I.d.e. Technologies Ltd.

Membrane Recovery Ltd.

Ide Water Technologies Ltd.

Boris Liberman

Gal Greenberg

Igal Liberman

Vitaly Levitin

Amnon Levy

Miriam Faigon

Tomer Efrat

Herman Weiss

Yosef Pinhas

Maya Ilevicky-Ozel

Yacov Ben-Yaish

Erez Reuveni

Vitality Levitin

Victor Dvornikov

Yaron Egozy

Maya Ilevicky-ozel

David Hefer

Disclosed herein are apparatuses and methods for semi-permeable membrane cleaning. In particular, a pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process redirects raw solution and fluid streams in such a way as to cause periodic changes of the process from PRO to reverse osmosis (RO) for lifting and detaching fouling. Further disclosed is applying, at least periodically, a pulsed-flow regime in the fluid stream, thereby causing increased shearing force for enhanced evacuation of the foulant. Additionally, a backward wash may be provided by injection, for a predetermined injection time, of additional solution selected in such way that net driving pressure becomes RO opposite to normal PRO operation, thereby providing a backward flow from a first side of the membrane to a second side of the membrane, so as to lift and evacuate foulant.

Forward osmotic and water hammer method of membrane cleaning

A sea water intake system comprising a main sea water intake pipe, one end of the sea water intake pipe being provided with a centrifugal chamber, the chamber having at least one tangential inlet for entry of sea water to cause rotation of the sea water in the chamber. The other end of the intake pipe terminates in a sump, the sump having a water level lower than that of sea level and having a pump to transport sea water from the sump through a delivery pipe to a treatment plant. A central region of the centrifugal chamber is in fluid communication with a substantially vertical airlift pipe having an air inlet at, or close, to the chamber and a water exit remote from the chamber.

Environmentally friendly sea water intake system

A water intake and pretreatment system () comprising an inlet for delivering water from a natural source to a reservoir (); said inlet to reservoir having a net screen () to prevent entry of organisms above a predetermined size and including a one-way gate () to allow organisms to exit the reservoir; said reservoir further comprising a granular filter media for water and algae filtration; and a drainage layer for removal of filtered water from the granular filter media to a drainage outlet. A local backwashing apparatus () is included for localized backwashing of the granular filter media.

Environmentally friendly water intake and pretreatment system

Locally backwashing portions of filter media allows a simple and effective design of intake and pretreatment units, as well as their integration. An enclosure is used to limit portions of filter media and backwash them locally by suction, utilizing filtered water from adjacent filter media as the back wash water. Wastewater is produced at small amounts that allows efficient sludge treatment. This design enables water pretreatment at the intake unit, simplifying overall plant design and preventing damage to organisms living outside the intake unit.

Integrated unit for intake and pretreatment with local backwashing

Apparatus and method for semi-permeable membrane cleaning in particular, applying series of pulsed water stroke, made simultaneously with osmosis backward flow causing superposed membrane directional shaking and fouling detachment. Pulsed water stroke provided by water stroke generator as several momentum sharp changes in gauge pressure and induce velocity pulse of residual brine flow. The pulsed water strokes ideally induce resonance in the membrane. Osmosis backward wash may be provided either by injection for predetermined injection time, additional solution selected in such way that net driving pressure becomes opposite to normal osmotic operation thereby providing a backward flow of permeate towards to the side opposite to normal operation mode, so as to lift said foulant, or by throttling permeate exiting from the permeate enclosure, until the net driving pressure value become equal to zero, during application of precise synchronized and opposing brine and permeate pressure strokes thereby providing a plurality of quick RO-FO-RO process changes. These procedures allow a membrane to be kept continuously clean and operate at higher recovery.

A pumping apparatus for a water treatment plant, the pumping apparatus comprising a gas supply, at least one gas turbineconnected to the gas supply, the at least one gas turbine connected to drive at least one primary pumpthrough a reduction gear trainand clutch, a waste heat boilerhaving a feed water input, the waste heat boiler having an exhaust gas inputto receive exhaust gas from the at least one gas turbineand generate steam from the feed water, the waste heat boiler having an steam output, the apparatus further comprising at least one steam turbine, the at least one steam turbine connected to drive at least one secondary pump, the at least one steam turbine being connected to the steam outputof the waste heat boiler, the at least one steam turbinefurther having an exhaust steam output, the apparatus further comprising a condensing apparatusto receive steam from the exhaust steam output and generate a feed water stream at a feed water output, the feed water outlet being connected to the feed water input of the waste heat boiler

Water treatment plant

A local backwashing apparatusfor a filtering system comprises an enclosurehaving an open lower end, positionable above a surface of filter mediasupported by a drainage layerThe enclosure is connected to a mechanical member (FIG.A) configured to force the enclosure into the filter media and release the force prior to the lower end of the enclosure contacting the drainage layer. The lower end of the enclosure being brought into contact with the drainage layer through a pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the enclosure. A pneumatic system such as an air pump, is in fluid communication with the upper partof the enclosure and is configured to determine an air pressure therein. A pipe system connects the upper part of the enclosure with the pneumatic system and with a discharge structureA control unit is connected to the pneumatic system. Also disclosed is a method of backwashing a filtering system. The backwashing apparatus may be used to pre-treat water.

Apparatus and method for semi-permeable membrane cleaning in particular, applying series of pulsed water stroke, made simultaneously with osmosis backward flow causing superposed membrane directional shaking and fouling detachment. Pulsed water stroke provided by water stroke generator as several momentum sharp changes in gauge pressure and induce velocity pulse of residual brine flow. The pulsed water strokes ideally induce resonance in the membrane. Osmosis backward wash may be provided either by injection for predetermined injection time, additional solution selected in such way that net driving pressure be-comes opposite to normal osmotic operation thereby providing a backward flow of permeate towards to the side opposite to normal operation mode, so as to lift said foulant, or by throttling permeate exiting from the permeate enclosure, until the net driving pressure value become equal to zero, during application of precise synchronized and opposing brine and permeate pressure strokes thereby providing a plurality of quick RO-FO-RO process changes. These procedures allow a membrane to be kept continuously clean and operate at higher recovery.

An osmosis element comprising a central permeate tube and a membrane element, the membrane having a first part and a second part, the first part having a top edge for location adjacent the central tube, the second part being disposed at the opposite edge, the first part comprising a material to allow water to flow therethrough, the second part comprising at least two adjacent permeate spacers extending from the first part to allow water to flow therethrough, the permeate spacers having a semi-permeable membrane attached to opposed faces of the two adjacent permeate spacers, the first part comprising a barrier extending from the vicinity of the top edge, the central tube comprising an external wall and a longitudinally extending internal separator defining a first channel and a second channel each extending longitudinally of the central permeate tube, at least one first aperture extending from the first channel though the external wall and at least one second aperture extending from the second channel through the external wall.

Osmosis apparatus

A desalination system () having an intake unit () providing seawater to a pre-treatment unit () connected to a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination unit () and a post treatment unit (). The desalination system () is configured to operate without any external addition of chemicals to simplify logistics and regulation concerns. The units of the system are configured to prevent biofouling, scaling and corrosion by mechanical and biological means including high flow speeds, biological flocculation of colloids, and making the water entering the RO units inhospitable to bacteria and other organisms that cause biofouling, hence preventing their settlement and removing them with the brine. Recovery rate is lowered and energy is recovered to increase the energetic efficiency and minerals that are added to the product water are taken from the brine.

Chemical free and energy efficient desalination system

A method of operating a pressure-retarded osmosis plant, the plant comprising at least one osmosis element having a semi-permeable membrane, the semi-permeable membrane defining a feed side and a permeate side of the osmosis element, the method comprising, in a first mode of operation, supplying a feed stream having a relatively high concentration of solute to the feed side, supplying a permeate stream having a relatively low concentration of solute to an inlet of the permeate side, and receiving a feed outlet stream from the feed side wherein permeate has passed through the semi-permeable membrane from the permeate side to the feed side, in a second mode of operation, supplying a backwash stream having a relatively low concentration to the feed side of the osmosis element such that water passes through the semi-permeable membrane, and receiving a permeate outlet stream from an outlet of the permeate side, the method further comprising alternately performing the first mode of operation, to perform a production step, and performing the second mode of operation, to reduce fouling of the semi-permeable membrane.

Growing community of inventors

Even Yehuda, Israel

Boris Liberman