SBIR-STTR Award

Membrane-based water filtration processes (i.e., desalination, process water production, wastewater reclamation, beverage water production) have high energy costs, while also having an inherent waste stream that still contains usable energy. Specifically, low TDS and brackish water desalination plants in the US have an unaddressed waste stream containing an estimated 2 million MW*hr (MWh) of energy each year. In addition, there are countless smaller desalination units, such as containerized or modular systems, which also have no energy recovery option and currently waste valuable energy in the reject stream. Our patented novel energy recovery technology is designed to be a high performance solution to recuperate savings from the reject stream with an ROI of 12 months by reducing overall energy consumption up to 40%. The low CapEx and OpEx is achieved through a novel fluid passage design which reduces part count to only five unique components, and results in a device which can be serviced in minutes without removing any piping. In Phase I, Amorphic Tech will build on existing positive results to increase operational capacity: flow, pressure, efficiency. The design of the energy recovery device and the testloop will be modified to allow operations and testing up to 1000 psi. Performance will be evaluated through online monitoring and offline characterization: pressure sensors, flowmeters, conductivity probes, and tribological and wear properties. Computational fluid dynamics will be utilized to optimize the fluid passage geometry to increase efficiency through minimization of pressure losses. In Phase II we plan to move the SEER technology closer to commercial application through field testing on customer systems in (3) diverse sectors: process water production, municipal water supply, and food/beverage plant. In parallel with Phase II field testing, we will plan to complete design of a commercial product line based on size requirements from customer research performed during Phase I. In the United States alone, we estimate the device could recover $175M in annual waste energy from brackish groundwater desalination plants, process water production for power plants, and food/beverage industry. Additionally, we estimate additional market opportunities of $50 million in the areas of waste water reclamation and modular military systems. Recovering this waste stream enhances the nation’s energy security, manufacturing competitiveness, and reduces our carbon footprint by an estimated 18,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. Similar opportunities exist in the HVAC and refrigeration industries for future iterations.

In the US alone, there is unaddressed waste energy in membranebased water treatment processes worth >$290M annually, across several sectors which current commercially available energy recovery devices cannot extract: brackish/seawater water desalination, process water production, food/beverage production, potable reuse, produced water, and transportable military systems. Current commercial options are not designed to perform at relevant operating conditions to provide a reasonable ROI for customers: flowrates, pressures, and dynamic changes. For the sake of national security, the DOE Water Security Grant Challenge provides 5 goals for the US to reach by 2030adding energy recovery to unaddressed waste stream helps satisfy 4 out of the 5 goals. A novel energy recovery device was developed focusing on effective simplicity to make reject stream energy recovery attainable for all: only five unique components, serviceability without removing piping, and energy decrease up to 40%. Part count reduction is achieved by novel fluid passage design in combination with highly efficient sliding vane pump technology. The resulting device has low capital cost and high efficiency over a wide operating range, yielding a rapid ROI in 12 months. During Phase I, business and technical groundwork was established for rapid commercialization through improvements from: 1 advanced computer simulation to enable rapid design evolution, 2 customer pipeline development with thirty interviews of industry leaders providing critical insights, yielding interest in pilot tests; 3 additive manufacturing innovations that enable rapid prototyping and identifying applications of metal printing; 4 implementation of 6axis lathe for complex manufacturing, and 5 completing a new scaled prototype and testloop, supporting up to 50 gal/min, 570 psi. In Phase II, the analysis, design, manufacture, and test of the energy recovery device will evolve to meet the high standards necessary for commercial use across brackish and seawater reverse osmosis. In house testing will have been completed under low and high pressures, varying flowrates, and endurance operations. Operational confidence will lead to field testing at end user sites where interested customersand partner organizationswill be invited to observe operations and review white paper results. Membranebased desalination is a critical process for countless industrial and municipal operations, from agriculture, energy production, to household potable tap water. The lower pressures and flowrates in the brackish water reverse osmosis market have been neglected because seawater desalination has much greater energy expenses, and the developed technology did not effectively scale down in pressure or size. Through innovative design and machining techniques, we are excited to commercialize a device that will reduce energy use up to 40% from personal desalinators to municipal water treatment plants.