Desalination units

?What is desalination
Desalination is refers to any of several processes that
remove the excess salts and other minerals from water to
obtain fresh water suitable for human consumption,
irrigation, or several industrial use.

Thermal distillation is one of the methods used for

desalination, and that is what we use in QG utilities.

Generallyhow Thermal Distillation go

on?
1)

Vapor formation due to the addition of heat to saline

water (leaving behind non-volatile impurities).

2)

Vapor is separated from the liquid.

3)

Condensation of the vapor due to heat

transfer/removal.

Before explaining thermal

distillation
we need to know the quality of
sea water
.we are going to treat with

Average sea water Analysis

Sodium
26,600 ppm Na
Magnesium 6600 ppm Calcium
1300 ppm CaCO3
Potassium 400 ppm K
Chloride
31,700 ppm Cl
Sulphate
3,200 ppm SO4
Alkalinity 150 ppm CaCO3
TDS

40,000 ppm
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Sea Water salinity

Baltic Sea
Caspian Sea
Adriatic Sea
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Mediterranean
Red Sea
Arabian Gulf

(g/l)
7
13
25
33.6
33.8
36
39.4
43
43
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Sea Water
pH of sea water is 8.1 - 8.3

Alkalinity is mostly HCO3approximately 120 - 150 ppm as

CaCO3.

Physical Properties of Sea

Water
In sea water:

Dissolved salts lower the vapor pressure

of pure water.

Salts raise the boiling point of sea water Vs

pure water.

Vapor pressure lowering is a function of

ionic strength

Critical parameter in simulating sea water

desalination
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Physical Properties of Sea Water

In sea water:
Solubility of gases decreases as
temperature and salt content
increase.

Salt content of sea water will affect the solubility

of carbon dioxide which controls pH and
carbonate/bicarbonate equilibrium.

QG desalination units

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General

4 desal units 09-Y9401 A/B/C/D

Each one of 4 cell type

Gross output . 56 tonne/hr
Net output
. 48 tonne/hr

Dechlorination injection package 09-Y9407

normal dosing 15 l/hr

Shock dosing ... 92.6 l/hr

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2 desal tanks 09-T9401 A/B

each tank capacity .. 5,309 m3

4 desal water pumps 09-P9401

A/B/C/D

each pump capacity 56 m3/hr

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seawater supply condition :-

35c in summer, 15c in winter.

min supply pressure at battery limit 2.5 bar g

desalinated water produced :43c at the battery limit.

3.0 bar g at the battery limit.

brine blowdown and reject water is discharged

at 1.5
bar g to seawater cooling return
header.

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Hogging
ejector
MP steam

ejectocompressor
filters

Vacuum Ejector

Chemical
injection

Seawater inlet
TT
LT
Cell 2

Cell 3

Desuperheating

Cell 1

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Cell 4

Desal pump(2)
Brine pump(2)

Off
spec
desal
to
dump
Desal
to
storage

Process flow
1) Dechlorination

Seawater is being dechlorinated before entering the

desal units in order to offset hypochlorite.
Dechlorination agent is Na2S2O5.
Continuous injection rated 15.4 17.6 L/hr.
Shock injection for 30 mins every 3.5 hrs rated 92.6
-99 L/hr
Chloride content should be <5ppm in feed water
stream.

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2) Chemical injection

1.

Before desalination, seawater is injected

with:Antiscale (Belgard EV), via 2 dosing pumps
rated

2.

2.4-2.8 L/hr

Antifoam (Bellite M8) , via 1 dosing pump

rated 1.6 -2.7 L/hr

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3) Evaporator system

Each desalination unit is a thermo-compressor, multi-effect evaporator

type with four evaporator effects.

Seawater is preheated in distillate condenser. Part of it forms the feed

for the evaporators, and the remainder flows directly to the cooling
water return header.

After chemical injection and filtration, seawater sprayed on the heating

bundles of the four effects.

For the 1st effect, seawater flows through the tube side of ejector
condenser.

Desalinator heating steam is supplied from the MP steam header, and

desuperheated by injection of spray water supplied by desal pump.

MP steam enters the ejectocompressor which sucks and compresses

the non-condensed vapour from the distillate condenser of the 4 th
effect.

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The mixture of MP steam &vapor leave the ejectocompressor to fed

into the heating tube bundle of the 1st effect in which it is
condensed.

The heat of condensation is utilized to vaporize part of the

seawater sprayed in the 1st effect.

The other part of the seawater (brine) collects at the bottom shell
and flows to the shell bottom of the next effect.

The condensate from the shell side of the ejector condenser is

routed to the tube, outlet side of the 1st evaporator, where it
combines with the condensate produced by steam condensing in
the tubes and routed to the tube outlet of the 2nd effect evaporator.

In the other side, the vapor produced in the 1st evaporator flow
through the demister pad out of the evaporator. This flow routed to
the tubes of the 2nd effect evaporator acting as a heating medium.
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This process repeated in the 2nd & 3rd effects.

The condensate from each effect is routed to the well of the distillate
condenser.
The process in the 4th effect is differ in that: The S.W from cell side is pumped away to the S.W return
header under control of distillate compartment level
controller.
Distillate from the tube side is routed to distillate
compartment which pumped to desal tanks.
The cell side vapors are routed to the ejectocompressor.

On the rundown line, there is a conductivity analyzer which will

switch the distillate to reject (if 15 s).

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4)Vacuum system

Each Desalination Unit operates under vacuum conditions which

are established by a conventional powered ejector system.
Motive steam for the ejectors is supplied from the MP steam
header.
The dissolved air in the seawater is released as non-condensable
vapors in each evaporator.
Finally, the non-condensable vapors are collected in the vapor
zone of the distillate condenser and discharged to the 1 st effect
through the ejecto compressor.
The vacuum ejector pulls the non-condensable vapors from the
heating tube bundle of the 1st effect through the vent condenser
where the vapors are condensed.
Condensate from the ejector condenser is routed to the tube side
of the 1st effect.
During start-up, the hogging ejector is used to initiate a vacuum,
pulling the non-condensable vapors from the heating tube bundle
of the 1st effect.
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Control of desalinated water system

Desal units operates under the following control
philosophy:

Cell No.4 brine level control.

Distillate condenser product level control.

S.W make-up flow control.

Distillate condenser product temperature control.

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Normal operation condition

S.W inlet pressure 2.5 barg

Distillate temperature ... 43c

S.W make-up flow

Brine cell 1 temp

Gross product flow rate 56 m3/hr

MP steam .9.5barg ..205c..7.36 t/hr

..160 m3/hr
59.3c

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Turn down operation

Sometimes we need to operate desal unit on capacity

less than 100% due to lack of demand of downstream
users.
In order to turn down:

Determine the desired production rate.

Maintain the same make-up flow (160 m3/hr).
slowly reduce the steam flow to the ejectocompressor by adjusting
9HV4S01 in incremental steps.

This last action will have a cascading effect, in that:less heat input less feed flashing in each effect less distillate product
+ increase brine blowdown SOmonitor the level in the brine
compartment.

In order to increase production rates, reverse this

operation. However, monitor the temperature in brine
cell 1 so as not to exceed the high temperature trip of
65C.

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Acid cleaning

When did acid cleaning is required?

When distillate output flow from the evaporator

units is decreasing at an abnormally fast rate.
An internal inspection of tubs must be made
before cleaning, in order to confirm and record
the degree of scaling.
A 33% HCL is used
Bicarbonate
+

removal

H + HCO3

H2O + CO2

vented to
atmosphere

A suitable Corrosion inhibitor must be used

during this process.
SIDEM procedure is to be follow.

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Desal unit interlocks

Brine temperature cell 1 high.

Sea water makeup low flow.

Cell 1 seawater makeup low flow.

Brine cell 4 very low level.

Brine cell 4 very high level.

Distillate cell 4 very low level.

Distillate high conductivity.

Air instrument very low pressure.

Antiscale tank low level.

Antiscale tank very low level.

Antifoam tank low level.

S.M.B tank low level.

S.M.B tank very low level.

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For efficient operation we need

to know

Thermal Efficiency

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Thermal Efficiency

Three principles are employed to ensure that

thermal desalination is economically viable

Control of boiling point by adjusting pressure to allow

multiple boiling at successively decreasing temperatures.

Use of heat released by vapor as it condenses to heat up

feed water

Maintain clean heat exchange surfaces

Thermal efficiency is measured by the Gained Output Ratio

(GOR) or the Performance Ratio (PR)
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Gained Output Ratio (GOR)

Defined as the amount of distillate produced

divided by the amount of heating steam
used in the high pressure evaporator

The GOR number is slightly less than the number

of effects because of heat losses in heating, heat
losses to environment and increase in heat of
vaporization as pressure decreases.

An approximation of GOR is 0.8 x No of effects

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Salt Saturation

Chemical Problems

DEPOSITION
Exchange efficiency

Carry-Over

FOAMING
High concentration

COSTS

Failures

CORROSION
Presence of oxygen
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Evaporator Scaling

Effects of Scaling:
Increased Energy Input
Reduced Distillate Production
Increased Maintenance Costs

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Deposition

Critical parameter is MAX

temperature:
Calcium Carbonate
2 HCO3- <----> CO3-2 + CO2 + H2O
Ca+2 + CO3-2 <----> CaCO3

93 C

110 C

120 C

Magnesium Hydroxide
H2O + CO3-2 <----> 2OH- + CO2
Mg+2 + 2OH- <----> Mg(OH)2

Calcium Sulphate
Ca+2 + SO4-2 <----> CaSO4

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My friend.....
Always remember

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Wear your PPE

Mind hot
points

Handel chemicals
carefully

Minimize
environmental
damage

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Best regards

Mohammed Koraiem

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