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.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
         1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method of desalinating salty water at a desalination plant located in proximity to an electricity generating power plant, the electricity generating power plant having a salty water intake, the salty water intake being coupled to a source of salty water and to the electricity generating power plant, the salty water intake being configured for providing salty water to the electricity generating power plant for cooling power generating equipment in the electricity generating power plant, the method comprising the steps of:
 coupling a feed water line to the salty water intake of the electricity generating power plant;   coupling the feed water line to the desalination plant;   receiving a first portion of salty feed water at the desalination plant through the feed water line; and   desalinating at least part of the first portion of the salty feed water at the desalination plant to produce a condensate having a higher salt concentration than that of the first portion of salty feed water and a permeate having a lower salt concentration that that of the first portion of salty feed water.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 receiving at the desalination plant a second portion of salty feed 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 feed water; and   heating the first portion of the salty feed water using the second portion of the salty feed water.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the heating step includes mixing the first portion of the salty feed water with the second portion of the salty feed water; and
 wherein the method further comprises desalinating the mixed first portion of the salty feed water and second portion of the salty feed water.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the second portion of the salty feed water has been heated in a cooling system of the electricity generating power plant. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 outputting the condensate from the desalination plant through a discharge coupled to the desalination plant.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the discharge is coupled to the power plant and is configured for discharging output water from the power plant. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 mixing at least a portion of the output water from the power plant with at least a portion of the condensate from the desalination plant; and   outputting the mixed water through the discharge.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the salty water intake is coupled to a source of seawater and wherein the salty water is seawater. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the salty water intake is coupled to a source of brackish water and wherein the salty water is brackish water. 
     
     
         27 . A method of desalinating salty water at a desalination plant located in proximity to an electricity generating power plant, the electricity generating power plant having a discharge for discharging salty water, the discharge being configured for discharging salty water that has been used for cooling power generating equipment in the electricity generating power plant, the method comprising the steps of:
 inputting a first portion of salty feed water into the desalination plant;   desalinating at least part of the first portion of salty feed water in the desalination plant to produce a permeate and a condensate;   coupling an output line to the discharge of an electricity generating power plant;   coupling the output line to the desalination plant; and   outputting at least part of the condensate through the output line to the discharge.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 receiving at the desalination plant at least part of a second portion of salty feed water that has been heated in the electricity generating power plant to a temperature higher than a temperature of the first portion of salty feed water; and   heating the first portion of salty feed water using the second portion of salty feed water.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the heating step includes mixing the first portion of salty feed water with at least part of the second portion of salty feed water; and
 wherein the method further comprises desalinating the mixed first portion of salty feed water and second portion of salty feed water.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 receiving the first portion of salty feed water at the desalination plant through a feed water line, the feed water line being coupled to a salty water intake and to the desalination plant, the salty water intake being coupled to a source of salty water and to the electricity generating power plant.   
     
     
         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 located in proximity to an electricity generating power plant, the electricity generating power plant having a salty water intake configured for providing salty water to the electricity generating power plant for cooling power generating equipment in the electricity generating power plant, the desalination plant comprising:
 a feed water line coupled to the salty water intake, the salty water intake being coupled to a source of salty water and to the electricity generating power plant;   a desalination system coupled to the feed water line and configured to receive salty feed water from the feed water line and further configured to desalinate the salty feed water to produce a permeate and a concentrate; and   an output line coupled to the desalination process and configured to output the concentrate.   
     
     
         33 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the output line is coupled to a discharge, and wherein the discharge is coupled to the electricity generating power plant. 
     
     
         34 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , further comprising:
 a blender having inputs coupled to the feed water line and to a high temperature water line and having an output coupled to the desalination system, wherein the high temperature water line is coupled to the electricity generating power plant for transporting to the desalination system salty water that has been heated by the electricity generating power plant.   
     
     
         35 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the intake comprises a filter for filtering salty water. 
     
     
         36 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the intake is coupled to a source of seawater and wherein the salty water is seawater. 
     
     
         37 . The desalination plant of  claim 32 , wherein the intake is coupled to a source of brackish water and wherein the salty water is brackish water. 
     
     
         38 . A desalination plant located in proximity to an electricity generating power plant, the electricity generating power plant having a discharge for discharging salty water, the discharge being configured for discharging salty water that has been used for cooling power generating equipment in the electricity generating power plant, the desalination plant comprising:
 a first feed water line for providing salty water to the desalination plant;   a desalination system coupled to the feed water line and configured to receive salty feed water from the feed water line and further configured to desalinate the salty feed water to produce a permeate and a concentrate; and   an output line coupled to the desalination system and to the electricity generating power plant discharge, the output line being configured to output the concentrate.   
     
     
         39 . The desalination plant of  claim 38 , further comprising a second feed water line for providing salty water to the desalination plant, wherein the first feed water line is coupled to a salty water input of the electricity generating power plant and wherein the second feed water line is coupled to the discharge of the electricity generating power plant. 
     
     
         40 . The desalination plant of  claim 38 , wherein the discharge is coupled to a source of seawater and wherein the salty water is seawater. 
     
     
         41 . The desalination plant of  claim 38 , wherein the discharge is coupled to a source of brackish water and wherein the salty water is brackish water. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the first portion of salty feed water has been heated in the electricity generating power plant. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein at least part of the first portion of salty feed water has been heated in the electricity generating power plant. 
     
     
         44 . A method of optimizing the desalination of salty water, the method comprising:
 receiving a first feed water at a first temperature at a combined desalination feedline;   receiving a second feed water at a second temperature at a combined desalination feedline;   desalinating the first and the second feed water in a desalination plant to form a product water;   varying a feed rate of the second feed water based on at least one of a differential pressure across the desalination plant and a salinity of the product water.