GB2444709A - Device and methods for the desalination of brackish water - Google Patents

Device and methods for the desalination of brackish water Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2444709A
GB2444709A GB0625356A GB0625356A GB2444709A GB 2444709 A GB2444709 A GB 2444709A GB 0625356 A GB0625356 A GB 0625356A GB 0625356 A GB0625356 A GB 0625356A GB 2444709 A GB2444709 A GB 2444709A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
water
sea
inlet
outlet
container
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB0625356A
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GB0625356D0 (en
Inventor
Donald Litherland
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Publication date
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Priority to GB0625356A priority Critical patent/GB2444709A/en
Publication of GB0625356D0 publication Critical patent/GB0625356D0/en
Publication of GB2444709A publication Critical patent/GB2444709A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63J—AUXILIARIES ON VESSELS
    • B63J1/00—Arrangements of installations for producing fresh water, e.g. by evaporation and condensation of sea water
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D61/00—Processes of separation using semi-permeable membranes, e.g. dialysis, osmosis or ultrafiltration; Apparatus, accessories or auxiliary operations specially adapted therefor
    • B01D61/02—Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration ; Nanofiltration
    • B01D61/025—Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D61/00—Processes of separation using semi-permeable membranes, e.g. dialysis, osmosis or ultrafiltration; Apparatus, accessories or auxiliary operations specially adapted therefor
    • B01D61/02—Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration ; Nanofiltration
    • B01D61/08—Apparatus therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D61/00—Processes of separation using semi-permeable membranes, e.g. dialysis, osmosis or ultrafiltration; Apparatus, accessories or auxiliary operations specially adapted therefor
    • B01D61/02—Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration ; Nanofiltration
    • B01D61/10—Accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/44—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis
    • C02F1/441—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis by reverse osmosis
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D2313/00—Details relating to membrane modules or apparatus
    • B01D2313/24—Specific pressurizing or depressurizing means
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2103/00—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated
    • C02F2103/08—Seawater, e.g. for desalination
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2201/00—Apparatus for treatment of water, waste water or sewage
    • C02F2201/001—Build in apparatus for autonomous on board water supply and wastewater treatment (e.g. for aircrafts, cruiseships, oil drilling platforms, railway trains, space stations)
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A20/00—Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use
    • Y02A20/124—Water desalination
    • Y02A20/131—Reverse-osmosis

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • Nanotechnology (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Separation Using Semi-Permeable Membranes (AREA)

Abstract

The device comprises a reverse osmosis cell 12 containing a semi-permeable membrane 14, an outlet 16 for the desalinated water 18, and an inlet 20 for the brackish water 10. The inlet is an open inlet leading directly to said membrane, that is without the use of a pump. A method of desalinating sea water for use on board a moving sea-going vessel comprises the use of the device, the inlet of said device being positioned towards the direction of movement of said vessel wherein the relative movement of the water past the vessel provides the necessary pressure to drive the reverse osmosis. Further, the relative movement may be provided by seawater under tidal flow or river water. With no moving parts or pump, the device is simpler to construct and less prone to breakdown.

Description

DEVICE AND METHODS FOR THE DESALINATION OF BRACKISH WATER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for the desalination of brackish water, such as sea-water and also to methods for the use of such a device.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
While potable water is essential to life there are a number of situations where supplies of such water are not readily available, requiring the need to desalinate such brackish water as may be available. One example of such a situation is on board a sea-going vessel, such as a passenger liner. Another example is where, on land, the only available water is contaminated river water. In such circumstances it is necessary to store large quantities of potable water or to transport such water over considerable distances. In either case the solutions can be costly and/or inconvenient.
It is known to desalinate sea-water by a variety of methods. For example, United States patent application US 2002/0189987 (Wagner) addresses the problem of desalinating sea water on board a ship by the use of the device comprising a reverse osmosis cell containing a semi-permeable membrane. This proposal involves the provision of pumps to direct the sea water from a sea-water inlet to the membrane. While such a system may be workable, it suffers from two disadvantages, namely that the pumps involve moving parts which may fail in time, and which require electrical power for their operation.
There is therefore a need to provide a device suitable for desalinating sea water on-board a ship without the use of moving parts and without requiring the use of electrical power.
I have discovered that this objective can be achieved by making use of the movement between the ship and the water, and that indeed such a realisation leads to the provision of a device for the desalination of brackish water in a number of other circumstances.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, according to a first aspect of the Invention, there is provided a device for the desalination of brackish water, the device comprising a reverse osmosis cell containing a semi-permeable membrane, an outlet for the desalinated water and an inlet for the brackish water, charactensed in that the inlet is an open inlet leading directly to the membrane.
The benefit of the Invention derives from the direct passage of the brackish water from the inlet to the membrane, that is without the use of a pump. By the use of such passive or direct flow of the brackish water, the use of moving parts in the device is avoided.
The device can be used either for the desalination of any brackish water, that is water containing salts at a level too high for the water to be considered to be potable, for example for desalinating sea water for use on board a sea-going vessel. Thus, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of desalinating sea water for use on board a moving sea-going vessel, comprising the use of a device defined above, the inlet of the device being positioned towards the direction of movement of the vessel.
Alternatively, the device can be used for the desalination of moving brackish water. Thus, according to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of desalinating moving brackish water, comprising the use of a device defined above, the inlet of the device being positioned to face the on-coming brackish water. The moving brackish water may be selected from sea water under strong current or tidal flow and river water, especially river water derived from springs having too high a level of salts for the water to be considered potable, or river water contaminated with salts derived from industrial activity such as mining.
The device may include a container for storing the desalinated water, the outlet of the device being connected to the container. Alternatively, the outlet is connected to a pipe for feeding the desalinated water to a remote storage container. One container may be connected to one or more reverse osmosis cells, or a single such cell can be connected to a number of storage containers Efficiency of the membrane separation depends upon the pressure of the water at the membrane surface. To increase the pressure, it is preferred that the inlet is in the form of a funnel converging in the direction of the membrane.
The device may further include (i) means such as a suitable frame for mounting the device on a sea-going vessel. Alternatively the device may be mounted on a raft provided with means such as a cable for towing the device behind a sea-going vessel, or for mounting along the side of the vessel. These latter embodiments have the advantage that when not In use, the device can be stored on board the vessel, to reduce drag. This is especially useful where the device is provided for use in emergency situations where, for example, other supplies of potable water have failed.
The sea-going vessel may be of any type, but the device is particularly useful for use with passenger liners, life boats, fishing boats, exploration vessels, warships, submarines or yachts.
The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a first embodiment of the invention, for the desalination of sea water on board a sea-going passenger tiner Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a second embodiment of the invention for the desalination of sea water using a device towed by a sea-going vessel; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a third embodiment of the invention for the desalination of sea water in tidal flow.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A first embodiment of the device in shown in Figure 1. The device is intended for the desalination of sea water 10. The device comprises a reverse osmosis cell 12 containing a semi-permeable membrane 14, an outlet 16 for the desalinated water 18 and an inlet 20 for the sea water 10. The inlet 20 is an open inlet leading directly to the membrane 14. The inlet 20 is in the form of a funnel converging in the direction of the membrane 14.
The outlet 16 is connected to an integral container 22 for stoiing the desalinated water 18. The desalinated water can be removed from the container 22 by way of atapl9.
The device further includes a frame 24 for mounting the device on a sea-going vessel 26, such as a passenger liner, moving in a direction A, the inlet 20 of the device facing towards the direction of movement of the vessel 26.
The device shown in Figure 2 is similar except in the following respects. Firstly, the device is mounted on a raft 27, a cable 32 being provided for enabling the raft 27 to be towed behind a sea-going vessel 34, moving in the direction A. Also, the outlet 16 of the device is connected to a pipe 28 for feeding the desalinated water 18 to a storage container 30 on the vessel 34. The desalinated water can be removed from the container 30 by way of a tap 19.
The device shown in Figure 3 is intended for desalinating sea water 36 under tidal flow in the direction B. The device comprises a reverse osmosis cell 12 containing a semi-permeable membrane 14, an outlet 16 for the desalinated water 38 and an inlet 20 for the flowing sea water 36. The inlet 20 is an open inlet leading directly to the membrane 14. The inlet 20 is in the form of a funnel converging in the direction of the membrane 14.
The outlet 16 is connected to a container 22 for storing the desalinated water 38.
The desalinated water 38 can be removed from the container 22 by way of a tap 19.
The device is used by positioning the inlet 20 of the device to face the on-coming sea water 36.

Claims (16)

1. A device for the desalination of brackish water (10, 36), the device comprising a reverse osmosis cell (12) containing a semi-permeable membrane (14), an outlet (16) for the desalinated water (18, 38) and an inlet (20) for the brackish water (10, 36), charactensed in that said inlet (20) is an open inlet leading directly to said membrane (14).
2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a container (22) for storing the desalinated water (18, 38), wherein said outlet (16) is connected to said container (22).
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said outlet (16) is connected to a pipe (28) for feeding the desalinated water (18, 38) to a remote storage container (30).
4. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said inlet (20) is in the form of a funnel converging in the direction of said membrane (14).
5. A device according to any preceding daim, further comprising: (i) means (24) for mounting the device on a sea-going vessel (26); or (ii) means (32) for enabling the device to be towed behind a sea-going vessel (34).
6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said sea-going vessel (26, 34) is selected from passenger liners, life boats, fishing boats, exploration vessels, warships, submarines and yachts.
7. A method of desalinating sea water (10) for use on board a moving sea-going vessel (26, 34), comprising the use of a device according to claim 1, the inlet (20) of said device being positioned towards the direction of movement of said vessel (26, 34).
8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising connecting said outlet (16) to a container (22) for storing the desalinated water (18).
9. A method according to claim 7, further compnsing connecting said outlet (16) to a pipe (28) for feeding the desalinated water (18) to a remote storage container (30).
10. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising: (i) mounting the device on said sea-going vessel (26); or (ii) towing the device behind a sea-going vessel (34).
II. A method of desalinating moving brackish water (36), comprising the use of a device according to claim 1, the inlet (20) of said device being positioned to face the on-coming brackish water (36).
12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising connecting said outlet (16) to a container (22) for storing the desalinated water (38)
13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising connecting said outlet (16) to a pipe (28) for feeding the desalinated water (38) to a remote storage container (30).
14. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the moving brackish water (10, 36) is selected from sea water under tidal flow and river water.
15. A device for the desalination of brackish water, substantially as hereinbefore described.
16. A method for the desalination of brackish water, substantially as herein before described.
GB0625356A 2006-12-17 2006-12-17 Device and methods for the desalination of brackish water Withdrawn GB2444709A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0625356A GB2444709A (en) 2006-12-17 2006-12-17 Device and methods for the desalination of brackish water

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0625356A GB2444709A (en) 2006-12-17 2006-12-17 Device and methods for the desalination of brackish water

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB0625356D0 GB0625356D0 (en) 2007-01-24
GB2444709A true GB2444709A (en) 2008-06-18

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GB0625356A Withdrawn GB2444709A (en) 2006-12-17 2006-12-17 Device and methods for the desalination of brackish water

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103587671A (en) * 2013-11-19 2014-02-19 浙江海洋学院 Sea water desalting equipment on ship life raft
CN103587664A (en) * 2013-11-19 2014-02-19 浙江海洋学院 Life-saving equipment in ship fitting-out structure

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1130107A (en) * 1967-05-13 1968-10-09 Arthur Paul Pedrick Desalination of sea water by reverse osmosis using tidal energy
DE3023524A1 (en) * 1980-06-24 1982-01-21 Burkhard Carl 8520 Erlangen Drude Reverse osmosis desalination - deriving process energy from motion of device relative to surrounding sea water
JPS60216883A (en) * 1984-04-11 1985-10-30 Mitsui Touatsu Kiko Kk Desalting method of seawater
JPH05168871A (en) * 1991-12-17 1993-07-02 Kurita Water Ind Ltd Membrane separation device
EP1199098A1 (en) * 2000-10-19 2002-04-24 Gerardine Bowler A water purifying apparatus
WO2005012180A2 (en) * 2003-08-02 2005-02-10 How Kiap Gueh Method and apparatus for hull integrated seawater reverse osmosis system

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1130107A (en) * 1967-05-13 1968-10-09 Arthur Paul Pedrick Desalination of sea water by reverse osmosis using tidal energy
DE3023524A1 (en) * 1980-06-24 1982-01-21 Burkhard Carl 8520 Erlangen Drude Reverse osmosis desalination - deriving process energy from motion of device relative to surrounding sea water
JPS60216883A (en) * 1984-04-11 1985-10-30 Mitsui Touatsu Kiko Kk Desalting method of seawater
JPH05168871A (en) * 1991-12-17 1993-07-02 Kurita Water Ind Ltd Membrane separation device
EP1199098A1 (en) * 2000-10-19 2002-04-24 Gerardine Bowler A water purifying apparatus
WO2005012180A2 (en) * 2003-08-02 2005-02-10 How Kiap Gueh Method and apparatus for hull integrated seawater reverse osmosis system

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103587671A (en) * 2013-11-19 2014-02-19 浙江海洋学院 Sea water desalting equipment on ship life raft
CN103587664A (en) * 2013-11-19 2014-02-19 浙江海洋学院 Life-saving equipment in ship fitting-out structure
CN103587671B (en) * 2013-11-19 2016-03-23 浙江海洋学院 Desalting plant in a kind of ship life raft
CN103587664B (en) * 2013-11-19 2016-06-15 浙江海洋学院 Survival equipment in ship ' s equipment structure

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Publication number Publication date
GB0625356D0 (en) 2007-01-24

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