How TurboCharger® Works

The ERI^TM TurboCharger is a hydraulic device designed to transfer pressure energy from one liquid stream to a second liquid stream within a Reverse Osmosis System or any other liquid processes. Each TurboCharger consists of a pump section and a turbine section, both of which contain a single stage impeller or rotor. As liquid from the system's reject stream flows into the turbine section of the TurboCharger, the turbine rotor extracts the hydraulic energy and converts it to mechanical energy. The pump impeller then converts the mechanical energy produced by the turbine rotor back to pressure energy in the feed stream. Thus the ERI^TM TurboCharger is entirely energized by the reject stream. It has no electrical, external lubrication, or pneumatic requirements.

This chart illustrates the operation of an AT 4800 TurboCharger and AquaSpire^TM (formerly AVS)4800 feed pump in a single stage SWRO system. The feed stream from the AquaSpire^TM pump provides a flow of 6000gpm (1326.6m3/hr) at a pressure of 463psi (31.9bar) to the pump section of the TurboCharger. The impeller in the pump section increases the total feed stream pressure to 875psi (60.3bar). The membrane block produces 2400gpm (545.0m3/hr) of permeate and rejects 3600gpm (817.6m3/hr) of brine. The brine, which is now at a pressure of 855psi (58.9bar), enters the turbine section of the AT Turbo. The turbine rotor depressurizes the brine while extracting the energy in the form of high speed rotational torque. The brine, now depressurized to 5psi (brine exhaust can be any value, even hundreds of psi eliminating the need for a brine disposal pump), is exhausted to the discharge piping.