Refrigeration Facility Cooling and Water Desalination

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems for refrigeration facility cooling and water desalination. In certain aspects, the systems include a refrigeration facility having a water cooling subsystem configured to receive cool water and output warm water and a desalination plant co-located with the refrigeration facility and configured to receive and desalinate the warm water. Aspects of the invention also include methods for cooling a refrigeration facility using a water cooling subsystem and desalinating water with a desalination plant that is co-located with the refrigeration facility.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method of cooling a refrigeration facility, the method comprising:
 (a) cooling a refrigeration facility with a water cooling subsystem comprising a cool water intake and a warm water discharge; and   (b) desalinating warm water received from the warm water discharge at a desalination plant that is co-located with the refrigeration facility.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the water cooling subsystem is configured to obtain seawater from the cool water intake. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the desalination plant is a reverse osmosis desalination plant. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the cool water intake is positioned below the photic zone of a water source. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the water source is an ocean or sea. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises discharging brine from the desalination plant into the ocean or sea. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the brine is discharged below the photic zone of the ocean or sea. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the method produces fewer carbon emissions as compared to the same refrigeration facility and water desalination plant operating independently. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the method uses less energy per amount of refrigeration facility cooling and per volume of water desalinated as compared to the same refrigeration facility and water desalination plant operating independently. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 14 , further comprising obtaining power to operate the refrigeration facility and the desalination plant from a power plant co-located with the refrigeration facility and the desalination plant. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the method produces fewer carbon emissions than the same refrigeration facility, water desalination plant and power plant operating independently. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the method uses less energy per amount of refrigeration facility cooling or per volume of water desalinated than the same refrigeration facility, water desalination plant and power plant operating independently.