WATER & WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT
Pump efficiency increases with larger RO trains
DEVELOPING DESALINATION
Antonio de la Torre reports on pushing the boundaries of desalination efficiency
T
he changing climate, rising populations, economic growth and increased urbanisation are all contributing to water scarcity
across much of the world. In recent decades, many regions have turned to seawater desalination to provide their populations with sufficient fresh water for agricultural, domestic and industrial purposes.
PREVIOUS INNOVATION Surging demand has been the catalyst for continual innovation in the desalination industry, and there is no better example than the changes in the design and technology of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants since the beginning of the 21st Century.
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www.engineerlive.com In 2001, a 50,000m3 per day SWRO
plant was considered quite large. Although there were a few larger facilities in operation around the world, most were significantly smaller. An SWRO train
with a capacity of 15,000m3
per day was
considered huge and Pelton turbines were the dominant energy recovery technology. At the time, a high-pressure RO pump delivering 600m3
per hour with
an efficiency of 83% was a considerable technical achievement.
AN EFFICIENCY REVOLUTION 20 years on, the specific power consumption of SWRO plants has been reduced from 6kWh per m3 less than 3kWh per m3
to . Improvements
in membrane performance and the use of new energy recovery devices have been crucial in that doubling of energy efficiency, but advances in pump technology have also played an important role.
Sulzer’s design and manufacturing expertise means that it can tailor each pump to its end application
As one of the world’s leading pump specialists, Sulzer has been involved in the RO sector for many decades. Constantly pushing the boundaries of pump design and providing reliable, high-performance equipment to major projects worldwide. Te use of wear parts made of polymeric materials with good tribological properties, for example, have enabled efficiency improvements of 2% to 3%. Advanced materials have also paved the
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