Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method including pre-treating a high salinity aqueous liquid to remove solids, oils, and dissolved gases; using the pre-treated aqueous liquid as a draw solution for mechanically assisted forward osmosis to produce an injection water; and injecting the injection water into an underground formation. The high salinity aqueous liquid includes produced water or ground water. The draw solution is diluted with a feed solution wherein the feed solution has a lower osmotic pressure than the high salinity aqueous liquid.

Abstract: A system and method for removing sulfur compounds from gas, including providing a feed gas having sulfur compounds including hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) that has a furnace or a non-thermal plasma (NTP) reactor, discharging an SRU tail gas having H2S from the SRU to a tail gas treatment (TGT) unit having a hydrogenation reactor, a quench tower, and a TGT NTP reactor, converting sulfur compounds in the SRU tail gas in the hydrogenation reactor into H2S, discharging a process gas having H2S from the hydrogenation reactor to the quench tower and removing water vapor from the process gas in the quench tower, discharging an overhead gas having H2S from the quench tower to the TGT NTP reactor, and converting H2S in the TGT NTP reactor into hydrogen (H2) and elemental sulfur.

Abstract: A system and method for removing sulfur compounds from gas, including discharging tail gas having sulfur compounds from a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) to a non-thermal plasma (NTP) catalytic unit including an NTP reactor, providing oxidant to the NTP reactor and placing the oxidant in an NTP state in the NTP reactor to give an oxidative reactive species formed from the oxidant, converting (oxidizing) the sulfur compounds with the oxidative reactive species and catalyst in the NTP catalytic unit into sulfur oxides (SOx) to discharge the tail gas as treated having the formed SOx without the sulfur compounds that were converted. The SOx is absorbed into water in a quench tower to give the tail gas beneficially having only small amounts (e.g., less than 200 ppmv) of sulfur compounds. SOx may be degassed from water discharged from the quench tower and sent to the SRU furnace.

Abstract: An orthodontic wire bending device includes a providing part, a bending unit and a cutting part. The providing part is configured to provide a wire. The bending unit is disposed at a front side of the providing part, and includes a fixing part and a bending part. The fixing part is configured to fix the wire. The bending part is configured to bend the wire fixed by the fixing part. The cutting part is configured to cut the wire bent by the bending part. The bending part includes a bending module, and the bending module is rotated along a circumferential direction or moves along a direction to make contact with at least one side of the wire for bending the wire.

Abstract: A process for upgrading crude oil may include combining crude oil and feed water in a supercritical water unit to produce a first upgraded output, separating the first upgraded output in a first gas-water-oil separator to produce a first gas effluent, a first water effluent, and a first oil effluent, separating the first water effluent in a first water treatment unit to produce a rejected water stream and a recycle water stream, combining the first oil effluent and the rejected water stream in a nearcritical water unit to produce a second upgraded output, and recycling at least a portion of the recycle water stream for introduction into the supercritical water unit. A system for upgrading crude oil may include a supercritical water unit, a first gas-water-oil separator disposed downstream of the supercritical water unit, a first water treatment unit disposed downstream of the first gas-water-oil separator, and a nearcritical water unit.

Abstract: A mechanical shutdown valve for preventing an over pressure condition is described. A valve body has an inlet, an outlet, and a channel extending from the inlet to the outlet. A valve seat and a diaphragm are positioned in the valve body. The diaphragm controls a fluid flow through the valve body. A mesh is coupled to the diaphragm such that the mesh and the diaphragm separate an upstream portion of the channel from a downstream portion of the channel. The mesh extends from the diaphragm to an inner surface of the valve body and limits fluid flow between the diaphragm and the valve body. A spring biases the diaphragm towards the open position. A characteristic of the spring determines a differential pressure threshold between the upstream portion of the channel and a downstream portion of the channel at which the diaphragm engages the valve seat.

Abstract: A gas separation membrane for selective separation of hydrogen and helium from gas mixtures containing carbon dioxide includes a porous support layer, an aromatic polyamide layer on the porous support layer, and a coating including a glassy polymer formed on the aromatic polyamide layer. A glass transition temperature of the glassy polymer is greater than 50° C. The gas separation membrane may be formed by contacting a solution including the glassy polymer with an aromatic polyamide layer of a composite membrane and drying the solution to form a coating of the glassy polymer on the aromatic polyamide layer. Separating hydrogen or helium from a gas stream including carbon dioxide includes contacting a gas feed stream including carbon dioxide with the gas separation membrane to yield a permeate stream having a concentration of helium or hydrogen that exceeds the concentration of helium or hydrogen, respectively, in the gas feed stream.

Abstract: A membrane module includes a housing. The housing includes a housing, comprising: a first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes, and a second plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes different from the first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes. The first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes has a first length, and the second plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes has a second length that is at least 1.1 times greater than the first length. The membrane module can be used in separation methods, such as membrane distillation methods.

Abstract: A membrane module includes a housing. The housing includes a housing, comprising: a first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes, and a second plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes different from the first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes. The first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes has a first length, and the second plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes has a second length that is at least 1.1 times greater than the first length. The membrane module can be used in separation methods, such as membrane distillation methods.

Abstract: A membrane distillation system includes a hollow fiber aerator configured to provide gas bubbles to a relatively cool permeate stream so that the relatively cool permeate stream contains gas bubbles when it contacts a porous and hydrophobic membrane in a direct contact membrane distillation process. The system can further include an additional hollow fiber aerator configured to provide gas bubbles to a relatively hot feed stream so that the relatively hot feed stream contains gas bubbles when it contacts a porous and hydrophobic membrane in a direct contact membrane distillation process.

Abstract: A system and method for treating natural gas, including producing natural gas from a subterranean formation via a wellhead system to a nonthermal plasma (NTP) catalytic unit, converting by the NTP unit carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the natural gas into carbon monoxide (CO), elemental sulfur (S), and hydrogen (H2), and removing the elemental sulfur as liquid elemental sulfur to give treated natural gas. The NTP unit may convert methane (CH4) in the natural gas to heavier hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A membrane system includes a first membrane and a second membrane. At a given temperature and pressure: the first membrane has a permeation rate for a first gas and a selectivity for a gas mixture comprising the first gas a second gas different from the first gas; the second membrane has a permeation rate for the first gas and a selectivity for the gas mixture; the permeation rate of the first membrane is greater than the permeation rate of the second membrane; and the selectivity of the second membrane is greater than the selectivity of the first membrane.

Abstract: An engine system includes an engine configured to combust liquid natural gas and generate an exhaust gas comprising methane; a catalytic reactor coupled downstream of the engine and configured to convert methane into a product through one or more of oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction and steam methane reforming (SMR) reaction; and a recirculation loop configured to recirculate at least a part of the product back to the engine.

Abstract: Systems and methods can be used to produce fibers with external corrugations, internal corrugations, or both. These fibers can be used, for example, in hollow fiber membrane modules.

Abstract: An engine system includes an engine configured to combust liquid natural gas and generate an exhaust gas comprising methane; a catalytic reactor coupled downstream of the engine and configured to convert methane into a product through one or more of oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction and steam methane reforming (SMR) reaction; and a recirculation loop configured to recirculate at least a part of the product back to the engine.

Abstract: Methods and systems for producing and using multi-layer composite co-polyimide membranes, one method for producing including preparing a microporous or mesoporous membrane support material for coating; applying a sealing layer to the membrane support material to prevent intrusion into the membrane support material of co-polyimide polymer; applying a first permselective co-polyimide layer atop and in contact with the sealing layer; and applying a second permselective co-polyimide layer atop and in contact with the first permselective co-polyimide layer.

Abstract: A mechanical shutdown valve for preventing an over pressure condition is described. A valve body has an inlet, an outlet, and a channel extending from the inlet to the outlet. A valve seat and a diaphragm are positioned in the valve body. The diaphragm controls a fluid flow through the valve body. A mesh is coupled to the diaphragm such that the mesh and the diaphragm separate an upstream portion of the channel from a downstream portion of the channel. The mesh extends from the diaphragm to an inner surface of the valve body and limits fluid flow between the diaphragm and the valve body. A spring biases the diaphragm towards the open position. A characteristic of the spring determines a differential pressure threshold between the upstream portion of the channel and a downstream portion of the channel at which the diaphragm engages the valve seat.

Abstract: A membrane module includes a housing. The housing includes a housing, comprising: a first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes, and a second plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes different from the first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes. The first plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes has a first length, and the second plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes has a second length that is at least 1.1 times greater than the first length. The membrane module can be used in separation methods, such as membrane distillation methods.

Abstract: A mechanical shutdown valve for preventing an over pressure condition is described. A valve body has an inlet, an outlet, and a channel extending from the inlet to the outlet. A valve seat and a diaphragm are positioned in the valve body. The diaphragm controls a fluid flow through the valve body. A mesh is coupled to the diaphragm such that the mesh and the diaphragm separate an upstream portion of the channel from a downstream portion of the channel. The mesh extends from the diaphragm to an inner surface of the valve body and limits fluid flow between the diaphragm and the valve body. A spring biases the diaphragm towards the open position. A characteristic of the spring determines a differential pressure threshold between the upstream portion of the channel and a downstream portion of the channel at which the diaphragm engages the valve seat.

Abstract: A mechanical shutdown valve for preventing an over pressure condition is described. A valve body has an inlet, an outlet, and a channel extending from the inlet to the outlet. A valve seat and a diaphragm are positioned in the valve body. The diaphragm controls a fluid flow through the valve body. A mesh is coupled to the diaphragm such that the mesh and the diaphragm separate an upstream portion of the channel from a downstream portion of the channel. The mesh extends from the diaphragm to an inner surface of the valve body and limits fluid flow between the diaphragm and the valve body. A spring biases the diaphragm towards the open position. A characteristic of the spring determines a differential pressure threshold between the upstream portion of the channel and a downstream portion of the channel at which the diaphragm engages the valve seat.