Seawater desalination system and energy recovery apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065152-B2
Application number	US-201414781375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

An energy recovery apparatus used in the seawater desalination system includes a cylindrical chamber (CH) having a space for containing concentrated seawater and seawater therein and being installed such that a longitudinal direction of the chamber is placed in a vertical direction, a concentrated seawater port (P 1 ) provided at the lower part of the chamber (CH) for supplying and discharging the concentrated seawater, a seawater port (P 2 ) provided at the upper part of the chamber (CH) for supplying and discharging the seawater, a flow resistor ( 23 ) provided at a concentrated seawater port side in the chamber, and a flow resistor ( 23 ) provided at a seawater port side in the chamber. A circular plate ( 30 ) having a hole at the center thereof is provided between the concentrated seawater port (P 1 ) and the flow resistor ( 23 ), or between the seawater port (P 2 ) and the flow resistor ( 23 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy recovery apparatus for converting pressure energy of concentrated seawater discharged from a reverse-osmosis membrane-separation apparatus to pressure energy of seawater in a seawater desalination system for producing fresh water from the seawater by supplying the seawater pressurized by a pump to the reverse-osmosis membrane-separation apparatus to separate the seawater into fresh water and concentrated seawater, the energy recovery apparatus comprising:
a cylindrical chamber having a space for containing concentrated seawater and seawater therein, the cylindrical chamber being installed such that a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical chamber is placed in a vertical direction;
a concentrated seawater port provided at a lower part of the cylindrical chamber;
a seawater port provided at an upper part of the cylindrical chamber;
a flow resistor provided at a concentrated seawater port side in the cylindrical chamber;
a flow resistor provided at a seawater port side in the cylindrical chamber; and
a circular plate having a wall surface and a hole passing through the wall surface at the center thereof that is provided between the concentrated seawater port and the flow resistor, or between the seawater port and the flow resistor,
wherein at least one of the concentrated seawater port and the seawater port is spaced radially from a central vertical axis of the cylindrical chamber and has an opening parallel to the wall surface of the circular plate, without facing the hole of the circular plate,
wherein the flow resistors provided at the concentrated seawater port side and the seawater port side each comprise at least one perforated plate or at least one mesh plate, the at least one mesh plate being formed by weaving a wire material, and
wherein the area of the hole of the circular plate having the hole at the center thereof is equal to or larger than one of the area of the concentrated seawater port and the area of the seawater port.

2. The energy recovery apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the flow resistors provided at each of the concentrated seawater port side and the seawater port side are two perforated plates or mesh plates disposed so as to be spaced from each other, and comprise a first perforated plate or a first mesh plate and a second perforated plate or a second mesh plate which is placed more distant from the respective port side than the first perforated plate or the first mesh plate.

3. The energy recovery apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circular plate has a plurality of holes around the hole at the center thereof.

4. The energy recovery apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the concentrated seawater port and the seawater port is provided in an end plate for closing an opening end of the cylindrical chamber.

5. The energy recovery apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the concentrated seawater port and the seawater port comprises a port for water supply and a port for water discharge.

6. The energy recovery apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the concentrated seawater port and the seawater port is vertically aligned and spaced radially from the central vertical axis of the cylindrical chamber such that concentrated seawater or seawater flowing vertically therefrom into the cylindrical chamber is obstructed by the wall surface of the circular plate and redirected transverse to the vertical direction.

7. The energy recovery apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the concentrated seawater port and the seawater port is vertically aligned and spaced radially from the central vertical axis of the cylindrical chamber such that concentrated seawater or seawater flowing vertically therefrom into the cylindrical chamber cannot flow vertically past the circular plate without redirection.

8. A seawater desalination system for producing fresh water from seawater by supplying the seawater pressurized by a pump to a reverse-osmosis membrane-separation apparatus to separate the seawater into fresh water and concentrated seawater, the seawater desalination system comprising:
an energy recovery apparatus according to claim 1 for converting pressure energy of the concentrated seawater discharged from the reverse-osmosis membrane-separation apparatus to pressure energy of the seawater.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Takahashi Tamami
• Goto Masanori
• Maeda Kazuaki

Classifications

• B01D61/06 Primary

  Energy recovery · CPC title

• Y02W10/30

  Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies · CPC title

• C02F2303/10

  Energy recovery · CPC title

• C02F1/441

  by reverse osmosis · CPC title

• B01D61/10

  Accessories; Auxiliary operations · CPC title