ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEM

Abstract

An energy recovery system in a seawater desalination plant uses a reverse-osmosis membrane method for removing salinity from seawater. The system is configured to supply high-pressure water produced by pressurizing raw water with a high-pressure pump to a reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge, and to supply concentrated water discharged from the cartridge to an isobaric energy recovery device to recover pressure energy of the concentrated water whereby part of the raw water supplied to the isobaric energy recovery device is pressurized, and then to allow the pressurized raw water to merge into the high-pressure water pressurized by the high-pressure pump. The system includes a booster pump for boosting a pressure of the concentrated water discharged from the cartridge, and an energy recovery turbine for recovering energy by using the pressure head difference between the pressurized raw water from the isobaric energy recovery device and the high-pressure water discharged from the pump.

Claims

1. An energy recovery system for supplying high-pressure water discharged from a high-pressure pump configured to pressurize raw water to a reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge configured to process the high-pressure water by a reverse-osmosis membrane to produce processed water, supplying concentrated water discharged from the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge to an isobaric energy recovery device to recover pressure energy of the concentrated water whereby part of the raw water supplied to the isobaric energy recovery device is pressurized to become pressurized raw water, and making the pressurized raw water merge into the high-pressure water pressurized by the high-pressure pump, the energy recovery system comprising: a booster pump provided between the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge and the isobaric energy recovery device and configured to boost a pressure of the concentrated water discharged from the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge; and an energy recovery turbine configured to recover energy by using the pressure head difference between the pressurized raw water from the isobaric energy recovery device and the high-pressure water discharged from the high-pressure pump.

2. The energy recovery system according to claim 1, further comprising: a second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge configured to process the concentrated water discharged from the booster pump by a reverse-osmosis membrane to produce processed water; wherein the concentrated water discharged from the second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge without being processed by the reverse-osmosis membrane is supplied to the isobaric energy recovery device.

3. The energy recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the energy recovery turbine uses the energy recovered by the energy recovery turbine to drive the high-pressure pump.

4. The energy recovery system according to claim 3, wherein the energy recovery turbine is configured to place a turbine and the high-pressure pump on a single rotating shaft.

5. The energy recovery system according to claim 4, further comprising: a coupling configured to disconnect rotation of the turbine from rotation of the high-pressure pump.

6. The energy recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the energy recovery turbine uses the energy recovered by the energy recovery turbine to drive the booster pump.

7. The energy recovery system according to claim 6, wherein the energy recovery turbine is configured to place a turbine and the booster pump on a single rotating shaft.

8. The energy recovery system according to claim 7, further comprising: a coupling configured to disconnect rotation of the turbine from rotation of the booster pump.

9. The energy recovery system according to claim 1, further comprising: a bypass line branched from the line interconnecting the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge and the booster pump; wherein the bypass line is connected to the line interconnecting the booster pump and the isobaric energy recovery device, and is provided with a valve.

10. The energy recovery system according to claim 2, further comprising: a bypass line branched from the line interconnecting the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge and the booster pump; wherein the bypass line is connected to the line interconnecting the second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge and the isobaric energy recovery device, and is provided with a valve.

11. The energy recovery system according to claim 1, further comprising: a line branched from the line for supplying the concentrated water to the isobaric energy recovery device and provided with a valve for discharging the concentrated water to the outside of the system.

12. A seawater desalination system for producing fresh water from seawater by pressurizing the seawater as raw water with a pump to allow the seawater to pass through a reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge, thereby separating the seawater into fresh water as processed water and concentrated seawater as concentrated water, the seawater desalination system comprising: an energy recovery system according to claim 1, for recovering pressure energy of the concentrated seawater discharged from the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge.

13. The seawater desalination system according to claim 12, wherein at the time of startup of the seawater desalination system, the valve in the bypass line branched from the line interconnecting the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge and the booster pump is opened, and the high-pressure pump is started up, and thereafter the booster pump is started up.

14. The seawater desalination system according to claim 12, wherein at the time of startup of the seawater desalination system, a valve in a turbine bypass line branched from the line interconnecting the isobaric energy recovery device and the energy recovery turbine is opened, and the isobaric energy recovery device is put into a state of stable operation, and thereafter the valve in the turbine bypass line is closed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a basic structure of an energy recovery system having a single-stage reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge and an energy recovery turbine according to conventional art;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a basic structure of an energy recovery system having a single-stage reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge and an isobaric energy recovery device according to conventional art;

[0032] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an energy recovery system according to a first aspect of the present invention;

[0033] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an energy recovery system according to a second aspect of the present invention; and

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an installation configuration of various values in the energy recovery system according to the second aspect of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0035] An energy recovery system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 3. The seawater 1 that has been supplied to the system by a feed pump 2 is processed to have certain water qualities by a pretreatment system 3, and is then pressurized by a high-pressure pump 5 driven by an electric motor 6 and delivered via a high-pressure line 7 into a reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8. Part of the seawater in a high-pressure chamber 9 of the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge passes through a reverse-osmosis membrane 10 against the osmotic pressure and is desalinated, and desalinated water 12 is taken out from a low-pressure chamber 11. The remaining seawater becomes in a concentrated state of a high salinity and is discharged as a concentrated reject from the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 to a reject line 13. The reject is further pressurized by a booster pump 44 driven by an electric motor 45, and then the pressurized reject is introduced into a pressure exchange chamber 20 through the control valve 19 to move the piston in the chamber. The reject which has moved the piston and finished energy conversion is discarded from a discharge line 15 to the outside of the system. By the isobaric energy recovery device 21 having the above structure, part of the pretreated seawater in the supply line 4 is pumped up and is discharged to the discharge line 22, and finally merges into the high-pressure line 7 from the outlet of the high-pressure pump 5. The fluid in the discharge line 22 is set to have a higher pressure than the fluid in the high-pressure line 7 by the operation of the booster pump 44, and the energy recovery turbine 14 is provided between the discharge line 22 and the high-pressure line 7, whereby pressure head difference between the two lines is converted effectively to the shaft power of the turbine runner. The power recovered by the energy recovery turbine 14 contributes to reduction of shaft driving power of the electric motor 6 which is coaxially coupled to the turbine runner through a rotating shaft 16. A coupling for disconnecting rotation of the energy recovery turbine 14 from rotation of the high pressure pump 5 may be provided. The high-pressure pump 5 can be smoothly started up by disconnecting the rotation, and the power of the electric motor 6 can be reduced by connecting the rotation at the time of steady operation.

[0036] The system according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressure loss caused from the high-pressure line 7 to the discharge line 22 of the isobaric energy recovery device 21 is compensated for by the booster pump 44, and the system is self-regulated to follow a change in operating conditions including a time-depending change due to seawater temperature, membrane scaling, and the like. The system is greatly advantageous in that the system eliminates the need for variable-speed motor control of the booster pump 17 which has been required in the conventional art B and which is inherent in the isobaric energy recovery device, and thus can realize a control-free system configuration. For example, at the time of seawater temperature change or membrane scaling, in the case where the pressure in the high-pressure line 7 extending to the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 is varied and adjusted in order to maintain a predetermined amount of desalinated water, the overall line pressure from the high-pressure line 7 to the discharge line 22 varies essentially uniformly. Therefore, the pressure head difference between the high-pressure line 7 and the discharge line 22 does not greatly vary from a design value, and thus the turbine 14 can maintain its operation in a self-regulating manner with high efficiency. The pressure head difference between the two lines which has been recovered and converted into the shaft power of the turbine runner may be converted into electric power for operating the high-pressure pump 5 and the booster pump 44 or may be used to contribute to the operation of the booster pump 44 by allowing the turbine 14 to be connected coaxially to the booster pump 44. Further, it is preferable to provide a bypass line 40 branched from the line for interconnecting the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 and the booster pump 44, and to connect the bypass line 40 to the line for interconnecting the booster pump 44 and the isobaric energy recovery device 21 and to equip the bypass line 40 with a valve 41. This is because when the seawater desalination system is started up, the bypass line 40 is effective to start up the system while preventing the booster pump 44 from corotating. Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a turbine bypass line 47 branched from the line for interconnecting the isobaric energy recovery device 21 and the turbine 14, and to connect the turbine bypass line 47 to the high-pressure line 7 and to equip the turbine bypass line 47 with a valve 48. This is because when the seawater desalination system is started up, the turbine bypass line 47 is effective to start up the system while avoiding a blockage by the turbine 14 by operating the turbine 14 after the isobaric energy recovery device 21 secures a sufficient flow rate of pressure-converted seawater and becomes in a stable operating state.

[0037] An energy recovery system according to a more preferred second aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 4. The seawater 1 that has been supplied to the system by a feed pump 2 is processed to have certain water qualities by a pretreatment system 3, and is then pressurized by a high-pressure pump 5 driven by an electric motor 6 and delivered via a high-pressure line 7 into a first reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8. Part of the seawater in a high-pressure chamber 9 of the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 passes through a reverse-osmosis membrane 10 against the osmotic pressure and is desalinated, and desalinated water 12 is taken out from a low-pressure chamber 11. The remaining seawater becomes in a concentrated state of a high salinity and is discharged as a concentrated reject from the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 to a reject line 13. The reject is further pressurized by a booster pump 44 driven by an electric motor 45, and then the pressurized reject is delivered through a high-pressure line 25 to a second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 26. Part of the seawater in a high-pressure chamber 27 of the second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 26 passes through a reverse-osmosis membrane 28 against the osmotic pressure and is desalinated, and desalinated water 12 is taken out from a low-pressure chamber 29. The remaining seawater is discharged as a further concentrated reject with a high salinity from the second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 26 to a reject line 30.

[0038] The pressure energy of the high-pressure reject that has been discharged from the second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 26 to the reject line 30 is introduced through a control valve 19 into a pressure exchange chamber 20 to move a piston in the chamber. The reject which has moved the piston and finished energy conversion is discarded from a discharge line 15 to the outside of the system. By the isobaric energy recovery device 21 having the above structure, part of the pretreated seawater in a supply line 4 is pumped up and is discharged to the discharge line 22, and finally merges into the high-pressure line 7 from the outlet of the high-pressure pump 5. However, since the discharge line 22 is higher in pressure than the high-pressure line 7 by a two-stage pressurizing effect, an energy recovery turbine 14 is disposed between the discharge line 22 and the high-pressure line 7, whereby the pressure head difference between the two lines is converted to the shaft power of the turbine runner. The power recovered by the energy recovery turbine 14 contributes to reduction in shaft driving power of the electric motor 6 which is coaxially coupled to the turbine runner through a rotating shaft 16. A coupling for disconnecting rotation of the energy recovery turbine 14 from rotation of the high-pressure pump 5 may be provided. The high-pressure pump 5 can be smoothly started up by disconnecting the rotation, and the power of the electric motor 6 can be reduced by connecting the rotation at the time of steady operation.

[0039] The system according to the present invention employs the isobaric energy recovery device 21 with high efficiency, and can eliminate the booster pump 17, which has been heretofore required and has been a special pump having a high suction pressure and driven by the variable-speed electric motor 18. Further, the system is self-regulated to follow a change in operating conditions including a time-depending change due to seawater temperature, membrane scaling, and the like. The system is greatly advantageous in that the system eliminates the need for variable-speed motor control inherent in the isobaric energy recovery device, and thus can realize a control-free system configuration. The present invention is particularly effective for the system that requires complex control for transient operations or the like, such as a system that employs a two-stage pressurizing reverse-osmosis membrane method which is used for producing an increased amount of desalinated water. For example, at the time of seawater temperature change or membrane scaling, in the case where the pressure in the high-pressure line 7 extending to the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 is varied and adjusted in order to maintain a predetermined amount of desalinated water, the overall line pressure from the high-pressure line 7 to the discharge line 22 varies essentially uniformly. Therefore, the pressure head difference between the high-pressure line 7 and the discharge line 22 does not greatly vary from a design value, and thus the turbine 14 can maintain its operation in a self-regulating manner with high efficiency. The pressure head difference between the two lines which has been recovered and converted into the shaft power of the turbine runner may be converted into electric power for operating the high-pressure pump 5 and the booster pump 44 or may be used to contribute to the operation of the booster pump 44 by allowing the turbine 14 to be connected coaxially to the booster pump 44. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable to provide a bypass line 40 branched from the line for interconnecting the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 and the booster pump 44, and to connect the bypass line 40 to the line for interconnecting the booster pump 44 and the isobaric energy recovery device 21 and to equip the bypass line 40 with a valve 41. This is because the bypass line 40 is effective to start up the system while preventing the booster pump 44 from corotating when the seawater desalination system is started up. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable to provide a turbine bypass line 47 branched from the line for interconnecting the isobaric energy recovery device 21 and the turbine 14, and to connect the turbine bypass line 47 to the high-pressure line 7 and to equip the turbine bypass line 47 with a valve 48. This is because when the seawater desalination system is started up, the turbine bypass line 47 is effective to start up the system while avoiding a blockage by the turbine 14 by operating the turbine 14 after the isobaric energy recovery device 21 secures a sufficient flow rate of pressure-converted seawater and becomes in a stable operating state.

[0040] A method of starting up the seawater desalination plant which uses a reverse-osmosis membrane method for removing salinity from the seawater will be described below.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a system configuration according to a second aspect of the present invention, which additionally includes valves and bypass pipes required for a control system.

[0042] A bypass line 40 and a first valve 41 are provided between the reject line 13 for interconnecting the first reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 8 and the booster pump 44 and the reject line 30 for interconnecting the second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 26 and the isobaric energy recovery device 21. A discharge line 42 and a second valve 43 are provided for discharging the concentrated seawater from the reject line 30 extending from the second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge 26, to the outside of the system. A valve 46 for preventing the high-pressure pump 5 from corotating at the time of startup is provided in the supply line 4 of the high-pressure pump 5.

[0043] When the systems shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 are started up, the supply line 4 and the discharge line 15 are connected to each other by the control valve 19 of the isobaric energy recovery device 21. Further, the valve 48 is opened to connect the turbine bypass line 47 to the high-pressure line 7. The valve 48 is arranged to cause a loss corresponding to the pressure head difference produced when the turbine 14 is in rated operation. After the low-pressure feed pump 2 is started up, the valve 41 in the bypass line 40 and the valve 43 in the discharge line 42 are opened, and then the first high-pressure pump 5 is started up. At this time, in order to avoid damage to the reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge due to an abrupt increase in the membrane pressure, it is desirable to install a slow starter in the electric motor 6 for the high-pressure pump 5. Thereafter, the booster pump 44 is started up, and the valve 41 in the bypass line 40 is closed. Then, while the valve 43 in the discharge line 42 is gradually closed, the control valve 19 of the isobaric energy recovery device 21 starts to be controlled. When the valve 43 is fully closed, the isobaric energy recovery device 21 is shifted to the state of steady operation. While the valve 48 is gradually closed, the turbine bypass line 47 is closed to switch the entire amount of the seawater to the turbine 14. By this switching, the shaft power recovered by the energy recovery turbine 14 is self-regulated depending on the pressure head difference produced between the discharge line 22 and the high-pressure line 7, and thus it is not necessary to apply special control to the fluid devices used in the present system.

[0044] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but various different changes and modifications may be made thereto within the scope of the technical concept of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0045] The present invention is applicable to an energy recovery system serving as a consumption energy reduction means in a seawater desalination plant which uses a reverse-osmosis membrane method for removing salinity from seawater.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0046] 1 seawater [0047] 2 feed pump [0048] 3 pretreatment system [0049] 4 supply line [0050] 5 high-pressure pump [0051] 6 electric motor [0052] 7 high-pressure line [0053] 8 reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge [0054] 9 high-pressure chamber [0055] 10 reverse-osmosis membrane [0056] 11 low-pressure chamber [0057] 12 desalinated water [0058] 13 reject line [0059] 14 turbine [0060] 15 discharge line [0061] 16 rotating shaft [0062] 17 booster pump [0063] 18 variable-speed electric motor [0064] 19 control valve [0065] 20 pressure exchange chamber [0066] 21 isobaric energy recovery device [0067] 22 discharge line [0068] 25 high-pressure line [0069] 26 second reverse-osmosis membrane cartridge [0070] 27 high-pressure chamber [0071] 28 reverse-osmosis membrane [0072] 29 low-pressure chamber [0073] 30 reject line [0074] 40 bypass line [0075] 41 valve [0076] 42 discharge line [0077] 43 valve [0078] 44 booster pump [0079] 45 electric motor [0080] 46 valve [0081] 47 turbine bypass line [0082] 48 valve