Patents by Inventor Kotaro Kitamura

Kotaro Kitamura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240102925
    Abstract: A moisture content measurement method that calculates moisture content of dehydrated sludge using a calibration curve for calculating the moisture content of the dehydrated sludge, the calibration curve being obtained by performing multivariate regression analysis after first-order differential processing or an offset correction is performed on absorbance for reflected light or reflectance for infrared rays from dehydrated sludge, the absorbance or the reflectance being obtained by measuring the dehydrated sludge using an infrared measurement apparatus provided with a light-receiving unit that can receive at least infrared rays reflected from a target object to be measured and a light source that has a plurality of infrared LEDs that can emit infrared rays having respectively different wavelengths or a light source having an infrared-region tungsten lamp or halogen lamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Inventors: Yasuko KOBAYASHI, Jun TANAKA, Takuya KAMBAYASHI, Yusuke KAGA, Shunsuke KONO, Kotaro KITAMURA, Makiko UDAGAWA, Hiroki MIYAKAWA
  • Patent number: 11935559
    Abstract: This magnetic disk device is a 3.5-inch magnetic disk device equipped with magnetic disks formed from an aluminum alloy substrate. The magnetic disks arranged in a stacked manner have a thickness Td of 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm, the number N of magnetic disks involved is 10 to 16, and spacers disposed between the magnetic disks have an outside diameter 2 Rso of 35 mm to 65 mm. The outside diameter 2 Rso (mm) of the spacers satisfies 2 Rso??60 Td+70 and 2 Rso??0.5 N2?+16.5 N?73.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: UACJ CORPORATION, FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Kitamura, Kotaro Kitawaki, Hideyuki Hatakeyama, Ryohei Yamada, Toshihiro Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11395990
    Abstract: Provided is a reverse osmosis treatment system capable of simultaneously and efficiently recovering energy generated both at brine and permeate sides. The system comprises a branched portion configured to divide second to-be-treated water into third and fourth to-be-treated water; a high-pressure pump configured to pressurize the third to-be-treated water thereby to feed fifth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the to-be-treated water before divided; a displacement type of first energy recovery device configured to exchange pressures between the fourth to-be-treated water and brine thus separated by a reverse osmosis treatment device, thereby to produce sixth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the fourth one; and a second energy recovery device configured to raise a pressure of the third to-be-treated water located at a downstream side of the branched portion with a pressure of first permeate thus separated by the reverse osmosis treatment device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Miyakawa, Kotaro Kitamura, Masayuki Matsuura, Takanori Oshikiri, Yusuke Okawa
  • Patent number: 10596520
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a desalination apparatus in which a high pressure pump can be operated at a high efficient operation point even when temperature, salt concentration or the like of water to be treated vary. The desalination apparatus includes a high pressure pump which is provided in a first flow path and supplies raw water to a first module at high pressure to apply reverse osmotic pressure to a first module and a second module, a third flow path for supplying second concentrated water after separation in the second module to upstream of the high pressure pump in the first flow path, and a fourth flow path for supplying a portion of the first concentrated water after separation in the first module to upstream of the high pressure pump in the first flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Kotaro Kitamura, Hiroki Miyakawa, Koji Fukuzaki
  • Publication number: 20190336914
    Abstract: Provided is a reverse osmosis treatment system capable of simultaneously and efficiently recovering energy generated both at brine and permeate sides. The system comprises a branched portion configured to divide second to-be-treated water into third and fourth to-be-treated water; a high-pressure pump configured to pressurize the third to-be-treated water thereby to feed fifth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the to-be-treated water before divided; a displacement type of first energy recovery device configured to exchange pressures between the fourth to-be-treated water and brine thus separated by a reverse osmosis treatment device, thereby to produce sixth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the fourth one; and a second energy recovery device configured to raise a pressure of the third to-be-treated water located at a downstream side of the branched portion with a pressure of first permeate thus separated by the reverse osmosis treatment device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki MIYAKAWA, Kotaro KITAMURA, Masayuki MATSUURA, Takanori OSHIKIRI, Yusuke OKAWA
  • Patent number: 10434472
    Abstract: Provided is a seawater desalination system including reverse osmosis membrane modules each including: a reverse osmosis membrane; and a pressure vessel installing the reverse osmosis membrane, and configured to obtain permeated water and concentrated water using the reverse osmosis membranes housed in the reverse osmosis membrane modules by supplying seawater to the reverse osmosis membrane modules. The seawater desalination system includes a module group including the reverse osmosis membrane modules connected together in parallel. The seawater is supplied to each of the reverse osmosis membrane modules by being supplied to the module group through first and second seawater supply routes. The first and second seawater supply routes are each provided with a liquid transport pump configured to supply the seawater flowing through the seawater supply route to the module group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kotaro Kitamura, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Masayuki Matsuura, Takanori Oshikiri, Yusuke Okawa
  • Publication number: 20190300394
    Abstract: A desalination system includes: a pressurized vessel which generates concentrate water and permeate water by causing treatment target water to pass through a reverse osmosis membrane element built in the pressurized vessel; an energy recovery device which is located on a discharge channel so as to discharge the permeate water, and recovers energy of the permeate water; a bypass discharge channel which branches off from the discharge channel and is located between the pressurized vessel and the energy recovery device, and which discharges the permeate water; and a bypass control mechanism which is located on the bypass discharge channel and controls a discharge volume of the permeate water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Hiroki MIYAKAWA, Kotaro KITAMURA, Masayuki MATSUURA, Takanori OSHIKIRI, Yusuke OKAWA
  • Patent number: 10427101
    Abstract: Provided is a reverse osmosis treatment system capable of simultaneously and efficiently recovering energy generated both at brine and permeate sides. The system comprises a branched portion configured to divide second to-be-treated water into third and fourth to-be-treated water; a high-pressure pump configured to pressurize the third to-be-treated water thereby to feed fifth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the to-be-treated water before divided; a displacement type of first energy recovery device configured to exchange pressures between the fourth to-be-treated water and brine thus separated by a reverse osmosis treatment device, thereby to produce sixth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the fourth one; and a second energy recovery device configured to raise a pressure of the third to-be-treated water located at a downstream side of the branched portion with a pressure of first permeate thus separated by the reverse osmosis treatment device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Miyakawa, Kotaro Kitamura, Masayuki Matsuura, Takanori Oshikiri, Yusuke Okawa
  • Publication number: 20190224624
    Abstract: A reverse osmosis treatment apparatus includes: a first unit including a plurality of parallel-arranged reverse osmosis membrane modules that perform a primary treatment on water to be treated; and a plurality of second units each including one or more parallel-arranged reverse osmosis membrane modules that perform a subsequent treatment on concentrated water separated at the first unit. Each of the second units includes a concentrated water supply pipe, a concentrated water discharge pipe, a supply pipe valve, and a discharge pipe valve. The concentrated water discharge pipes are connected to the concentrated water supply pipes through a concentrated water return pipe and return pipe valves. A reverse osmosis treatment method includes, after performing subsequent treatments through two or more second units, switching the second unit that performs the subsequent treatment at the last stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kotaro KITAMURA, Yuichi NAKANO
  • Patent number: 10099180
    Abstract: Provided is a seawater desalination system including reverse osmosis membrane modules each including: a reverse osmosis membrane; and a pressure vessel installing the reverse osmosis membrane, and configured to obtain permeated water and concentrated water using the reverse osmosis membranes housed in the reverse osmosis membrane modules by supplying seawater to the reverse osmosis membrane modules. The seawater desalination system includes a module group including the reverse osmosis membrane modules connected together in parallel. The seawater is supplied to each of the reverse osmosis membrane modules by being supplied to the module group through first and second seawater supply routes. The first and second seawater supply routes are each provided with a liquid transport pump configured to supply the seawater flowing through the seawater supply route to the module group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kotaro Kitamura, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Masayuki Matsuura, Takanori Oshikiri, Yusuke Okawa
  • Publication number: 20180280888
    Abstract: A reverse osmosis treatment apparatus includes a membrane unit including an osmosis membrane module. The membrane unit includes a plurality of banks connected in series, each bank including an osmosis membrane module. At least one of the banks includes a treatment water pipe valve and a concentrated water pipe valve, and a bypass pipe capable of diverting the water to be treated, which is to be supplied to the bank, around the bank and draining the water to be treated and a chemical cleaning pipe capable of supplying the reverse osmosis membrane module disposed in the bank with chemical cleaning water are connected. A reverse osmosis treatment method is for cleaning intermittently a bank having the treatment water pipe valve and the concentrated water pipe valve while continuing the reverse osmosis treatment using the remaining bank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Koji FUKUZAKI, Makoto ONISHI, Shinichi YOSHIKAWA, Shuji YAMADA, Kotaro KITAMURA, Yasutaka KONDO
  • Patent number: 10071929
    Abstract: This desalinization system, which obtains industrial-use water and drinking water from seawater and wastewater, is provided with: a purification device that purifies wastewater by removing activated sludge therefrom; a first RO membrane that removes salt from the output of the purification device by transferring said salt to first concentrated water, thereby producing industrial-use water; a UF membrane that seawater passes through and that removes particulates from said seawater; a second RO membrane that removes salt from the treated output of the UF membrane by transferring said salt to second concentrated water, producing drinking water; an agitation device to which the second concentrated water from the second RO membrane and the first concentrated water from the first RO membrane are sent to be agitated; and a third RO membrane removing salt from the liquid mixture agitated by the agitation device by transferring said salt to third concentrated water, producing industrial-use water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasunori Sekine, Kazuhiko Noto, Akira Sasaki, Kotaro Kitamura
  • Patent number: 10005688
    Abstract: This desalinization system, which obtains industrial-use water and drinking water from seawater and wastewater, is provided with: a purification device that purifies wastewater by removing activated sludge therefrom; a first RO membrane that removes salt from the output of the purification device by transferring said salt to first concentrated water, thereby producing industrial-use water; a UF membrane that seawater passes through and that removes particulates from said seawater; a second RO membrane that removes salt from the treated output of the UF membrane by transferring said salt to second concentrated water, producing drinking water; an agitation device to which the second concentrated water from the second RO membrane and the first concentrated water from the first RO membrane are sent to be agitated; and a third RO membrane removing salt from the liquid mixture agitated by the agitation device by transferring said salt to third concentrated water, producing industrial-use water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasunori Sekine, Kazuhiko Noto, Akira Sasaki, Kotaro Kitamura
  • Patent number: 9988294
    Abstract: This desalinization system, which obtains industrial-use water and drinking water from seawater and wastewater, is provided with: a purification device that purifies wastewater by removing activated sludge therefrom; a first RO membrane that removes salt from the output of the purification device by transferring said salt to first concentrated water, thereby producing industrial-use water; a UF membrane that seawater passes through and that removes particulates from said seawater; a second RO membrane that removes salt from the treated output of the UF membrane by transferring said salt to second concentrated water, producing drinking water; an agitation device to which the second concentrated water from the second RO membrane and the first concentrated water from the first RO membrane are sent to be agitated; and a third RO membrane removing salt from the liquid mixture agitated by the agitation device by transferring said salt to third concentrated water, producing industrial-use water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasunori Sekine, Kazuhiko Noto, Akira Sasaki, Kotaro Kitamura
  • Patent number: 9988293
    Abstract: This desalinization system, which obtains industrial-use water and drinking water from seawater and wastewater, is provided with: a purification device that purifies wastewater by removing activated sludge therefrom; a first RO membrane that removes salt from the output of the purification device by transferring said salt to first concentrated water, thereby producing industrial-use water; a UF membrane that seawater passes through and that removes particulates from said seawater; a second RO membrane that removes salt from the treated output of the UF membrane by transferring said salt to second concentrated water, producing drinking water; an agitation device to which the second concentrated water from the second RO membrane and the first concentrated water from the first RO membrane are sent to be agitated; and a third RO membrane removing salt from the liquid mixture agitated by the agitation device by transferring said salt to third concentrated water, producing industrial-use water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasunori Sekine, Kazuhiko Noto, Akira Sasaki, Kotaro Kitamura
  • Publication number: 20170354930
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a desalination apparatus in which a high pressure pump can be operated at a high efficient operation point even when temperature, salt concentration or the like of water to be treated vary. The desalination apparatus includes a high pressure pump which is provided in a first flow path and supplies raw water to a first module at high pressure to apply reverse osmotic pressure to a first module and a second module, a third flow path for supplying second concentrated water after separation in the second module to upstream of the high pressure pump in the first flow path, and a fourth flow path for supplying a portion of the first concentrated water after separation in the first module to upstream of the high pressure pump in the first flow path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kotaro KITAMURA, Hiroki MIYAKAWA, Koji FUKUZAKI
  • Patent number: 9833743
    Abstract: A reverse osmosis treatment device includes: a first pressure vessel for treating an untreated water to produce a primarily treated water and a first permeated water; a second pressure vessel for treating the primarily treated water to produce a secondarily treated water and a second permeated water; a first cleaning solution tank for storing a first cleaning solution for cleaning the first pressure vessel; and a second cleaning solution tank for storing a second cleaning solution for cleaning the second pressure vessel. Each of the first pressure vessel and the second pressure vessel has therein a reverse osmosis membrane element having a reverse osmosis membrane. The first cleaning solution tank is connected to the first concentrate outlet pipe of the first pressure vessel, and the second cleaning solution tank is connected to the inlet pipe for the primarily treated water of the second pressure vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Kotaro Kitamura, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Hiroki Miyakawa
  • Patent number: 9758393
    Abstract: Provided is a fresh water generation system which filters biotreated water produced by microbiologically treating waste water via a primary semi-permeable membrane (8), and then mixes concentrated water rejected by the filtration with seawater, thereby to filter the mixed water via a secondary semi-permeable membrane (14). This system enables frequencies of chemical cleaning and replacement of the secondary semi-permeable membrane to be reduced. The fresh water generation system comprises: a primary semi-permeable membrane apparatus (9) which separates microorganism treating waste water into permeated water and concentrated water; a secondary semi-permeable membrane apparatus (13) which filters mixed water prepared by mixing the concentrated water into seawater. In the fresh water generation system, the primary semi-permeable membrane (8) has an equal to or a higher microorganism adhesive property than the secondary semi-permeable membrane (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignees: HITACHI, LTD., TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Noto, Kotaro Kitamura, Yusuke Okawa, Hiroo Takabatake
  • Patent number: 9725339
    Abstract: Provided is a reverse osmosis treatment apparatus which decreases operation power by utilizing a back pressure caused by regulating an amount of permeated water. The reverse osmosis treatment apparatus includes a first pressure vessel for a primary treatment of untreated water, and a second pressure vessel for a secondary treatment of the water treated by the primary treatment, wherein a reverse osmosis membrane element having a reverse osmosis membrane or the plurality of reverse osmosis membrane elements are arranged in series along a water collection pipe in the first pressure vessel and the second pressure vessel. The first pressure vessel includes a first outlet pipe which discharges permeated water, and a permeated water flow control valve connected to the first outlet pipe and regulating a pressure in the first pressure vessel. An energy recovery apparatus is provided between the first outlet pipe and the permeated water flow control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Kotaro Kitamura, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Hiroki Miyakawa
  • Publication number: 20170173534
    Abstract: Provided is a reverse osmosis treatment system capable of simultaneously and efficiently recovering energy generated both at brine and permeate sides. The system comprises a branched portion configured to divide second to-be-treated water into third and fourth to-be-treated water; a high-pressure pump configured to pressurize the third to-be-treated water thereby to feed fifth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the to-be-treated water before divided; a displacement type of first energy recovery device configured to exchange pressures between the fourth to-be-treated water and brine thus separated by a reverse osmosis treatment device, thereby to produce sixth to-be-treated water having a higher pressure than the fourth one; and a second energy recovery device configured to raise a pressure of the third to-be-treated water located at a downstream side of the branched portion with a pressure of first permeate thus separated by the reverse osmosis treatment device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki MIYAKAWA, Kotaro KITAMURA, Masayuki MATSUURA, Takanori OSHIKIRI, Yusuke OKAWA