Abstract: A liquid treatment system, for example a water purification system, includes a treatment vessel which contains a bed of ion-exchange or adsorption material. The system also includes a washing vessel to which batches of the material comprising the bed in the treatment column are transferred for the flushing of contaminates therefrom, the washed material subsequently being returned to the treatment vessel. The material supply and discharge arrangement for the washing vessel is designed such that the quantity of treatment material withdrawn from the treatment vessel may be selected and will be self-limited.

Abstract: The treatment of raw water, particularly the desalination of waste or other water with a high salt content, is accomplished by means of a process which includes two membrane separation steps performed in concentrate sequence. The concentrate from the second membrane separation step is further treated by means of a thermal concentrating procedure. The water to be processed is first treated to minimize the formation of scale during the first membrane separation step and the concentrate from the first membrane separation step is similarly treated. The overall process also includes the production of materials necessary for reconditioning ion exchange apparatus employed for raw water conditioning and concentrate treatment.

Abstract: In a system for determining the colloid index in a liquid, an amount of the liquid is taken from the body of liquid and passed through a measuring filter under pressure. The respective volumes of liquid which are passed through the measuring filter and the respective periods of time for that purpose are correlated, in a plurality of successive steps, and the change in the respective amounts of liquid or periods of time is used as a measurement for determining the colloid index, or the change in the amount of liquid flowing through the filter with respect to time is continuously detected.

Abstract: The requirements and treatment costs of water used in a fossil fuel fired power station are reduced by a process which employs multiple reverse osmosis stages. This process also employs station waste heat to concentrate solid waste material to facilitate disposal thereof.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed that provide a quasicontinuous thermal regeneration system for ion exchange resins and adsorption media ("matter") as used, for example, in desalinization processes, comprising an operating (desalinization) vessel, means for transferring measured amounts of matter therefrom to successive regeneration and cooling means and recycle back to the operating vessel. Heat exchange means are provided to transfer residual heat from the cooling step to the regeneration step, transport water is recycled in the process with minimal losses, and optional water softening and decarbonizing pre-treatment and chemical post-treatment steps may be included, the latter to remove dirt and heavy metals from the regenerated matter prior to recycle to the operating vessel.

Abstract: A relatively compact and inexpensive technique for the two step decontamination of a liquid such as water is described. The liquid to be treated is propelled upwardly through a pair of vertically superposed, lower and upper chambers defined in a common treatment tank and separated by a liquid-permeable nozzle member. A first decontamination-removing substance, such as adsorbing material or an ion exchanger, is disposed in the lower chamber, while a second decontamination-removing substance such as activated charcoal is disposed in the upper chamber. The first substance, when spent, is propelled out of the lower chamber by a transport liquid, externally renewed, and recirculated back into the second chamber as a fresh charge by passing through a central pipe that extends through the upper chamber and the nozzle member to terminate in the lower chamber.

Abstract: Treatment of water solutions by means of ion exchange; the exchange mass through which the liquid under treatment flows is conducted from a bottom funnel of the treatment container to a regenerating-and-wash-column and then back to the liquid treatment container. After leaving the liquid treatment container and before entering the regenerating-and-wash-column the ion exchange masses are back-rinsed in a back-rinse container; the ion exchange mass is transported from the regenerating-and-wash-column by means of an immersion tube at the top of the regenerating-and-wash-column, the depth of immersion of the immersion tube being adjustable according to the volume in the bottom funnel of the treatment container; consequently the ion exchange mass in the head of the regenerating-and-wash-column which has been transported from the treatment container corresponds to the volume transported from the bottom funnel thereof.

Abstract: A process for the separation of solids from liquids in a closed pressure system, wherein liquid is passed through a treatment column containing purifying material. A portion of the purifying material is removed in a timed intermittent quasi-continuous manner and cleaned in a rinsing column. The cleaned purifying material is then fed back to the treatment column by backflushing and the use of a liquid transport medium.