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.

Systems and processes for purifying and concentrating a liquid feed stream are disclosed. In the systems, the concentrated liquid output from the high pressure side of a reverse osmosis stage is used as the draw solution in the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis stage in a configuration called osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. This reduces the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane, permitting high solute concentrations to be obtained, hastening the purification of the liquid. Reduced system pressures are also obtained by arranging multiple osmotically assisted reverse osmosis stages in a cross-current arrangement. Overall system energy consumption is reduced compared to conventional thermal processes for high concentration streams.

Systems and processes for purifying and concentrating a liquid feed stream are disclosed. In the systems, the concentrated liquid output from the high pressure side of a reverse osmosis stage is used as the draw solution in the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis stage in a configuration called osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. This reduces the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane, permitting high solute concentrations to be obtained, hastening the purification of the liquid. Reduced system pressures are also obtained by arranging multiple osmotically assisted reverse osmosis stages in a cross-current arrangement. Overall system energy consumption is reduced compared to conventional thermal processes for high concentration streams.

An energy recovery apparatus which is used in a seawater desalination system includes a cylindrical chamber (CH) being installed such that a longitudinal direction of the chamber is placed in a vertical direction, a concentrated seawater port (P1) for supplying and discharging the concentrated seawater, a seawater port (P2) for supplying and discharging the seawater, a flow resistor (23) provided at a concentrated seawater port (P1) side in the chamber (CH), and a flow resistor (23) provided at a seawater port (P2) side in the chamber (CH). The flow resistor (23) provided at the concentrated seawater port (P1) side and the flow resistor (23) provided at the seawater port (P2) side comprise at least one perforated circular plate, and the perforated circular plate has holes formed at an outer circumferential area outside a predetermined diameter of the circular plate.

A reverse osmosis (1) system having a first membrane unit (2) and at least a second membrane unit (3), the membrane units (2, 3) forming a chain of membrane units, the first membrane unit (2) having a first membrane (4) separating a first feed chamber (5) and a first permeate chamber (6), a first inlet (7) connected to the first feed chamber (5), a first permeate outlet (9) connected to the first permeate chamber (6), and a first concentrate outlet (8) connected to the first feed chamber (5), the second membrane unit (3) having a second membrane (10) separating a second feed chamber (11) and a second permeate chamber (12), a second inlet (13) connected to the second feed chamber (11), a second permeate outlet (15) connected to the second permeate chamber (12), and a second concentrate outlet (14) connected to the second feed chamber (11), wherein the concentrate outlet (8) of a membrane unit (2) in the chain of membrane units is connected to an inlet (13) of a following membrane unit (3) and a concentrate outlet (14) of at least one membrane unit (3) downstream the first membrane unit (2) in the chain of membrane units is connected to a hydraulic motor (18). In such a system the energy consumption should be optimized. To this end the hydraulic motor (18) is operatively connected to a first electric machine (21).

Systems and processes for purifying and concentrating a liquid feed stream are disclosed. In the systems, the concentrated liquid output from the high pressure side of a reverse osmosis stage is used as the draw solution in the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis stage in a configuration called osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. This reduces the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane, permitting high solute concentrations to be obtained, hastening the purification of the liquid. Reduced system pressures are also obtained by arranging multiple osmotically assisted reverse osmosis stages in a cross-current arrangement. Overall system energy consumption is reduced compared to conventional thermal processes for high concentration streams.

Disclosed is a one-way pressure exchange device (1) for reverse osmosis desalination plants of the type comprising a pair of pumping circuits (2, 3) for pumping a low-pressure inflow of seawater in contact with another high-pressure inflow of reject brine. The device comprises: a first selector valve (11) for selecting an alternative inlet into the pumping circuits (2, 3), which is connected to an inlet collector (5) for collecting reject brine from the osmosis device (100); a second selector valve (12) for selecting an alternative outlet from the pumping circuits (2, 3), which is connected to an outlet collector (6) for collecting low-pressure reject brine for discharge to the sea; and retention valves (21, 22, 23, 24), wherein the phases of the first selector valve (11) and the second selector valve (12) are arranged crosswise.

A water desalination system includes a first set of ultrafiltration membranes, a second set of ultrafiltration membranes, a first backwashing system configured to treat at least one of the first set of ultrafiltration membranes or the second set of ultrafiltration membranes with brine generated by a reverse osmosis process, and a second backwashing system configured to treat at least one of the first set of ultrafiltration membranes or the second set of ultrafiltration membranes with one or more chemicals and reverse osmosis permeate water.

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 processing ore feedstock and RO treatment utilizing the principals of pumped storage hydroelectric technology including the use of an upper reservoir and lower reservoir. The integrated system includes a first subsystem that generates waste associated with processing the ore feedstock. In the integrated system, the waste includes the treatment of contaminated water. The integrated system further includes a second subsystem that treats the contaminated water included in the waste to generate recycled water and transmits the recycled water to the first subsystem. The integrated subsystem may also incorporate solar and/or wind power generation plants as a power source for the integrated system.