AU2007291688A1 - A water distribution system - Google Patents
A water distribution system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- AU2007291688A1 AU2007291688A1 AU2007291688A AU2007291688A AU2007291688A1 AU 2007291688 A1 AU2007291688 A1 AU 2007291688A1 AU 2007291688 A AU2007291688 A AU 2007291688A AU 2007291688 A AU2007291688 A AU 2007291688A AU 2007291688 A1 AU2007291688 A1 AU 2007291688A1
- Authority
- AU
- Australia
- Prior art keywords
- water
- consumer
- brine
- contaminated water
- contaminated
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 title claims description 127
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 title description 4
- 239000012267 brine Substances 0.000 claims description 39
- HPALAKNZSZLMCH-UHFFFAOYSA-M sodium;chloride;hydrate Chemical compound O.[Na+].[Cl-] HPALAKNZSZLMCH-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 claims description 39
- 239000008213 purified water Substances 0.000 claims description 35
- 238000000746 purification Methods 0.000 claims description 21
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 claims description 21
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000001223 reverse osmosis Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000002156 mixing Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000010612 desalination reaction Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000013505 freshwater Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 4
- 235000002639 sodium chloride Nutrition 0.000 description 4
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 3
- 150000003839 salts Chemical class 0.000 description 3
- 230000000844 anti-bacterial effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 2
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000002041 carbon nanotube Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910021393 carbon nanotube Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010411 cooking Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005265 energy consumption Methods 0.000 description 1
- JEGUKCSWCFPDGT-UHFFFAOYSA-N h2o hydrate Chemical class O.O JEGUKCSWCFPDGT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 231100001261 hazardous Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012432 intermediate storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012466 permeate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000013535 sea water Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011780 sodium chloride Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000009182 swimming Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009466 transformation Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03B—INSTALLATIONS OR METHODS FOR OBTAINING, COLLECTING, OR DISTRIBUTING WATER
- E03B3/00—Methods or installations for obtaining or collecting drinking water or tap water
- E03B3/06—Methods or installations for obtaining or collecting drinking water or tap water from underground
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D61/00—Processes of separation using semi-permeable membranes, e.g. dialysis, osmosis or ultrafiltration; Apparatus, accessories or auxiliary operations specially adapted therefor
- B01D61/02—Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration ; Nanofiltration
- B01D61/025—Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D61/00—Processes of separation using semi-permeable membranes, e.g. dialysis, osmosis or ultrafiltration; Apparatus, accessories or auxiliary operations specially adapted therefor
- B01D61/02—Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration ; Nanofiltration
- B01D61/06—Energy recovery
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
- C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
- C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
- C02F1/44—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis
- C02F1/441—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis by reverse osmosis
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Nanotechnology (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Separation Using Semi-Permeable Membranes (AREA)
Description
WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 A WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM INTRODUCTION The present invention relates to a water supply system for distributing water between a supply and a consumer. 5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Shortage of natural freshwater increasingly urges communities around the world to narrowly regulate water distribution and consumption, and in some areas, lack of freshwater of a satisfactory quality necessitates chemical or mechanical purification of water or even desalination of 10 saltwater. This causes increasing water costs and dependence on a constant energy supply for the often very energy consuming purification and desalination processes. In some geographical locations, distribution of natural freshwater is completely prohibited, and the potentials of such locations are obviously limited. 15 On ships and in certain geographical locations, purification or desalination by use of reverse osmosis (RO) is a common solution. In this process, the contaminated water is pressurized and permeated through a membrane which retains salt and other unwanted contents. US 6,056,878 describes a method for treating water, and US 2004/0049230 describes a biological 20 membrane to be used in a water purification process. In household and industry, a quantity of the distributed water is consumed for vital purposes, e.g. for cooking and sanitation etc. Often, the quality of the water for such purposes is governed by national or regional\ instructions. Typically, a larger quantity of the distributed water is WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 2 consumed for non-vital purposes, e.g. for cooling down industrial processes, for laundry and cleaning purposes, or in general for purposes wherein the quality of the water is less important or even unimportant. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 5 It is an object of one embodiment of the invention to provide better access to purified water of an acceptable quality for vital purposes, to reduce energy consumption, and to make better use of water with different qualities for different purposes. According to a first aspect, the invention provides a water supply system comprising a forward conduit for supplying 10 contaminated water from a supply structure to a consumer structure, a consumer structure comprising a purification structure for separating the contaminated water into purified water and brine, at least one water outlet for delivering purified water to a consumer, and a rearward conduit for removing the brine from the consumer site, e.g. for returning the brine to 15 the supply structure where the brine could be regenerated, discharged, or used for purposes where the quality of the water is less important. In the following description, purified water denotes water with a lower content of contaminants than the water which is supplied to the consumer, and brine denotes water with a higher content of contaminants than the 20 water which is supplied via the forward conduit. In other words, what is denoted purified water does not necessarily have to be clean water but water which is less contaminated than the supplied water, and the wording contaminated water, purified water, and brine simply denotes three different quality grades of water. Contaminants denote anything which 25 could be contained in the water, e.g. regular salt. In one example, the water which is supplied is regular saltwater, e.g. seawater. The purification structure could be of any kind known in the art, e.g. an RO system where contaminated water, e.g. saltwater is filtered under a large pressure WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 3 through a membrane to provide freshwater and brine. The water desalination system could e.g. use carbon nanotube membranes, or the purification could be in a system of the kind which is described in US 6,056,878. 5 Since the consumer receives contaminated water and the conversion of the contaminated water into purified water occurs at the consumers site, the consumer may judge based on individual needs and preferences when to use purified water, contaminated water, or brine, or even to mix contaminated water and purified water to obtain water with a quality which 10 is sufficiently high for a specific purpose. It is a further advantage that the purification may occur immediately before consumption without intermediate storage, transportation in long pipe lines, possible additional contamination and exposure to light or high temperatures etc. The consumer structure may further comprise a number of water outlets 15 for delivering contaminated water to a consumer and/or a number of brine outlets for delivering the brine to a consumer. In that way, the consumer may select between up to three different fixed grades of water qualities e.g. having different salt contents based on the specific purpose. The system may further comprise a mixing outlet for delivering a mixture of at 20 least two of the purified water, contaminated water, and brine to the consumer to provide even better options for adapting the quality of the water to a specific purpose and thus for reducing the costs of the water consumption to a minimum. The supply structure may comprise pre-filtering facilities for filtering out 25 larger particles prior forwarding of the contaminated water to the consumer. Depending upon the quality of the contaminated water, it may further be necessary to anti-bacterially treat the water prior to the consumption. Since such processes can be potentially environmentally WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 4 hazardous, or they may require expensive equipment or special education, it may be an advantage to perform such anti-bacterial treatment prior to the forwarding of the contaminated water to the consumer. Accordingly, the supply structure may comprise facilities for such water treatment. If a 5 chemical composition is added to the contaminated water prior to the forwarding to the consumer structure, the chemical composition may be returned to the supply structure with the brine. The supply structure may thus comprise facilities for removing the chemical composition from the brine, e.g. for reusing the composition in the contaminated water which is 10 to be forwarded to the consumer structure. The system may further comprise a local storage tank arranged at the consumer structure for storage of the purified water. The storage tank may comprise a level meter for determining a content of the local storage tank, and based on the content of the local storage tank, purified water may be 15 conducted in a purified water conduit from the consumer structure to a central storage tank, e.g. a tank which is shared amongst a number of consumers. Accordingly, the system may comprise a pumping structure controlled by the level meter for pumping purified water from the consumer structure to the central storage tank based on the content of the local 20 storage tank. Advantageously, the central storage tank is located above the consumer structure so that subsequent consumption of the purified water may occur with no further forced pumping. Since the process of separating contaminated water into purified water and brine requires a large amount of energy, it may be an advantage to 25 provide a power source which is based on a renewable energy source, e.g. a wind turbine etc. Such power sources typically have a variable energy supply. A wind mill, as an example, generates power in response to the wind speed, solar cells in response to solar intensity etc. Accordingly, the local and/or the central storage tank could serve as an WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 5 energy reservoir which receives purified water when sufficient renewable energy is available and which delivers purified water when the power source is incapable of producing sufficient energy for the separation process. In fact, in combination with the water supply system according to 5 the invention, it may serve as a flexible buffer for consuming an excessive energy production during periods with excessive renewable energy and for storage of the "energy" in the form of purified water. To facilitate efficient installation of the system in a community, the forward conduit and the rearward conduit could be formed in a single pipe. 10 In a second aspect, the invention provides a method of supplying water to a community wherein contaminated water is supplied from a supply structure to a consumer structure, the water is purified at the consumer structure by separating the contaminated water into purified water and brine, and the brine is removed from the consumer structure and e.g. 15 returned to the supply structure. In a third aspect, the invention provides a method of utilizing excess renewable energy wherein the renewable energy is utilized for separating purified water and brine from contaminated water, and the purified water is stored in a storage tank. 20 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in further details with reference to the drawing in which: Fig. I illustrates a water supply system 1 comprising a forward conduit 2 for supplying contaminated water from a supply structure 3 to a plurality of 25 consumer structures, in this case residential properties or houses 4. Each WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 6 house comprises a purification structure 5 for separating the contaminated water into purified water and brine. The purification structure is shown in further details in Fig. 2, and described in further details e.g. in US 7,081,205. The system further comprises rearward conduits 6 for returning 5 the brine from the consumer structure 4 to the supply structure 3. When one of the purification structures produces more purified water than what is consumed in the house, the excess amount is stored in a local tank and/or conducted via the reservoir conduit 7 to a central storage tank 8. Two of the purification structures are powered by wind turbines 9. 10 The contaminated water is collected from a contaminated water well 10 and the brine is discharged, e.g. directly into the ocean at a distance from the well in order not to cause increasing salt content in the contaminated water. The pressure in the forward conduit 2 is 2-6 bar, and the pressure is preferably maintained constant. For this purpose the feeding pump 11 is 15 controlled by a frequency converter 12 which receives a pressure signal from the pressure sensor 13. The contaminated water is pre-filtered in a filter 14 which prevents solid particles to settle in the forward conduit 2. The flow is measured by a flow meter 15, and the contaminated water is treated by UV radiation in the device 16 and chemical compositions known 20 per se e.g. for anti bacterial treatment are added in the device 17 Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic view of a portion of a purification structure comprising an RO chamber 18, a pump 19 and a pressure recovery unit 20. The RO chamber 18 receives contaminated water via the forward conduits 21. The pump 19 pressurizes the contaminated water which is 25 received at a pressure in the range of 2-6 bar to around 70 bar pressure. Due to the high pressure, a portion of the contaminated water permeates through the RO membrane 22 and leaves the RO chamber as purified water at the outlet 23 while another portion leaves the RO chamber as brine at the outlet 24. The brine typically has a pressure in the range of 68- WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 7 69 bar. The brine enters the pressure recovery unit 20 and the relatively large pressure of the brine is utilized for pressurizing a smaller portion of contaminated water, via the conduits 25, 26. The brine is returned to the supply structure via the outlet 27. If the brine must be transported back to 5 the water supply structure, or if the brine is used for purposes requiring a certain pressure, e.g. for cleaning or cooling purposes, the pressure recovery unit 20 may advantageously be adjusted to step down the pressure from the approximately 68-69 bar to the pressure which is desired, e.g. a pressure in the range of 2-5 bar. 10 In order to make better usage of the purification structures in the individual consumer structures, each purification structure may be adapted to provide a measure for its present load, e.g. how many litters of water which is purified per time measure, e.g. in percentage of a maximum possible purification rate for the structure in question. These measures 15 could be transmitted to a central control unit, e.g. located at the supply structure, and the supply structure may thus request an increased production rate if purified water is requested elsewhere, or the supply structure may request a decreased production rate, e.g. if contaminated water is requested elsewhere - e.g. for important purposes such as fire 20 fighting etc. A central unit may further control the step down pressure transformation which takes place at each purification structure, e.g. in pressure recovery units. As an example, the central unit may request an increased pressure in the rearward conduit 6 in case brine is requested elsewhere, e.g. for fire 25 fighting purposes. To ensure a constant availability of water, the consumer structures may contain a reservoir for the contaminated water. Such a reservoir may in addition form part of a fire-fighting system and may comprise a large tank WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 8 which is located on the roof of the property to which the consumer structure belongs. Alternatively, the reservoir could comprise a swimming pool etc. To reduce the consumption of contaminated water which is received from the supply structure, the reservoir may further receive 5 rainwater etc.
Claims (23)
1. A water supply system (1) comprising a forward conduit (2) for supplying contaminated water from a supply structure (3) to a consumer structure (4), a consumer structure (4) comprising a purification structure 5 (5) for separating the contaminated water into purified water and brine, at least one water outlet for delivering purified water to a consumer, and a rearward conduit (6) for removing the brine from the consumer structure (4).
2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the consumer structure (4) 10 further comprises a number of water outlets for delivering the contaminated water to a consumer.
3. A system according to claims I or 2, wherein the consumer structure (4) further comprises a number of brine outlets for delivering the brine to a consumer. 15
4. A system according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the consumer structure (4) further comprises a mixing outlet for delivering a mixture of at least two of the purified water, contaminated water, and brine to the consumer.
5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the mixing outlet provides for a 20 variable mixture proportion.
6. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contaminated water is anti-bacterially treated prior to the delivery to the consumer.
7. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the 25 contaminated water is pre-filtered prior to being delivered to the consumer. WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 10
8. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a chemical composition is added to the contaminated water prior to the delivery to the consumer.
9. A system according to claim 6, wherein the chemical composition is 5 removed from the brine after being returning from the consumer to the supply structure.
10. A system according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a local storage tank arranged at the consumer structure for storage of the purified water. 10
11. A system according to claim 10, comprising a level meter for determining a content of the local storage tank.
12. A system according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a water conduit (7) for pumping purified water from the consumer structure to a central storage tank (8). 15
13. A system according to claims 11-12, comprising a pumping structure controlled by the level meter for pumping purified water from the consumer structure to the central storage tank based on the content of the local storage tank.
14. A system according to any of claims 12-13, wherein the central 20 storage tank (8) is located in a level above the purification structure (5).
15. A system according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a power source (9) adapted to drive at least one of the purification structure and the pumping structure based on a renewable energy source with a variable energy supply. WO 2008/025362 PCT/DK2007/000390 11
16. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rearward conduit (6) returns the brine to the supply structure.
17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the forward conduit (2) and the rearward conduit (6) are formed in a single pipe. 5
18. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the purification structure (5) comprises a reverse osmosis system.
19. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contaminated water is pumped in the forward conduit (2) at a variable pressure. 10
20. A system according to any of claims 1-18, wherein the contaminated water is pumped in the forward conduit (2) at a fixed pressure.
21. A method of supplying water to a community wherein contaminated water is supplied from a supply structure to a consumer structure, the water is purified at the consumer structure by separating the contaminated 15 water into purified water and brine, and the brine is removed from the consumer structure.
22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the removed brine is returned to the supply structure.
23. A method of utilizing excess renewable energy wherein the renewable 20 energy is utilized for separating purified water and brine from contaminated water, and the purified water is stored in a storage tank.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DKPA200601129 | 2006-09-01 | ||
| DKPA200601129 | 2006-09-01 | ||
| PCT/DK2007/000390 WO2008025362A1 (en) | 2006-09-01 | 2007-08-30 | A water distribution system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| AU2007291688A1 true AU2007291688A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 |
Family
ID=38610792
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU2007291688A Abandoned AU2007291688A1 (en) | 2006-09-01 | 2007-08-30 | A water distribution system |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU2007291688A1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2008025362A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US9879510B2 (en) | 2010-06-23 | 2018-01-30 | Mike Lisk | Pump and control system for distributing fluid |
| WO2016033083A1 (en) * | 2014-08-29 | 2016-03-03 | Mike Lisk | Controlled well pumping and distribution system |
| CN110206239B (en) * | 2019-06-15 | 2020-11-27 | 皓耀时代(福建)集团有限公司 | Roof environmental protection and energy saving type building water supply and drainage system |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE2017701A1 (en) * | 1970-04-14 | 1971-11-04 | The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich (VStA) | Device for separate supply of treated water |
| ES8101023A1 (en) * | 1980-02-01 | 1980-11-01 | Mesple Jose L R | Apparatus for desalinating water by reverse osmosis |
| EP0803476B1 (en) * | 1996-04-22 | 1999-05-06 | Römer, Aziza | Survival water supplier |
| EP1755772A4 (en) * | 2004-04-30 | 2007-07-18 | Brian Douglas Parkinson | Static head reverse osmosis |
| SG119232A1 (en) * | 2004-07-14 | 2006-02-28 | Tritech Water Technologies Pte | Desalination apparatus and method |
-
2007
- 2007-08-30 AU AU2007291688A patent/AU2007291688A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2007-08-30 WO PCT/DK2007/000390 patent/WO2008025362A1/en active Application Filing
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2008025362A1 (en) | 2008-03-06 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK5 | Application lapsed section 142(2)(e) - patent request and compl. specification not accepted |