Research and Development Office

Available Technologies

This table shows all Reclamation's patents, with links to the full text on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. If you are interested in partnering with Reclamation, please contact the Technology Transfer Staff.

Advanced Water Treatment

October 5th, 2012: Chlorine Resistant Polyamide Membrane (PDF, 680 kB)
Reverse osmosis polyamide membranes are used to desalinate and purify seawater, wastewater, and surface water. Chlorine is used in the reverse osmosis process to prevent biofouling of the membrane, but chlorine rapidly degrades polyamide membranes. Chlorine Resistant Membrane is a new polyamide membrane chemical formulation that is resistant to chlorine degradation which increases the life of the membrane and can lower replacement costs for desalting plants.
U.S. Patent No. 7,806,275 and U.S. Patent Application No. 11/203,990

February 28th, 2010: Cellulose Acetate Membrane (PDF, 320 kB)
Reverse osmosis cellulose acetate membranes are used not only in reverse osmosis desalination plants to remove salt and purify water but also food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and chemical products. This new cellulose acetate membrane performs better than existing cellulose acetate membranes by removing more salts at the same operating pressures which decreases operating costs for desalting plants.
U.S. Patent No. 8,123,945

December 17, 2009: Forward Osmosis (FO) (PDF, 995 kB)
Compared to reverse osmosis and other traditional forms of desalination, forward osmosis can significantly reduce the capital and energy costs of purifying water. Reclamation is engaged in collaborative research and development aimed at addressing the barriers to forward osmosis technologies. We have filed a patent for a driving solute and have made significant progress developing a 2-stage process that removes and recycles the driving solute back to the FO extractor producing potable water that is free of salt and the driving solute. We have also developed cellulose ester hollow-fiber FO membranes that are thin, strong, and offer more desalting surface area per unit volume as compared to flat sheets.
U.S. Patent Application No. 13/082,639

Water and Power Infrastructure Reliability

April 1, 2003: Hydrophilic Polyurethane Impregnated Rubber for Sealing Water Leaks (PDF, 49 kB)
A material used to seal cracks in a dam or other water delivery systems.
U.S. Patent No. 6,541,106

October 15th, 2002: Flexible Flux Probe (PDF, 116 kB)
An inexpensive, printed circuit on a 1x2 inch thin flexible film that measures electromagnetic flux in an electric generator to detect and diagnose problems with the generator. Currently, over 70 flux probes have been sold under a non-exclusive license with Iris Power Engineering.
U.S. Patent No 6,466,009

Water Operations Decision Support

May 11, 1999: Chemical Metering System (PDF, 480 kB)
An automated system that controls a desired level of a pesticide or other chemicals in any open or closed flow stream with fluctuating flow rates.
U.S. Patent No 5,902,749

Conserving or Expanding Water Supplies

August 24, 2004: Catch Cup (PDF, 565 kB)
A device that evaluates sprinkler performance for irrigation users to adjust their sprinkler systems to apply the proper amount of water for conserving water. Currently, over 12,000 catch cups have been sold under a non-exclusive license with the Utah State University.
U.S. Patent No 6,779,399

---