5,000,000 imp.gal/day sea water desalination plant for the Ministry of Electricity and Water, Government of Kuwait

Abstract

With the increased demand for fresh water production, sea water desalination plants that turn salt water into fresh water have been remarkably developed, especially in the Middle and Near East, and are now drawing attention from all over the world. Sea water desalination techniques to produce fresh water from inexhaustible sea water have made steady progress as one way of securing water resources, and the demand for sea water desalination plants has exhibited a yearly increase. As long as mankind exists on the earth it is axiomatic that the demand for water, including water for living and industrial use, will continue to increase, whereas the development of water resources is now becoming increasingly difficult, and, as is generally known, water quality is declining. Approximately one third of the sea water desalination plants practically working in the world are situated in the Middle and Near East region, and, further, nearly all of them are situated in Kuwait, a leading country utilizing sea water desalination techniques on a commercial basis. Introduced here is an outline of the 5,000,000 imp.gal/d sea water desalination plant which was constructed at Shuaiba South, Kuwait in August-September of 1975 for the Ministry of Electricity and Water Government of Kuwait, Comprising a flash evaporator, main heater, and other auxiliary equipment, this plant, one of the largest plants of its kind in the world today, was designed on the basis of the multi-stage brine recirculation flash system. Since August of 1975 when the plant began commercial operation, it has kept operating with satisfactory performance as expected. In addition, another 6,000,000 imp.gal/d sea water desalination plant is now being constructed in Kuwait. General View