A Demonstration of High Temperature MED-TVC Desalination Technology in the Gulf Area

Young‐Geun Lee ,Sultan Ahmed,Khalid Bamardouf,Byungsung Park,Osman A Hamed ,Amr M Mahmoud ,Abdulaziz Suliman Al-Jamhan

doi:10.11648/j.ajche.20190702.11

Abstract

This work focuses on a multiple effect desalination system with thermal vapor compressor (MED-TVC) operating at a top brine temperature (TBT) of 85°C which is significantly above the common operation temperatures of conventional MED-TVC systems, limited to a range below 70°C mainly due to scale risk. Such increase in TBT would enhance the production and system economics. A pilot plant installed at the Desalination Technologies Research Institute (DTRI) of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in Jubail, Saudi Arabia was operated at the TBT of 85°C over a 5-month test period. Visual inspection of tube bundles after the test, in conjunction with chemical scale analysis showed that scaling was limited to a soft thin film scale, which was easily removed by flushing with water, which confirmed a low fouling potential analyzed from operation data. Techno-economic analysis of the MED-TVC system operating at a TBT of 85°C, indicated up to 34% reduction in steam consumption and up to 16% reduction in the levelized cost of water (LCOW), when compared with a MED-TVC unit operating at a conventional TBT of 65°C. Accordingly, the high temperature MED-TVC systems operating at a TBT of 85°C can be considered as a financially competitive and technologically reliable desalination option for the Gulf area which has challenging seawater characteristics.

Highlights

Nowadays, the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination technology is mainly applied to new desalination plants, because it is considered as a more energy-efficient and environment-friendly process, compared to thermal processes [1]
Demonstration Pilot Plant generally designed to be operated at higher top brine temperature (TBT) of 112°C, while existing conventional MED-TVC plants have been designed with a TBT in the range of 65°C to prevent scale occurrence
In this study validation of operation elevated MED TBT (85°C) with gulf conditions aiming to enhance the performance and economics of the existing MED, the challenge was to confirm the ability of antiscaling treatment to handle such operation conditions without scale participation, a MED-TVC pilot plant has been operated over a period of 5 months at a TBT of 85°C in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, by Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) - Desalination Technology Research Institute (DTRI) in cooperation with Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction

Summary

Introduction

The seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination technology is mainly applied to new desalination plants, because it is considered as a more energy-efficient and environment-friendly process, compared to thermal processes [1]. Since this technology is very sensitive to seawater conditions (i.e., clay, metal inorganics, organics and algal blooms), its performance is directly influenced by membrane fouling, leading to an increase in the O&M cost and a decrease in plant availability due to shutdowns [2]. During the 1990s and early 2000s, MED-TVC systems were limited in unit capacities [10], but the 15 MIGD unit of the Yanbu Phase 2 plant in Saudi Arabia is an example of a modular

Methods

Results

Conclusion