing assembly has a housing assembly inlet and a housing assembly outlet. Within the housing assembly are a plunger and a piston, each having and open position and a closed position. A biasing element within the housing assembly exerts a force on the plunger that biases the plunger and piston into the closed position. The plunger and piston are in the open position if water exerts a second force on the piston that exceeds the force. The housing assembly further includes a bypass channel. The bypass channel provides fluid communication between the housing assembly inlet and the housing assembly outlet. The bypass channel allows air to continuously escape even in the closed position.

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.