TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure of the present patent application relates to a desalination and cooling system, and particularly, to a combination of a single effect water-lithium bromide vapor absorption cycle (VAC) system and a forward osmosis with thermal-recovery (FO-TR) desalination system.

BACKGROUND ART

Water desalination using Forward Osmosis (FO) technology has drawn significant attention recently as a low energy-consumption technology. The driving force in the FO system relies on the difference in chemical potential of the water, and hence, on osmotic pressure between the feed solution (FS) and the draw solution (DS) as the operating pressure rather than hydraulic pressure.

For the FO process, a semi-permeable membrane separates a draw solution having high osmotic pressure from saline feed water having dissolved solutes such as seawater of lower osmotic pressure. The FO driving force is the water chemical potential (pw) difference between the feed solution and the draw solution. DS has high osmotic pressure and low water chemical potential (pw,DS), while the FS has lower osmotic pressure but higher water chemical potential (pw.FS). The result of pw,FS>pw,DS induces net water flow from the FS to the DS without applying pressure on the saline water such as in the case of a reverse osmosis (RO) system.

Generally, the main energy consumption step in an FO desalination system is the DS regeneration process. Among different methods for DS regeneration, is the heating of the DS to liberate fresh water and reconcentrate the DS again in a process called thermal recovery. In a thermal draw solution regeneration system, a special thermo-responsive draw solution (TRDS) is used to absorb fresh water from the feed seawater, while thermal energy is used to regenerate the DS from the diluted DS.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

A desalination and cooling system includes a single effect water-lithium bromide vapor absorption cycle (VAC) system and a forward osmosis with thermal-recovery (FO-TR) desalination system. The FO system employs a Thermo-Responsive Draw Solution (TRDS). Fresh water, i.e., desalinated water, flows from the FS to the TRDS without application of pressure on the saline water. Afterwards, only thermal energy is required to extract fresh water from the TRDS and recover or regenerate the draw solution. The VAC system serves as a cooling source for cooling or air conditioning applications, generating waste heat as a result. The waste heat generated by the VAC system provides the thermal energy needed to recover the draw solution (DS). The VAC system can be powered by low-grade heat sources like solar thermal energy.

These and other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a desalination and cooling system, showing operation in a combined desalination and cooling mode or configuration.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a desalination and cooling system, showing operation in a desalination only mode or configuration.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a desalination and cooling system, showing operation in a cooling only mode or configuration. Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A desalination and cooling system includes a forward osmosis with thermal recovery (FO-TR) desalination system and a water-lithium bromide (LiBr) vapor absorption cycle (VAC) system. The combination of the desalination system and the VAC system allows the desalination system to use rejected thermal energy from one or more cooling units associated with the VAC system.

The FO-TR desalination system can include a forward osmosis (FO) unit in which a semi-permeable membrane separates saline feed water from a draw solution having a higher osmotic pressure than the feed water. As a result, feed water flows from the feedwater side (FS) of the FO unit to the draw solution side (DS) of the FO unit without application of pressure. The draw solution can be a thermo-responsive draw solution (TRDS). When the TRDS extracts fresh water or desalinated water from the saline water feed stream, the TRDS becomes a diluted solution. To re-concentrate the diluted TRDS and extract fresh water therefrom, thermal energy can be applied to the diluted TRDS, e.g., in a Draw Solution Recovery Chamber (DSRC).

The VAC system can include an evaporator/absorber vessel and a generator. The evaporator/absorber vessel includes an evaporator that provides a cooling source for water that has been warmed after use in cooling applications (consumer cooling units) and an absorber in which a LiBr solution is sprayed to absorb refrigerant vapor coming from the evaporator. The heat produced from this process in the absorber provides a heating source for feed seawater flowing into the absorber through absorber coils. The generator receives the diluted LiBr solution from the absorber and separates water vapor from the LiBr solution. The separated hot vapor can be used as a heating source for the DSRC to withdraw fresh water from the TRDS and concentrate the TRDS. Thus, waste heat generated from the cooling application provides thermal heat energy for heating both the TRDS and the feed saline water. Heating the feed stream before the feed stream enters the FO can improve water permeability through the FO membrane and increase product yield.

In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 1, the system, designated 100, operates as both a desalination system and a cooling system. As described herein, the vapor absorption cycle (VAC) system includes evaporator/absorber unit 104 and generator 130. Feed saline water from a saline water source 101 is introduced into the system 100 via first conduit 102 and directed to coils on the absorber side of the evaporator/absorber unit 104 to cool the absorber of the evaporator/absorber unit 104 and, thereby, absorb heat. The heated saline water from the evaporator/absorber unit 104 is then directed to a draw solution heat exchanger (DSHEX) 106 for further heating. The DSHEX 106 can be any suitable heat exchanger. Heated saline water outputted from the DSHEX 106 is directed via conduit 108 through feed inlet port 110 to forward osmosis (FO) unit 112. To reduce the feedwater's temperature, cold saline water from saline water source 101 can be mixed with the heated feed water in the third conduit 108 before the heated feed water is introduced into the FO unit 112.

The FO unit 112 includes a semi-permeable membrane 113 that separates the heated saline feed water from a concentrated draw solution (DS) having a higher osmotic pressure than the feed water. The DS extracts pure water from the feed saline water across the FO membrane and becomes diluted DS. The diluted DS is then supplied to Draw Solution Recovery Chamber (DSRC) 118 via conduit 116 where it is heated by vapor generated in the VAC generator 130. The latent heat from the vapor separates freshwater from the DS, providing a freshwater stream and a heated and concentrated DS stream. The freshwater stream can be directed to a product storage tank via conduit 120. The heated and concentrated DS stream can be directed to heat-producing coils of the DSHEX 106 via conduit 122 for cooling before being directed to the FO 112 via conduit 124. The extracted freshwater flowing through conduit 120 from the FO 112 can be directed to one or more other filtration systems, prior to being collected in the product storage tank.

As mentioned previously, the VAC generator 130 can produce the vapor that is passed to the DSRC 118 via conduit 132. Fatent heat from the vapor provides the thermal energy needed to heat the diluted draw solution (DS) in the DSRC 118. Afterwards, condensed vapor from the DSRC flows to refrigerant expansion valve (R.EV) 136 via conduit 134. The R.Ev 136 throttles the liquid to a low pressure and temperature liquid-vapor mixture that flows to sprayers in the evaporator portion of the evaporator/absorber unit 104 via conduit 138. The throttled refrigerant can have a temperature ranging from about 5°C to about 6°C. The throttled refrigerant can be sprayed over the coils of the evaporator in the vessel 104 to cool warm water flowing through the coils from one or more air conditioning or cooling units 162 via conduit 164, thereby providing chilled water. The chilled water can be returned to the one or more air conditioning units 162 via conduit 160 for cooling applications. After use, the chilled water (now heated) from the one or more air conditioning units 162 can again be returned to the evaporator coils. The one or more air conditioning units can include pumps, fans, and controlling valves for producing air conditioning using the chilled water.

After the refrigerant is sprayed over the coils of the evaporator in the vessel 104, the refrigerant evaporates and becomes vapor that flows to the VAC's absorber through an opening between the evaporator and the absorber of vessel 104. A concentrated EiBr solution can be sprayed through the vapor on the absorber side. The EiBr solution can absorb the vapor and become a diluted LiBr solution. As, this absorption process is exothermic, cold saline water transferred from the saline water container via conduit 102 can cool the absorber side of the vessel 104, as discussed previously.

The system can include one or more temperature sensors and one or more pressure sensors. For example, one or more temperature sensors can be provided for measuring a temperature of the draw solution leaving the forward osmosis (FO) unit 112 and a temperature of the heated saline water leaving the evaporator/absorber unit 104. Additionally, a pressure sensor can be provided to measure the pressure differential of the flow of the EiBr solution across the pump 148. It should be understood that temperature sensors may be any suitable type of temperature sensors, such as thermocouples or the like. Similarly, it should be understood that each of pressure sensors may be any suitable type of pressure sensors, gauges or the like. A controller may be provided for communicating with each of temperature sensors each of the pressure sensors, pump 148, and or other components of the system. It should be understood that the controller may be any suitable type of controller, processor, programmable logic controller, or a personal computer.

It is to be understood that the desalination and cooling system is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the generic language of the following claims enabled by the embodiments described herein, or otherwise shown in the drawings or described above in terms sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter.