A. O. Smith Corporation

Membrane-based separation for water purification, contaminant removal, desalination, and wastewater treatment, including reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and forward osmosis modules.

Systems and methods specifically engineered for removing pollutants and impurities from water sources, ranging from groundwater decontamination to point-of-use filtration, often employing adsorption, membrane, or distillation techniques.

Novel designs and configurations for heat exchangers that improve heat transfer efficiency, compactness, or enable specific phase change or separation processes within refrigeration and heat pump cycles.

Systems and methods that use sensors, data analysis, and automation to monitor water quality, process parameters, or system performance, enabling adaptive control, predictive maintenance, or incentive-based management.

Membrane and depth filtration for industrial separation, gas purification, and bioprocess clarification including cross-flow, dead-end, tangential flow filtration, and oil/water separation.

Non-chemical or non-biological methods that alter the physical properties or structure of water, often claimed to improve its quality or interaction with biological systems, such as vortexing or electromagnetic treatment.

Design and control strategies for improving the efficiency, stability, and operational flexibility of refrigerant circuits, including component integration, flow management, phase separation, and pressure regulation.

Processes that use strong oxidants, electrochemical methods, sonic waves, or other energy-intensive techniques to break down organic pollutants, disinfect water, or facilitate contaminant separation.

Specific techniques and materials developed to remove persistent or difficult-to-treat pollutants from water, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), micropollutants, or specific industrial chemicals.

Techniques and mechanisms to optimize the performance, energy consumption, and operational range of compressors in refrigeration and heat pump systems, often involving variable control of compression parameters like volume ratio or speed.