Fluid Technology Solutions (fts), Inc.

Hydration Systems LLC

Osmotek, Inc.

Other

Finnigan Corporation

Dead Sea Works Ltd.

Hitachi Cable America, Inc.

John R Herron

Edward G Beaudry

Carl E Jochums

Luis E Medina

Edward Gerard Beaudry

Alan E Schoen

Mark Allen Adams

Upen Jayant Bharwada

Bruce S Johnson

Edward Beaudry

Mukul Khosla

John M Brassil

Mark Schutter

Walter L Schultz

Dennis L Heinz

Troy J Hickman

Michael J Pruzin

Patrick M Houghlin

Yoshiji Kinoshita

Upen J Bharwada

Khalil Abu-Rabeah

Liat Yehuda-Zada

Mordechay Aharoni

Gregory Genkin

Methods and systems of lowering a concentration of divalent cations in lithium-containing brines are described. A method includes diluting saturated salar brine such that sodium chloride concentration is at most about 80% of saturation. The method also includes feeding the diluted salar brine to a high pressure nanofiltration system operating at pressure above about 60 bar effective to form a permeate and a concentrate. The method also includes collecting the permeate having a lower concentration of divalent cations relative to the saturated salar brine.

Methods and systems for reducing magnesium in high salinity salar brines by nanofiltration and forward osmosis

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to membranes for filtration, methods of manufacturing the same, and membrane modules incorporating the same. In an embodiment, a membrane is disclosed. The membrane includes a porous cellulose layer, a polyamide thin film layer bonded to the porous cellulose layer, and a fabric support layer that supports the porous cellulose layer and the polyamide thin film layer. The porous cellulose layer has a pore size of about 30 nm to about 500 nm at an exposed surface of the porous cellulose layer.

Thin films covalently bonded to cellulose ester membranes and methods of making the same

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to methods and systems for treating wastewater via forward osmosis. By way of example, the methods and systems disclosed herein may be used to filter one or more precipitated salts and/or other particles from wastewater generated by power plants such as flue gas wastewater, oil and gas wastewater, and other industrial processes. For example, the methods and systems disclosed herein may be used to filter one or more precipitated salts from a wastewater feed concentrate formed during the forward osmosis process that is recirculated through at least one membrane module to continue the forward osmosis process. Filtering the one or more precipitated salts from the wastewater feed concentrate helps limit clogging of open channel feed spacer(s) of the at least one membrane module.

Methods and systems for treating wastewater via forward osmosis

Embodiments described herein are directed to methods of manufacturing a multi-leaf membrane module for filtering product fluid flow (e.g., food products or wastewater) and such multi-leaf membrane modules. In an embodiment, a multi-leaf membrane module is disclosed. The multi-leaf membrane module includes a permeate fluid flow tube defining a permeate fluid flow channel for permeate, and a membrane sheet spirally wound about the permeate fluid flow tube. The membrane sheet includes two or more leaves. Each of the two or more leaves includes a feed spacer including at least one opening formed therein that at least partially defines a feed channel for product fluid flow therethrough and a permeate structure defining a permeate fluid flow channel. The permeate structure of each of the two or more leaves includes at least one membrane and at least one porous permeate spacer.

Methods of manufacturing a multi-leaf membrane module and multi-leaf membrane modules

Described herein is a submerged plate membrane device intended for use in forward osmosis processes, particularly for concentrating various process streams such as those in ponds. Particular examples of feed streams that may be concentrated are for example the following feed solutions: brines, seawater, drilling mud, waste water, bio-digestate, and the like. Thus, the process and device described herein are useful for de-watering, and thus concentrating, the content of solar evaporation ponds and drilling mud ponds.

Submerged plate forward osmosis systems

A method of forming a gas separation membrane including: depositing a first hydrophilic polymer solution; depositing on top of the first hydrophilic polymer solution a second, different hydrophilic polymer solution, thereby forming a two-layer polymer solution; forming the two-layer polymer solution into one of a forward osmosis membrane and a pressure retarded osmosis membrane by bringing the second, different hydrophilic polymer solution into contact with water to form the dense layer; coating one of the forward osmosis membrane and the pressure retarded osmosis membrane with a thin layer of a third, different, hydrophilic polymer more pH tolerant than the first and second hydrophilic polymer solutions to form a dense rejection layer thereon; and exposing one of the coated forward osmosis membrane and the coated pressure retarded osmosis membrane to a high pH solution. A gas separation membrane formed from the foregoing process.

Gas separation membrane

A center tube is disclosed which allows a draw solution to flow through all membrane elements in a membrane system in parallel. The center tube may include a cylindrical wall with two open ends and a barrier element there between separating an upstream chamber and a downstream chamber within the cylindrical wall. At least one non-perforated bypass tube may be located substantially within the cylindrical wall, which extends a length of the downstream chamber and/or the upstream chamber so that the upstream chamber is configured to communicate with a second upstream chamber of a second center tube and/or the downstream chamber is configured to communicate with a second downstream chamber of the second center tube.

Center tube configuration for a multiple spiral wound forward osmosis element

A self-regulating FO system is disclosed comprising a container containing a source water supply, a forward osmosis membrane element located within the container comprising an area of osmotic membranes, an osmotic agent inlet and a drink outlet, an osmotic pump element also located within the container comprising an area of osmotic membranes, an osmotic agent inlet and a drink outlet, and an osmotic agent tank located above the container. The osmotic agent tank comprises a feed tube connected to an outlet located on the bottom of the osmotic agent tank. The feed tube communicates with the osmotic agent inlet of the forward osmosis membrane unit and the osmotic agent inlet of the osmotic pump element. A return tube communicates with the drink outlet of the osmotic pump element and a port near the top of the osmotic agent tank.

Osmotic pump for forward osmosis devices

A filament assembly is disclosed for providing an electron beam to an ion source volume to ionize molecules or particles in the ion source volume. The filament assembly includes an electron lens which accelerates electrons emitted by the filament and focuses the electrons into a beam.

Filament assembly for mass spectrometer ion sources

In a multiple-chambered electrodialysis cell having an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, a plurality of brine chambers, and a plurality of desalinate chambers, said chambers defined by a plurality of membranes wherein the improvement comprises providing membrane supports in the brine chambers, said membrane support members of adjacent brine chambers are offset so that when the pressure of the fluid in the desalinate chambers is greater than the pressure of the brine chambers, the membranes deflect against said membrane supports, causing the desalinate chambers to become corrugated.

Turbulent flow electrodialysis cell

There is disclosed a two-chambered electrocell comprising one or a plurality of anode chambers, a crude flow inlet and a crude flow outlet communicating with the anode chamber, one or a plurality of cathode chambers, and a catholyte outlet communicating with the cathode chamber, wherein cylindrical anodes are located in the anode chamber, wherein the anode chamber is defined by a membrane having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the membrane communicates with crude fluid circulating within the anode chamber, and wherein the second side of the membrane is supported by a plurality of support members, wherein a pressure of crude fluid in the anode chamber deflects the membrane between the support members toward the cathode to form a crude flow path having a constantly changing direction, and wherein the cathode chamber is defined by the second side of the membrane and the two-chambered electrocell, and the support members and a cathode are located in the cathode chamber.

An improved sandpaper cutting guide is disclosed having a series of recesses to receive different sized pieces of sandpaper. The longer side of a standard sized sheet of sandpaper is placed in one of the slots for cutting the sheet in half or the end of the standard sized sheet may be placed in another slot for cutting a one-third sheet piece. A cutting tool is inserted through a slit in the guide and drawn across the guide to cut a selected one of several smaller, also standard, piece sizes from the sheet. The same slit guides the cutting tool for all sizes with size being determined by the recess into which the sheet is placed. Access openings are provided to aid in removal of the cut piece from the guide. Preferably, recesses are provided for cutting the standard sized sheet into halves, thirds, quarters or sixths.

Sandpaper cutting guide

There is disclosed an osmotic concentration cell wherein the flow chamber of the osmotic concentration cell has a continually changing flow path to provide a region of high turbulence to a semipermeable membrane defining the flow chamber. High turbulence at a first semipermeable membrane interface significantly reduces membrane fouling during osmotic concentration and allows for concentration of products with high suspended solids content. The inventive osmotic concentration cell can be used for a variety of purposes including, for example, producing low alcohol wine, concentrating a thin wine into a premium wine, concentrating a low quality grape juice into a higher quality grape juice for fermenting a more premium wine, concentrating various fruit or vegetable juices, and concentrating various beverages, such as teas or coffee.

Growing community of inventors

Corvallis, OR, United States of America

John R Herron