Thermally reflective membrane apparatuses, and related fluid treatment systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11925902-B2
Application number	US-202017009421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2020
Priority date	Sep 4, 2019
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

A thermally reflective membrane apparatus comprises a housing structure, and a thermally reflective membrane contained within the housing structure. The thermally reflective membrane comprises a semipermeable structure, and a porous, thermally reflective structure physically contacting the semipermeable structure. The porous, thermally reflective structure comprises discrete thermally reflective particles, and a binder material coupling the discrete thermally reflective particles to one another and the semipermeable structure. A fluid treatment system and method of treating a fluid are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermally reflective membrane apparatus, comprising:
a housing structure; and
a thermally reflective membrane positioned between a feed region and a permeate region of an internal chamber of the housing structure, the thermally reflective membrane comprising:
a semipermeable structure; and
a porous, thermally reflective structure on a side of the permeate region of the internal chamber and physically contacting the semipermeable structure, the porous, thermally reflective structure comprising:
discrete thermally reflective particles; and
a binder material coupling the discrete thermally reflective particles to one another and the semipermeable structure.

2. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the discrete thermally reflective particles comprise a material that reflects wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation within a range of from about 700 nm to about 1500 nm.

3. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the discrete thermally reflective particles each individually have a particle size within a range of from about 0.25 μm to about 25 μm.

4. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the discrete thermally reflective particles have a multi-modal particle size distribution.

5. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the discrete thermally reflective particles are hydrophobic.

6. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous, thermally reflective structure is located on an outer surface of the semipermeable structure.

7. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous, thermally reflective structure is embedded within the semipermeable structure.

8. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermally reflective membrane exhibits one or more of a flat sheet shape, a hollow fiber shape, a tubular shape, a spiraled shape, and a honeycomb shape.

9. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a thermal isolation structure within the feed region of an internal chamber of the housing structure adjacent a first side of the thermally reflective membrane, the thermal isolation structure spaced apart from the thermally reflective membrane and comprising a thermally reflective material.

10. The thermally reflective membrane apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a cooling device within the permeate region of an internal chamber of the housing structure adjacent a second side of the thermally reflective membrane opposing the first side of the thermally reflective membrane, the cooling device spaced apart from the thermally reflective membrane.

11. A fluid treatment system, comprising:
a feed fluid source configured to produce a feed fluid stream comprising multiple materials;
a heat transfer apparatus configured and positioned to receive the feed fluid stream from the feed fluid source and to influence a temperature of the feed fluid stream; and
a thermally reflective membrane apparatus downstream of the feed fluid source and the heat transfer apparatus, the thermally reflective membrane apparatus comprising:
a housing structure; and
a thermally reflective membrane positioned between a feed region and a permeate region of an internal chamber of the housing structure, the permeate region of the internal chamber defining a cavity spaced apart from the thermally reflective membrane, and the thermally reflective membrane comprising:
a semipermeable structure; and
a porous, thermally reflective structure physically contacting the semipermeable structure and comprising:
discrete thermally reflective particles; and
a binder material coupling the discrete thermally reflective particles to one another and the semipermeable structure.

12. The fluid treatment system of claim 11 , wherein the feed region of the internal chamber of the housing structure is configured and positioned to receive the feed fluid stream.

13. The fluid treatment system of claim 12 , wherein the thermally reflective membrane apparatus further comprises a thermally reflective structure within the feed region of the internal chamber of the housing structure and separated, from the porous, thermally reflective structure.

14. The fluid treatment system of claim 12 , further comprising an additional fluid source configured to produce an additional fluid stream, the permeate region of the internal chamber of the housing structure configured and positioned to receive the additional fluid stream.

15. The fluid treatment system of claim 12 , further comprising a cooling device within, upstream of, or downstream of the permeate region of the internal chamber of the housing structure.

16. The fluid treatment system of claim 11 , wherein the semipermeable structure and the discrete thermally reflective particles of the porous, thermally reflective structure are hydrophobic.

17. The fluid treatment system of claim 11 , further comprising an energy source operatively coupled to the heat transfer apparatus, the energy source configured and operated to utilize one or more of solar thermal energy, wind energy, hydropower energy, geothermal energy, nuclear energy, fuel cell energy, combustion-based energy, waste heat, and recovered heat.

18. A method of treating a fluid, comprising:
introducing a feed fluid stream comprising multiple materials to a first side of a thermally, reflective membrane positioned between a feed region and a permeate region of an internal chamber of a housing structure the thermally reflective membrane comprising a semipermeable structure and a porous, thermally reflective structure comprising discrete thermally reflective particles and a binder material coupling the discrete thermally reflective particles to one another and the semipermeable structure, the thermally reflective structure on a side of the permeate region of the internal chamber and physically contacting the semipermeable structure, the first side of the thermally reflective membrane having a greater temperature than a second, opposing side of the thermally reflective membrane; and
transferring one or more of the multiple materials of the feed fluid stream through the thermally reflective membrane and to the second, opposing side of the thermally reflective membrane using membrane distillation.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
selecting the feed fluid stream to comprise an aqueous solution; and
selecting the thermally reflective membrane to comprise:
a hydrophobic semipermeable structure; and,
the porous, thermally reflective structure physically contacting the hydrophobic semipermeable structure and comprising:
hydrophobic, thermally reflective particles; and
a binder material coupling the hydrophobic, thermally reflective particles to one another and the semipermeable structure.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising employing one or more of solar thermal energy, wind energy, hydropower energy, geothermal energy, nuclear energy, fuel cell energy, combustion-based energy, waste heat, and recovered heat to heat the feed fluid stream prior to introducing the feed fluid stream to the first side of the thermally reflective membrane.

Assignees

• Battelle Energy Alliance Llc

Inventors

• Klaehn John R
• Orme Christopher J
• Wilson Aaron D
• Adhikari Birendra
• Stewart Frederick F
• Snyder Seth W

Classifications

• B01D2313/22

  Cooling or heating elements · CPC title

• B01D69/1216

  Three or more layers · CPC title

• B01D2313/36

  Energy sources · CPC title

• B01D69/02

  characterised by their properties · CPC title

• B01D61/364 Primary

  Membrane distillation · CPC title