Hybrid desalination systems and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10689264-B2
Application number	US-201716078704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2017
Priority date	Feb 22, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods related to desalination systems are described herein. According to some embodiments, the desalination systems are hybrid systems comprising one or more first desalination units and one or more second desalination units. In some embodiments, the one or more second desalination units, which may form a fluidic circuit that is located downstream from the one or more first desalination units, may be configured to desalinate higher salinity liquid streams than the one or more first desalination units. In certain embodiments, the one or more first desalination units are operated under steady-state conditions and/or configured to operate under steady-state conditions. In certain embodiments, the one or more second desalination units are transiently operated and/or configured to facilitate transient operation. In some embodiments, a liquid stream comprising water and at least one dissolved salt is flowed through the one or more first desalination units, which are configured to remove at least a portion of the water from the liquid stream to form a first concentrated brine stream enriched in the dissolved salt. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the first concentrated brine stream is fed to a fluidic circuit comprising the one or more second desalination units. In some embodiments, the one or more second desalination units are configured to remove at least a portion of the water from the first concentrated brine stream to produce a second concentrated brine stream further enriched in the dissolved salt. In certain cases, the second concentrated brine stream is recirculated through at least a portion of the fluidic circuit until the second concentrated brine stream reaches a relatively high density (e.g., at least about 10 pounds per gallon) and/or a relatively high salinity (e.g., a total dissolved salt concentration of at least about 25 wt %).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a concentrated brine stream, comprising:
removing at least a portion of water from a first liquid stream comprising the water and at least one dissolved salt at an initial concentration to produce a first concentrated brine stream comprising water and the at least one dissolved salt at a second concentration higher than the initial concentration of the first liquid stream;
supplying at least a portion of the first concentrated brine stream to a fluidic circuit comprising a vessel and at least one conduit fluidically connected to the vessel, wherein the fluidic circuit establishes a fluidic pathway out of the vessel, through the at least one conduit, and back into the vessel;
removing, within the fluidic circuit, at least a portion of the water from the first concentrated brine stream to produce a second concentrated brine stream comprising water and the at least one dissolved salt at a third concentration higher than the second concentration of the first concentrated brine stream;
recirculating the second concentrated brine stream through at least a portion of the fluidic circuit to remove at least a portion of the water from the second concentrated brine stream, forming a recirculated second concentrated brine stream comprising water and the at least one dissolved salt at a fourth concentration higher than the third concentration of the second concentrated brine stream, wherein recirculating the second concentrated brine stream comprises flowing the second concentrated brine stream out of the vessel, through the at least one conduit, and back into the vessel; and
discharging the recirculated second concentrated brine stream from the fluidic circuit when the recirculated second concentrated brine stream reaches a density of at least about 10 pounds per gallon.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the recirculated second concentrated brine stream has a salinity of at least about 25% by weight upon discharge from the fluidic circuit.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is performed under steady-state conditions.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is performed continuously.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing at least a portion of water from the first liquid stream is performed in one or more first desalination units, and a portion of the first concentrated brine stream is recirculated through at least one of the one or more first desalination units.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing at least a portion of water from the first liquid stream comprises transporting the liquid stream through a single-pass fluidic pathway.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing at least a portion of water from the first liquid stream is performed in two or more first desalination units.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the two or more first desalination units are fluidically interconnected in series.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is performed transiently.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first concentrated brine stream is continuously supplied to the fluidic circuit.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing at least a portion of the water from the first concentrated brine stream is performed in two or more second desalination units.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the two or more second desalination units are fluidically interconnected in parallel.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein recirculating the second concentrated brine stream comprises recirculating at least a first portion of the second concentrated brine stream until the first portion reaches a density of at least about 10 pounds per gallon and/or a salinity of at least about 25% by weight.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing at least a portion of water from the first liquid stream comprises flowing the first liquid stream through a humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination unit.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing at least a portion of the water from the first concentrated brine stream comprises flowing the first liquid stream through an HDH desalination unit.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the HDH desalination unit comprises a bubble column humidifier.

17. A method for producing a concentrated brine stream, comprising:
removing at least a portion of water from a first liquid stream comprising the water and at least one dissolved salt at an initial concentration to produce a first concentrated brine stream comprising water and the at least one dissolved salt at a second concentration higher than the initial concentration of the first liquid stream;
supplying at least a portion of the first concentrated brine stream to a fluidic circuit comprising a vessel and at least one conduit fluidically connected to the vessel, wherein the fluidic circuit establishes a fluidic pathway out of the vessel, through the at least one conduit, and back into the vessel;
removing, within the fluidic circuit, at least a portion of the water from the first concentrated brine stream to produce a second concentrated brine stream comprising water and the at least one dissolved salt at a third concentration higher than the second concentration of the first concentrated brine stream;
recirculating the second concentrated brine stream through at least a portion of the fluidic circuit to remove at least a portion of the water from the second concentrated brine stream, forming a recirculated second concentrated brine stream comprising water and the at least one dissolved salt at a fourth concentration higher than the third concentration of the second concentrated brine stream, wherein recirculating the second concentrated brine stream comprises flowing the second concentrated brine stream out of the vessel, through the at least one conduit, and back into the vessel; and
discharging the recirculated second concentrated brine stream from the fluidic circuit when the salinity reaches at least about 25% by weight.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the recirculated second concentrated brine stream has a density of at least about 10 pounds per gallon upon discharge from the fluidic circuit.

Assignees

• Gradiant Corp

Inventors

• St John Maximus G
• Lam Steven
• Govindan Prakash Narayan

Classifications

• B01D1/28

  with vapour compression · CPC title

• B01D5/0036

  Multiple-effect condensation; Fractional condensation · CPC title

• Y02A20/124

  Water desalination · CPC title

• B01D5/0039

  Recuperation of heat, e.g. use of heat pump(s), compression · CPC title

• C02F2103/18

  from the purification of gaseous effluents · CPC title