Patent ID: 6139740
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: B01D,Y02A

Abstract:
A reverse osmosis water purification system comprisinga source of water to be purified;an impulse turbine (103) for providing energy recovery;a feed pump (101) being operatively connected to the impulse turbine (103) to supply a source of high pressure water to be purified;a first purification membrane chamber (104) having an inlet operatively connected to the feed pump for receiving a supply of high pressure unpurified water from the feed pump (101), the first purification membrane chamber (104) having an outlet for discharging water purified in the first purification membrane chamber (104), the first purification membrane chamber (104) having a discharge opening for discharging high pressure unpurified water from the first purification membrane chamber (104);a hydraulic turbocharger (108) having a turbine end T and a pump end P, the pump end P having an inlet for receiving the high pressure unpurified water from the first purification membrane chamber (104), and an outlet which discharges the high pressure unpurified water;a second purification membrane member chamber (112) having an inlet operatively connected to the outlet of the pump end P of the hydraulic turbocharger (108) for receiving the high pressure unpurified water from the pump end P of the turbocharger (108), the second purification membrane chamber (112) having an outlet for discharging water purified in the second purification membrane chamber (112), the second purification membrane chamber (112) having a discharge opening for discharging high pressure unpurified water from the second purification membrane chamber (112), the discharge opening being operatively connected to the turbine end T of the hydraulic turbocharger (108) and the impulse turbine (103),whereby the high pressure unpurified water from the second purification membrane chamber (112) can be used to drive the turbine end T of the hydraulic turbocharger (108) and/or the impulse turbine (103) to increase the pressure of the water to be purified that is supplied to the first (104) or the second (112) purification membrane chambers.