Patent ID: 9617172
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: B01D,C02F,Y02A

Claim:
1. A desalination system comprising: a membrane system configured to perform a reverse osmosis (RO) of seawater, the membrane system submerged in an ocean at a depth selected to provide a hydrostatic pressure for generating the reverse osmosis (RO), the membrane system comprising a plurality of membrane discs mounted to a freshwater collection conduit in a spaced array, each membrane disc comprising a membrane substrate coated with a membrane film in flow communication with the seawater at the depth, the freshwater collection conduit comprising a tubular having a plurality of orifices therethrough in flow communication with the membrane discs at a low-pressure side thereof, the freshwater collection conduit configured to receive freshwater produced by the reverse osmosis (RO) of the seawater by the membrane discs; the membrane system is included in a perforated casing in flow communication with the seawater at the depth; and a pumping system comprising a casing in flow communication with the freshwater collection conduit configured to receive the freshwater, a shaft rotatably mounted in the casing and a plurality of impellers attached to the shaft configured to pump the freshwater through the casing to a surface of the ocean, the casing configured to provide the low-pressure side for the membrane discs by pumping of the freshwater by the impellers.