| 摘要 |
Apparatus and process for reverse osmosis or other pressure-driven membrane fluid separations, with a free rotor booster pump to increase the pressure of a feed fluid from an initial feed pressure to a working pressure at which perm-selective membranes separate the feed fluid into permeate and concentrate fluid fractions. The free rotor booster pump is powered solely by expansion of the concentrate fluid, thus recovering pressure energy from the concentrate fluid to amplify the pressure of the feed fluid. The free rotor booster pump is self-starting, provides desirable self-regulating characteristics to the apparatus, and simplifies the process since auxiliary valves that were required with prior art energy recovery turbines for starting procedures and running adjustments may be eliminated.
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