Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090152207 | PROCESS FOR THE REDUCTION OF BIOFOULING USING ELECTRIC FIELDS - A process to reduce or prevent biofouling, by destroying or deactivating microbiological content of feedwater, or other liquid, prior to its entrance into membranes or process equipment, such as heat transfer equipment. The process comprises the use of electrical discharge and/or electric fields to destroy microbes that result in the biofouling of surfaces. By destroying the microbiological content of the water the microbiology no longer is able to create a restricting biofilm upon or within said process equipment. | 06-18-2009 |
20090188867 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING WASTE WATER - A method for processing wastewater is provided. The method includes concentrating a flow of the wastewater using a reverse osmosis process membrane, and evaporating the concentrated flow to produce at least distillate and solids. | 07-30-2009 |
20100294719 | PROCESS FOR TREATMENT OF PRODUCED WATER - A process for treating produced water in heavy oil production comprises, providing an oil/water mixture gathered from an oil/water collection well, whereby oil from said oil/water mixture is separated to provide an oil product and a produced water product containing oil, dissolved gases and dissolved solutes. Said produced water product is then deoiled, and the deoiled water subsequently passes though a membrane system, resulting in permeate water and reject. The resulting permeate water is sent on to a boiler system for production of steam, and the reject is introduced into an evaporator to result in distillate water and blow down. Thereafter, the blow down may be charged into zero liquid discharge treatment; and the distillate water added to the membrane permeate. | 11-25-2010 |
20110052656 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MICROBIAL BIOFILM IN AQUEOUS SYSTEMS - A process has been found which increases the efficiency and effectiveness of introducing antimicrobial compounds into complex biofilm matrices through the use of liposome carriers, thereby removing the biofouling in industrial water bearing systems, including piping, heat exchanges, condensers, filtration systems and fluid storage tanks. According to one embodiment of the invention, antimicrobial compound containing liposomes are added to water systems prone to biofouling and biofilm formation. The liposomes, being similar in composition to microbial membranes or cells, are readily incorporated into the existing biofilm. Once the antimicrobial compound containing liposomes become entrained with the biofilm matrix, the decomposition or programmed disintegration of the liposome proceeds. Thereafter, the biocidal aqueous core is released to react directly with the biofilm encased microorganisms. Upon the death of the organisms, the polysaccharide/protein matrix decomposes and thereby results in reduced fouling of the water bearing system, resulting in increased heat transfer, increased flux, less deposit of colloidal and particulate solids and dissolved organics on the surface of the microfiltration membrane, thereby reducing the frequency and duration of the membrane cleaning and ultimate replacement. | 03-03-2011 |
20110147306 | USE OF CATIONIC COAGULANT AND ACRYLAMIDE POLYMER FLOCCULANTS FOR SEPARATING OIL FROM OILY WATER - Methods for treating oily wastewater comprising adding to the wastewater a cationic coagulant and an acrylamide copolymer flocculant. The acrylamide copolymer flocculant may comprise either an anionic acrylamide copolymer flocculant or a cationic acrylamide copolymer flocculant or both. The acrylamide flocculants may be present in an emulsion or mixture along with activated starch or maleamate derivatized starch. The method may be employed, for example, to clarify SAGD and/or frac produce waters. | 06-23-2011 |
20110147316 | DEOILING OF SAGD PRODUCE WATER - Methods of deoiling oily water such as SAGD and frac produce water. The oily water is treated with a natural coagulant selected from tannins and chitosan. A cationic and/or anionic flocculant may also be added to the treated oily water. The thus treated oily water may be subjected to conventional mechanical oil separation techniques such as hydrocyclonic separation, dissolved air flotation, entrapped air flotation, induced gas flotation, gravity filters, reverse osmosis filters, API, or Voraxial® bulk separators and the like. | 06-23-2011 |
20120145633 | ULTRA-SOUND ENHANCED CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATION OF OIL FROM OILY SOLIDS IN WATER AND WASTEWATER - Methods are provided for separating solids containing oily/water of the type normally encountered in SAGD and hydraulic fracturing operations. The solids containing oily/water is subjected to ultrasound separation techniques and mechanical separation operations. The mechanical separation operation may, preferably, comprise centrifugal separation such as that in which the treated solids containing oily/water is separated into a solids fraction, an oil fraction, and a water fraction. | 06-14-2012 |
20120152546 | CHEMICAL OXIDATION OR ELECTROMAGNETIC TREATMENT IN SAGD OPERATIONS - A system for treating produced water, for example from a SAGD bitumen production operation, has a treatment unit using chemical oxidation (CO) or electromagnetic treatment (ET) to destroy or degrade organics in the produced water. The treatment module may use CO or ET in combination with biological treatment or sorption processes or both. When the treatment module is used upstream of a steam generator, it reduces fouling in the steam generator and in any blowdown water treatment device. A brine concentrator or a crystallizer may be used to treat the blowdown water. The treatment module may be used in combination with a nanofiltration (NF) or reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filter. Optionally, the produced water may be treated with an ET process such as microwaves directly upstream of a steam generator or upstream of a concentrator or crystallizer in a blowdown water stream. | 06-21-2012 |
20120228219 | SPIRAL WOUND MEMBRANE ELEMENT AND TREATMENT OF SAGD PRODUCED WATER OR OTHER HIGH TEMPERATURE ALKALINE FLUIDS - A spiral wound module is suitable for use with high temperature water that is also very alkaline or has a high pH, for example SAGD produced water. The module uses a polyamide-based membrane with a polysulfone or polyethersulfone backing material. For other components, the module uses primarily one or more of, EPDM; polyamide; polyphenylene oxide; polyphenylene sulfide; polysulfone; polyethersulfone; polysulfonamide; polyvinylidene fluoride; mylar; fiberglass; and, epoxy. Polyester is not used. Polypropylene is not used for the feed spacer. For example, a module may use a PVDF feed spacer, a nylon permeate spacer and a polysulfone center tube. The center tube may be provided with 4 rows of 0.063″ diameter holes and be rolled under high tension. | 09-13-2012 |
20130118354 | PLUME RECOVERY METHOD - Methods for recovering water from the plume of a heat removal or exhaust device are provided. The methods utilize a condensation apparatus ( | 05-16-2013 |