Other

Layne Christensen Company

James Jeffrey Harris

James William Harris

Upen Jayant Bharwada

COabsorption and desorption affords differing osmotic pressure metal salt osmolyte draw solutions from a common solution. These draw solutions serve a staged forward osmosis membrane process. First stage draw solution is the lowest osmotic pressure osmolyte. First stage concentrate is fed to the second stage and fresh water is externally extracted from the first stage diluted osmolyte. Concentrated first stage osmolyte returns from fresh water extraction, blends and is heated with solid precipitates of the lower osmotic pressure solute. COdesorbs from the lower osmotic pressure osmolyte converting to a higher osmotic pressure osmolyte. The higher osmotic pressure osmolyte serves as second stage draw solution to further dewatering the first stage concentrate. Second stage concentrate conveys to external processing or discharge. COabsorption converts the dilute high osmotic pressure osmolyte from the second stage to the lower osmotic pressure osmolyte serving as draw solution in the first stage.

Alternating osmotic pressure from a metal salt osmolyte to enhance forward osmosis processes

A filtration process are provided that facilitate a high quality, fine grade filtration without being burdened by the filter size, flushing, or plugging impediments inherent in the prior art. The filtration device used in the method is comprised of a topologic disk with a vacant circular center and a textured surface, and a conveyance disk with a vacant circular center and a grooved surface containing multiple inlet grooves and multiple outlet grooves. The textured surface of the topological disk and the grooved surface of the conveyance disk may be brought into direct contact with one another for filtration and separated from one another for flushing. At least one of the textured surface of the topological disk and the grooved surface of the conveyance disk may be rotated relative to the other prior to filtration. In one embodiment, the inlet grooves and the outlet grooves are configured in a spiral array.

Surface purveyed filtration process

A filtration appliance comprised of two types of convening disks, whereon opposing, contacting surfaces are textured or channeled, purveying passage and filtration of fluids traversing between the convening disks. A plurality of parallel, spiraling grooves on both sides of conveyance disks purvey channeling for fluid ingress and egress, inlet grooves spiral radially inward from the outside circumference, decreasing in width until terminating prior to the inside circumference, outlet grooves spiral radially outward from the inside circumference, decreasing in width until terminating prior to the outside circumference. Topologic disks conveying homogeneously textured surfaces for filtration sandwich conveyance disks. The textured topologic surface is pressed upon the conveyance surface between the grooves. Pressured dirty fluid ingresses the appliance via the conveyance disk inlet grooves, passes across the textured surface of the topologic disk surface, depositing residue thereon and egresses as clean fluid via the conveyance disk outlet grooves.

Surface purveyed filtration device

A self cleaning filtration device wherein an activation piston, laterally supported within an activation cylinder is immersed in filtrate within the confines of an immersion chamber. The immersion chamber receives filtrate from a disk filtration stack via orifices and sparger support tubes (the 'Tubes'). Gas pressure (i) drives the piston, the Tubes, and the disk compression block upward and (ii) forces the immersion chamber fluid through the Tubes to separate the disks. The Tubes contain gas entrainment orifices on the side of the piston that are configured to facilitate entrainment of gas into the fluid. The entrained fluid impacts the opened disks with a high energy dispersed scouring action, to flush the disks clean.

Filtrate immersed activation assembly for disk filters

A self cleaning filter includes a body ( ), inlet ( ), outlet ( ), flush inlet ( ) and waste outlet ( ). Elements ( ) provide filtration while compressed but are cleaned decompressed. Feed from inlet port ( ), impacts and swirls from an impeller ( ) on moveable plunger ( ) for preliminary centrifugal separation. During filtration plunger ( ) is positioned to open the inlet port ( ), the filtrate port ( ) and compress filtration elements ( ). The swirling feed permeates the filtration elements ( ) and passes filtrate port ( ), filtrate valve ( ), filtrate plenum ( ), and exits the filtrate outlet ( ). Plunger ( ) is moved and cleaning is provided by supplication of pressurized cleaning media to the back flush receiver plenum ( ) via the back flush media inlet ( ). This pressure motivates plunger( ) to close inlet port ( ), filtrate port ( ) and decompress filtration elements ( ). Multidirectional jets ( ) and ( ) of cleaning media exits orifices ( ) and ( ) to flush the filtration elements ( ) in an optimal multidirectional fashion. Waste is discharged from waste outlet ( ).

Integral valved filter

An evaporative process employing an undulating flexible membrane ( ) as an evaporative surface onto which a vaporizing gas ( ) such as, but not limited to, air, contacts a liquid solution ( ) such as, but not limited to, water, and evaporation occurs. The membrane ( ) is supported ( ) with sufficient laxity to permit wavelike undulating motion of the membrane brought about primarily by the evaporative airflow ( ) itself. The differential flexing and motion of the undulating membrane ( ) results in a breaking and peeling away of any normally fouling scaling or plugging solids which have precipitated or accumulated on the membrane surface ( ). The undulation of the flexible membrane ( ) thereby providing a self cleaning action. The self cleaning action of the membrane ( ) assures successful application to evaporative processes with solutions ( ) which are prone to scaling, fouling, plugging or solutes buildup. The undulating membrane surfaces ( ) can be employed for harvesting of solutes or concentration of solutions ( ) in low temperature air ( ) induced evaporative processes. Also, the undulating membrane ( ) evaporative surface provides exemplary service for evaporative cooling processes by enabling the employment of low quality water ( ) as a coolant as well as by reducing or eliminating blow down discharge of concentrated liquid coolant.

Undulating membrane surface for evaporative processes

A heat transfer process for a liquid (5) using counterflow, direct contact with another, immiscible fluid (1), of differing temperature and density, in the presence of a free floating media bed (7). Heat transfer within the liquid (5) occurring as a consequence of direct contact with the immiscible fluid (1) of differing temperature. The counterflow motion a consequence of buoyancy forces resulting from the different densities of the liquid (5) and immiscible fluid (1). The media bed (7) being of a nature preferentially wetted by the immiscible fluid (1), thereby providing a large film type surface area of the immiscible fluid (1) for direct contact heat transfer with the liquid (5). The free floating nature of the media bed (7) resulting from the materials comprising the media being of a density intermediate between that of the liquid (5) and that of the immiscible fluid (1). The free floating media bed (7) being by nature nonplugging and providing enhanced direct contact heat transfer by the extended fluid film surfaces confined therein.

Immiscible, direct contact, floating bed enhanced, liquid/liquid heat

A low temperature process for the dehydration of aqueous glycol solutions using an induced airflow (3) and low temperature thermal sources (4, 21) to reduce the water concentration in aqueous glycol solutions (22). The invention utilizes the ability for air to evaporate water at low vapor pressures and corresponding low vapor temperatures in a direct contacting device (5). The relative vapor pressures of glycol to water at low temperatures assures the preferential vaporization rate of water over that of glycol thereby providing dehydration and effective regeneration of aqueous glycol solutions.

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Cameron Park, CA, United States of America

James Jeffrey Harris