Selective scaling in desalination water treatment systems and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10696564-B2
Application number	US-201815999556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2018
Priority date	Oct 22, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

Selective scaling in water treatment systems in which desalination is performed is generally described. According to certain embodiments, the location of the formation of solid scale within a water treatment system is controlled by adjusting one or more system parameters, such as the temperature and/or flow velocity of a saline stream within the water treatment system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of treating water within a water treatment system, comprising:
transferring heat, within a heat exchanger of the water treatment system, from a first heat exchanger stream to an aqueous stream containing at least one scale-forming ion and at least one dissolved monovalent salt to produce a heated aqueous stream;
removing, within a concentrator of the water treatment system, water from the heated aqueous stream to produce a concentrated stream which is enriched in the dissolved monovalent salt relative to the heated aqueous stream; and
operating the water treatment system such that scale is formed within the water treatment system, and at least about 60 wt % of all scale formed in the water treatment system is formed on packing within the water treatment system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrator is a humidifier, and the removing water from the heated aqueous stream comprises evaporating, within the humidifier, water from the heated aqueous stream into a gaseous stream to produce the concentrated stream and a humidified gaseous stream.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the humidifier contains at least a portion of the packing.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the scale formed in the water treatment system is formed on at least a portion of exposed surface of the packing within the humidifier.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the humidifier comprises at least one tray.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein at least a portion of the scale formed in the water treatment system is formed on at least a portion of exposed surface of the at least one tray within the humidifier.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the removing water from the heated aqueous stream comprises contacting the gaseous stream with the heated aqueous stream.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the removing water from the heated aqueous stream comprises transporting the gaseous stream in a counter-current direction relative to the heated aqueous stream.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the water from the heated aqueous stream is transported from a top of the humidifier to a bottom of the humidifier, and wherein at least a portion of water from the heated aqueous stream that is not transported from the heated aqueous stream to the gaseous stream is collected at or near the bottom of the humidifier and transported out of the humidifier as the concentrated stream.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the gaseous stream is transported into the bottom of the humidifier, through the humidifier, and out of the top of the humidifier.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recirculating at least a portion of the concentrated stream back to the heat exchanger.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least a portion of the concentrated stream that is recirculated back to the heat exchanger is mixed with at least a portion of an aqueous feed stream prior to transporting the at least a portion of the concentrated stream back to the heat exchanger.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the concentrated stream is removed from the water treatment system.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the scale formed in the water treatment system is formed on a surface that is removable from the concentrator.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrator contains at least a portion of the packing such that at least about 60 wt % of all scale formed in the water treatment system is formed in the concentrator.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrator contains at least a portion of the packing such that at least about 90 wt % of all scale formed in the water treatment system is formed in the concentrator.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one packing-containing vessel that is not the concentrator, the at least one packing-containing vessel that is not the concentrator containing at least a portion of the packing such that at least about 60 wt % of all scale formed in the water treatment system is formed in the at least one packing-containing vessel that is not the concentrator.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one packing-containing vessel that is not the concentrator, the at least one packing-containing vessel that is not the concentrator containing at least a portion of the packing such that at least about 90 wt % of all scale formed in the water treatment system is formed in the at least one packing-containing vessel that is not the concentrator.

Assignees

• Gradiant Corp

Inventors

• Govindan Prakash Narayan
• Lam Steven
• St John Maximus G
• Andrews Jonn-Ross

Classifications

• Y02A20/124

  Water desalination · CPC title

• C02F5/02 Primary

  Softening water by precipitation of the hardness · CPC title

• B01D3/346

  the gas being used for removing vapours, e.g. transport gas · CPC title

• B01D1/0082

  Regulation; Control · CPC title

• C02F2305/00

  Use of specific compounds during water treatment · CPC title