Desalination system

Abstract

The invention provides methods and an apparatus for more efficiently and economically producing purified water from sea water or some other salty or brackish water source. The efficiency is derived from the co-location with a power plant or other thermal generating source that will heat the feed water. Reverse osmosis membrane filtration systems work optimally when the feed water is at certain higher temperature, where that temperature is typically higher than the feed water at ambient temperatures. By using the heated sea water as the byproduct of the power plant electricity generating process and if necessary mixing it with ambient temperature sea water, if needed to lower the water temperature, and using this feed water with a higher temperature than ambient water temperature, the efficiency of the reverse osmosis system can be increased.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method of desalinating water comprising the steps of:
 receiving a first portion of salty water from a salty water intake, the salty water intake being configured for providing input salty water to an electricity generating power plant; and   desalinating the first portion of the salty water at a desalination plant.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 receiving a second portion of salty water that has been heated in the electricity generating power plant to a temperature higher than a temperature of the first portion of the salty water, the second portion including at least some of the input salty water; and   heating the first portion of the salty water using the second portion of the salty water.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the heating step includes mixing the first portion of the salty water with the second portion of the salty water; and
 wherein the method further comprises desalinating the mixed first portion of the salty water and second portion of the salty water.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the second portion of the salty water has been heated in a cooling system of the electricity generating power plant. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 separating the first portion of the salty water into usable water and unusable water in the desalination plant; and   outputting unusable water from the desalination plant through a discharge.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the discharge is configured for discharging output water from the power plant. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 mixing the output water from the power plant with the unusable water from the desalination plant; and   outputting the mixed water through the discharge.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the salty water intake is located in a source of seawater and wherein the salty water is seawater. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the salty water intake is located in a source of brackish water and wherein the salty water is brackish water. 
     
     
         27 . A method of desalinating water comprising the steps of:
 inputting a first portion of salty water into a desalination plant;   desalinating the first portion of salty water in the desalination plant to produce a permeate and a condensate; and   outputting at least part of the condensate through a discharge,   wherein the discharge is configured for discharging output water from an electricity generating power plant.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 receiving a second portion of salty water that has been heated in the electricity generating power plant to a temperature higher than a temperature of the first portion of salty water; and   heating the first portion of salty water using the second portion of salty water.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the heating step includes mixing the first portion of salty water with the second portion of salty water; and
 wherein the method further comprises desalinating the mixed first portion of salty water and second portion of salty water.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 inputting the first portion of salty water and an input salty water to the electricity generating power plant through the same intake.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 mixing the at least part of the condensate and at least part of the output water from the electricity generating power plant before discharging the mixed water through the discharge.   
     
     
         32 . A desalination plant, comprising:
 a desalination process configured to receive salty water from a salty water intake,   wherein the salty water intake is configured to provide a first portion of salty water to the desalination plant and to provide an input salty water to an electricity generating power plant.   
     
     
         33 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the desalination plant is connected to a discharge arranged to output at least part of the first portion of salty water from the desalination process and output water from the electricity generating power plant. 
     
     
         34 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , further comprising:
 a blender for blending the first portion of salty water with a second portion of salty water that has been heated by the electricity generating power plant.   
     
     
         35 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the input comprises a filter for filtering the first portion of salty water and the input salty water. 
     
     
         36 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the intake is located in a source of seawater and wherein the salty water is seawater. 
     
     
         37 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the intake is located in a source of brackish water and wherein the salty water is brackish water.