Method and system for heat transfer

• US 6,855,257 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Bonds, Robert Jay, Sizemore, David R., Beshaler, James A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fortuna, Ana
• Application Number:
  US10/244,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20040050792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 210/652, 210/651, 210/660, 210/639, 210/175, 210/181, 210/167, 210/195.2
• US Class Current: 210/652
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/025 Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/04 by distillation or evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/42 by ion-exchange ion-exchange in general B01J
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/441 by reverse osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/50 by addition or application of a germicide or by oligodynamic treatment C02F1/4606, C02F1/467, C02F1/76 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/66 by neutralisation; pH adjustment for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/76 with halogens or compounds of halogens C02F1/4674 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/422 using anionic exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/023 Water in cooling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/08 Corrosion inhibition
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 5/00 Softening water; Preventing scale; Adding scale preventatives or scale removers to water, e.g. adding sequestering agents softening using ion-exchange C02F1/42
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/00 Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 19/00 Preventing the formation of deposits or corrosion, e.g. by using filters or scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 25/00 Component parts of trickle coolers arrangements for increasing heat transfer F28F13/00; controlling arrangements F28F27/00

Abstract

A method and system (10) for utilizing water to transfer heat are provided. In one embodiment, the system (10) includes two water softeners (16) for removing the hardness of the feed water. The water softeners (16) are coupled to a filtration device (14) and deliver the softened water thereto. The filtration device (14) removes minerals from the water so as to produce a filtered water volume and a rejected water volume. The filtration device (14) delivers the filtered water volume to a heat exchanger (12). The heat exchanger (12) evaporates the filtered water volume and produces a mineral deposit volume. The mineral deposit volume is delivered to the filtration device (14) for removal of the mineral deposits so as to produce a recycled water volume and a blowdown water volume. Thereafter, the recycled water volume is delivered to the heat exchanger (12) for reuse, and the blowdown water volume is discharged to the waste vessel (24).

Claims

1. A system that uses feed water for transferring heat, comprising:

at least one water softener for softening feed water;

an equalization tank connected to said water softener to receive softened water and obtain a desired pH level of the softened water;

a biocide feed tank containing biocide for decreasing a biological growth in the softened water, couple to said equalization tank

a filtration device receiving water from the equalization tank, said filtration device removing a plurality of minerals from the water and producing a filtered water volume and a rejected water volume, said rejected water volume is discharged to a waste vessel connected to the filtration device;

a heat exchanger couple to said filtration device and receiving said filtered water volume, said heat exchanger producing a mineral deposit laden water volume, a conduit for delivering the deposit laden water volume to the equalization tank, and further to said filtration device to produce a recyled water volume and a blowdown water volume;

said recyled water volume is delivered to said heat exchanger, and the blowdawn water volume is delivered to said waste vessel.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said filtration device is a reverse osmosis system.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said reverse osmosis system includes at least one brackish membrane.

4. The system recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one water softener comprises a first water softener and a second water softener.

5. The system recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one water softener includes a brine solution for regenerating said at least one water softener.

6. A system that uses water or transferring heat, comprising:

at least one water softener for softening feed water;

a heat exchanger receiving the softened water from said at least one water softener, said heat exchanger producing a mineral deposit laden water volume;

an equalization tank connected to said heat exchanger to receive said mineral deposit laden water and, said equalization tank employed for obtaining a desired pH level of the water;

a filtration device coupled to said equalization tank and receiving said pH adjusted mineral deposit laden water volume therefrom, said filtration device for removing a plurality of minerals from said mineral deposit laden water volume and producing a filtered water volume and a rejected water volume, said filtration device is coupled to said heat exchanger to deliver said filtered water volume to said heat exchanger, said rejected water volume is discharged to a waste vessel;

Wherein a biocide feed tank is coupled to said equalization tank for supplying said equalization tank with a biocide for decreasing a biological growth in the mineral deposit laden water volume.

7. The system recited in claim 6 wherein said filtration device is a reverse osmosis system.

8. The system recited in claim 7 wherein said reverse osmosis system includes at least one brackish membrane.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein said equalization tank is coupled to at least one of a chemical feed tank and a biocide feed tank, said chemical feed tank for supplying said equalization tank with a caustic chemical for obtaining said desired pH level of the water, said biocide feed tank for supplying said equalization tank with a biocide for controlling biological growth in the water.

10. The system recited in claim 6 wherein said at least one water softener comprises a first water softener and a second water softener.

11. A method for using feed water to transfer heat, comprising:

softening feed water;

accumulating the softened water in an equalization tank;

reducing biological growth within the softened water in said equalization tank;

adjusting the pH of the softened water in said equalization tank;

filtering the pH adjusted softened water with a reverse osmosis filtration system;

delivering said filtered water to a heat exchanger;

evaporating a first portion of the filtered water within said heat exchanger;

accumulating a plurality of minerals in a second portion of the filtered water that is in liquid form within said heat exchanger producing a mineral deposit laden water;

delivering the mineral deposit laden water to said equalization tank; and

re-filtering the water in said reverse osmosis system;

rejecting a mineral deposit, and producing a filtrate, and directing the filtrated back to the heat exchanger;

directing the rejected mineral deposit to a waste vessel.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein at least one of said filtering the softened water and said re-filtering the water comprises passing the water through a brackish membrane of a reverse osmosis system.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein softening the water comprises adding brine for regenerating at least one water softener.