Brine treatment scaling control system and method

• US 10,214,433 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carollo Engineers Inc
• Original Assignee: Carollo Engineers Inc
• Inventors: Juby, Graham John Gibson, Zacheis, G. Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Keyworth, Peter
• Application Number:
  US15/379,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20170096351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/08 Specific process operations in the concentrate stream
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/12 Addition of chemical agents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/252 Recirculation of concentrate
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2649 Filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2321/223 Polarity reversal
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/025 Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/027 Nanofiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/422 Electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/58 Multistep processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 65/08 Prevention of membrane fouling or of concentration polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/441 by reverse osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/442 by nanofiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4693 electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/5218 Crystallization
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/08 Seawater, e.g. for desalination
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4613 Inversing polarity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/046 Recirculation with an external loop
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/20 Prevention of biofouling
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/22 Eliminating or preventing deposits, scale removal, scale prevention C02F1/042, C02F1/4602, C02F5/00 take precedence

Abstract

A System for brine treatment scaling control in a water treatment system is described. In the system, a concentrated brine stream influent may be treated in an electrodialysis-reversal process to produce a concentrated brine stream effluent and a lower salinity diluent water, which may be potable water effluent. The concentrated brine stream effluent may be processed in a brine treatment scaling control system that may have a mixing vessel and a membrane filter with the mixing vessel seeded with calcium sulfate. A lowered salinity brine stream effluent may be produced for return to the electrodialysis-reversal process to allow operation at greater overall recovery and an elevated concentrated brine stream may be produced.

Claims

1. A system for treating a brine stream, comprising:

an electrodialysis-reversal system in communication with a concentrated brine stream source for receipt of a brine stream influent and production of a concentrated brine stream effluent and a lower salinity diluent stream effluent, wherein said electrodialysis-reversal system has a first process input connected to a demineralization portion of a membrane stack and a second process input connected to a concentrating portion of the membrane stack;

a brine treatment scaling control system in communication with said electrodialysis-reversal system for receipt of said concentrated brine stream effluent and production of a lowered salinity brine stream effluent, wherein said brine treatment scaling control system has a mixing vessel and a filter; and

a brine loop connected to said second process input of said electrodialysis-reversal system to return said lowered salinity brine stream effluent to said electrodialysis-reversal system.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein said filter is adapted to output said lowered salinity brine stream effluent and an elevated concentrated brine stream effluent;

and

said mixing vessel is in communication with said filter to receive said elevated concentrated brine stream effluent.

3. The system as in claim 2, wherein said mixing vessel is adapted to return a portion of a mixture to said filter and output a portion of said mixture to the environment.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein said concentrated brine stream effluent is received in said mixing vessel.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said mixing vessel is in communication with said filter to route a mixture to said filter to produce said lowered salinity brine stream effluent and an elevated concentrated brine stream effluent.

6. The system as in claim 4, wherein said filter is adapted to output a portion of said elevated concentrated brine stream effluent to the environment.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein said mixing vessel is seeded with one or both of calcium sulfate and gypsum crystals.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein said mixing vessel is seeded with calcium sulfate.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein said filter is a membrane filter.

10. The system as in claim 2, wherein said filter is a membrane filter.

11. The system as in claim 4, wherein said filter is a membrane filter.

12. The system as in claim 9, wherein said membrane filter is selected from the group consisting of a nanofiltration filter, a reverse osmosis filter, a tubular filter, a flat sheet filter, and a spiral configuration filter.

13. The system as in claim 10, wherein said membrane filter is selected from the group consisting of a nanofiltration filter, a reverse osmosis filter, a tubular filter, a flat sheet filter, and a spiral configuration filter.

14. The system as in claim 11, wherein said membrane filter is selected from the group consisting of a nanofiltration filter, a reverse osmosis filter, a tubular filter, a flat sheet filter, and a spiral configuration filter.

15. A system for treating a brine stream, comprising:

an electrodialysis-reversal system in communication with a concentrated brine stream source for receipt of a brine stream influent and production of a concentrated brine stream effluent and a lower salinity diluent stream effluent, wherein said electrodialysis-reversal system has a first process input connected to a demineralization portion of a membrane stack and a second process input connected to a concentrating portion of the membrane stack;

a brine treatment scaling control system in communication with said electrodialysis-reversal system for receipt of said concentrated brine stream effluent and production of a lowered salinity brine stream effluent, wherein said brine treatment scaling control system has a mixing vessel seeded with calcium sulfate and a membrane filter; and

a brine loop connected to said second process input of said electrodialysis-reversal system to return said lowered salinity brine stream effluent to said electrodialysis-reversal system.

16. The system as in claim 15, wherein said membrane filter is adapted to output said lowered salinity brine stream effluent and an elevated concentrated brine stream effluent;

and

said mixing vessel is in communication with said membrane filter to receive said elevated concentrated brine stream effluent.

17. The system as in claim 15, wherein said concentrated brine stream effluent is received in said mixing vessel.

18. The system as in claim 15, wherein said mixing vessel is in communication with said membrane filter to route a mixture to said membrane filter to produce said lowered salinity brine stream effluent and an elevated concentrated brine stream effluent.