Corrosion experience data bank system for desalination and power plants (corex)

Across the globe and since the dawn of civilization, fresh water resources have been a major economic, environmental and political issue that affect human welfare and progress. Today, the desalination industry is experiencing rapid growth across the globe; unfortunately, the industry lacks several key elements that should make this expansion more efficient, more profitable to the owner, less expensive to the consumer and with limited impact on the environment. These elements include development of codes and standards for various desalination activities and having integral training programmes for qualifying the manpower. This study focuses on evaluating the training programme adopted since 1994 in the Doha West desalination and power plant. Further development of the plant manpower is achieved through short course training on various topics related to design, operation and maintenance of desalination and power plants. Evaluation of the training programme is presented in terms of various operating parameters, which include plant availability, production efficiency, performance ratio, specific manpower and specific consumption of cleaning acid and balls. Results show drastic enhancement in plant performance, where availability increased to 80% and production efficiency is close to 100%. Also, the plant performance ratio remains at values close to clean operation for more than half of the operating time. The specific manpower shows continuous decline because of the increase in the production efficiency and elimination of unnecessary overhead costs. Operation policy focused on increasing the use of on-line ball cleaning and reducing the frequency of acid cleaning. This is advantageous, since acid cleaning promotes metal corrosion, while on-line ball cleaning has negligible effect on the integrity of the preheater tubes.

Minimize the negative impact of oil contamination on Abu Dhabi power and desalination plants

Fuel efficiencies, allocation of fuels and fuel costs for power and desalination in dual purpose plants: A novel methodology

Power and desalination plants are very important in the Arabian Gulf region to provide water and electricity. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates has a number of power and desalination plants. One of these plants is Umm Al Nar plant. It is located inside a lagoon north of Abu Dhabi Island, which is the North Lagoon. Hydrodynamic study was carried out to investigate the impact of constructing a temporary closure dam in the tidal water near the plant intake on the flow pattern and the recirculation of effluent discharges from the outfall to the intake of the plant. The effect of the proposed dam on the mangroves in the vicinity of the plant was investigated. Two dimension hydrodynamic numerical flow model simulates the study area was used in the study. The hydrodynamic and environmental impact of the proposed dam was evaluated by comparing the results of the model computations with and without the dam simulation.

The members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf have typically addressed water scarcity problems by building energy-intensive desalination plants. Few efforts have addressed water scarcity through metering, pricing, and other efficiency measures to reduce demand. This paper examines how decreased leakage in the water distribution system and decreased residential water use in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, could decrease air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from desalination plants. We developed a probabilistic model to predict the effects of water use reductions on pollutant emissions from Abu Dhabi's major independent water and power plants, which use a combination of multi-stage flash distillation and multi-effect distillation to produce fresh water from seawater drawn from the Arabian Gulf. We examine three categories of scenarios for reducing water use: increasing the price signal to residential users, instituting demand management programs among residential users, and reducing water loss in the distribution system. Our analysis suggests that water conservation price incentives could reduce air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions by 1% to 5%, depending on assumptions about how households respond to the incentives. Demand-side management programs curbing per capita water use to levels typical of the Singapore or the UK would curb emissions by 10% or 11%, respectively. Reducing water loss during distribution from the current high level of 35% to 15% (similar to loss rates in other developed nations) could cut emissions by more than 3%. Overall, our analysis suggests that high per capita water use contributes to ambient air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Abu Dhabi.

Model investigation on the impact of Raha Beach development on Umm Al Nar Power and Desalination Plant

The research aim of the article is to assess the impact of a large industrial facility on the environment: Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Plant located in the United Arab Emirates. We use AHP and Leopold Matrix principles and techniques to assess the impact of power plants on the environment. The combination of the two methods AHP and Leopold's Matrix ensures that decision-makers make informed choices towards sus-tainable solutions. The analysis shows that the Jebel Ali power plant and desalination plant have lit-tle negative impact on the environment. Nevertheless, noticeable impacts on the hydrosphere and atmosphere were observed. The burning of fossil fuels has a direct impact on the atmosphere by emitting harmful substances. Desalination of salt water and returning by-products to the sea also has a direct negative impact on the hydrosphere. The combination of both factors also affects the biosphere.The power plant is of great importance in solving the problem of water shortages in the region. The problem is solved by combining power generation and water desalination. Keywords: risk assessment, AHP Method, Leopold Matrix, Energetics

New power station opens in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates

Privatization of dual-purpose seawater desalination and power plants — structures, procedures and prospects for the future

Oil spill modeling is a powerful tool that can be used for predicting the trajectory and concentration of an oil spill in contingency event. The National Energy and Water Research Center (NEWRC) of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority is developing early oil spill warning system for all Abu Dhabi power and desalination plants. The oil spill warning system enables the NEWRC to give early warning signal to plant, which may be threatened by an oil contamination. The Particle Tracking Module (PART) of Delft3D software package of Delft Hydraulics, The Netherlands is used in the setup of the oil spill warning system. This study shows the procedures that were followed to setup the oil spill warning system for one of the largest power and desalination plant in Abu Dhabi Emirate, which is Shwueihat Plant. The oil spill modeling can be used to determine the potential risk of oil contamination at the seawater intake of the plant due to the oil released from any possible oil sources. Case study is presented in the paper to demonstrate the use of the oil spill modeling to predict the trajectory and concentration of the oil slick released from oil source near the Shwueihat Power and Desalination Plant.

Brine disposal from reverse osmosis desalination plants in Oman and the United Arab Emirates

Hybrid systems in seawater desalination-practical design aspects, status and development perspectives

Increasing population and growing demands from both agriculture and industry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) necessitate the need to provide inexpensive fresh water. The only feasible source of such water is desalination. The coastal area of the United Arab Emirates especially in Abu Dhabi is formed of a series of hypersaline (47%°) lagoons surrounded by salt-encrusted flat sabkhas. Such water bodies may be used as salinity gradient solar ponds (SGSPs) to generate clean electricity that can be used in desalination plants. The geologic and climatic conditions of this region are compared with El Paso, Texas, USA where there is a well-established SGSP technology. It is concluded that the water and air temperature, solar radiation, and geologic setting support the possibility of using this technology in the UAE and especially in Abu Dhabi. Cost analyses also suggest that the generation of electricity and its use in desalination plants are economically feasible. © 2008 ASCE.

Impact of seawater desalination and wastewater treatment on water stress levels and greenhouse gas emissions: The case of Chile

The integration of desalination plants and mineral production