Saline Water Conversion Corporation

Saline Water Desalination Research Institute (SWDRI)

Evolution of Thermal Desalination

Processes

Dr. OSMAN AHMED HAMED

 OUTLINE
 Background

 Evolution of MSF desalination plants

 Evolution of MED desalination plants

 Dual purpose power/water and hybrid

desalination plants

 R&D Prospects
Evolution of Installed membrane and thermal
capacity (cumulative ) 1980-2012

Thermal
33%
Membrane
80 67%

70

60

50
milion m3/d

membrane
40
thermal

30

20

10

0
1980 1985
1984 1990
1988 1995
1992 2000
1996 2005
2000 2008
2004 2010
2008 2012

year
Breakdown of Total Worldwide Installed
capacity by technology
Other (2%)
Hybrid (1 %)

ED (3 %)

MED (8 %)

74.8 million m3/d

MSF (23%
RO (63%)
Historical evolution of total installed capacities of
desalination plants in the GCC countries

RO
28%
thermal
thermal membrane 72%

24
22
20
Production (million m3/d)

18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1,988 1,996 1,998 2,000 2,002 2,004 2,010
year
 Evolution of Thermal Desalination
Processes

MULTI STAGE
FLASH (MSF)
DISTILLATION
COMMON
SEAWATER
THERMAL
DESALINATION
PROCESSES MULTI EFFECT
DISTILLATION
(MED)
 The multi-stage flash
(MSF) desalination process
 High reliability
& availability.
Life-time over 30
years
Evolutionary
Evolutionary
Developments
of
of MSF
MSF Plants
Plants
S. Plants Year Capacity Life Time
# (migd)
1 Jeddah-III 1979 4x5 34
2 Jeddah-IV 1981 10 x 5 32
3 Al-Jubail-I 1982 6 x 6.2 31
4 Al-Khobar-II 1982 10 x 6 31
5 Al-Jubail-II 1983 40 x 5.38 30
6 Al-Khafji-II 1986 2 x 2.6 27
7 Shoaiba-I 1989 10 x 5.06 24
8 Shuqaiq-I 1989 4 x 6.5 24
9 Yanbu-I 1981 5x5 32

10 Yanbu-II 1999 4 x 7.94 14

11 Al-Khobar-III 2001 8 x 7.5 12
12 Shoaiba-II 2002 10 x 10 11
7% 3%

Availability

90% Planned Shutdown

Forced Shutdown

Average Availability for Al-Jubail Plant Phase II

(1983-2012)
9% 12%

91% 88%

Water Production Power Production

Design Deficiency Design Deficiency

Average Water and Power Load Factors for Al-

Jubail Plant Phase II (1983-2012)
11
 Reasons For high reliability
and availability

Selection of
High Design
Fouling Factor

12
 Al-Khobar III 0.264 m2 oC/kW

Al-Khobar II 0.160 m2 oC/kW (1982)

Shuaiba II 0.211 m2 oC/kW

Shuaiba I 0.30 m2 oC//kW (1982)

BH
Design
Al-Jubail II 0.176 m2 oC/kW (1983)
Fouling
Factors
Tawaleh ‘B’ 0.15 m2 oC/kW

Jebel Ali 0.12 m2 oC/kW

13
 Reasons For high reliability
and availability

Selection of Effective
High Design alkaline scale
Fouling Factor control

14
 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
CONTROL OF ALKALINE SCALE

1950's
Polyphosphate
Based Chemical

To overcome temperature
limitation (88 - 93 oC)

1960's, 1970's
Acid Addition

Hybrid Treatment To overcome acid

treatment problems
(Acid + Additive)

High Temperature Scale

Control Additive (HTA)
Threshold Agents

Inhibitors Based Inhibitors Based on

on Phosphonic Acid Polycarboxylic Acid
 SWCC’s ACHIEVEMENTS IN CONTROLLING
ALKALINE SCALE FORMATION

16
15

14 Dose Rate recommended in 1981

Antiscalant Dose Rate (ppm)

Dose Rate Optimized in 1987

12

10 9
Optimization Tests
8 6.5

6 4.5 Improvement of
3 3
3.5 Chemical
4
1.75
2.5
Formulation
2 1.5

0
Adoption of On-
85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120
Line Sponge Ball
Top Brine Temperature (oC) Cleaning System

16
 SWCC’s ACHIEVEMENTS IN CONTROLLING
ALKALINE SCALE FORMATION

16
15

14 Dose Rate recommended in 1981

Antiscalant Dose Rate (ppm)

Dose Rate Optimized in 1987

12 2010
Dose Rate Optimized in 2003
10 9
Optimization Tests
8 6.5

6 4.5 Improvement of
3 3
3.5 Chemical
4
1.75
2.5
Formulation
2 1.5
2 2.5
0.8 1.5
1
0
Adoption of On-
85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120
Line Sponge Ball
Top Brine Temperature (oC) Cleaning System

17
 Economic Impact of Antiscalant Dose Rate
Reduction in SWCC MSF Plants

9 7.86
8
Million US $

7
6
4.65
5
4 3.21
3
2
1
0
Antiscalant Annual Antiscalant Annual Annual Savings
Operating cost as Operating cost as
per 1987 dose rate per current dose
rate

18
 Reasons For high reliability
and availability

Selection of Effective Good

High Design alkaline scale Selection of
Fouling Factor control Material of
Construction
19
 Section Material of Construction

Shell Carbon steel (all plants)

Brine Heater
Tubes Either 70/30 o,90/10 Cu-Ni or modified 66/30/2/2
Cu/Ni/Fe/Mn except Al-Jubail I (Titanium)

• First high temperature stages Al-Jubail, Al-Khafji and

Flash the first two modules of Jeddah IV cladded with
stainless steel
Heat Recovery Chamber
• Al-Khobar II completely cladded with 90/10 Cu/Ni
Section • Al-Shuqaiq 1completely claded with stainless steel
Tubes All plants except Yanbu and Al-Jubail I: 90/10 Cu Ni
Jubail I: Titanuim
Yanbu 70/30 (1 to 10 stages)
90/10 (11 to 21 stages)
Heat Rejection Tubes All plants except Jeddah & Shoaiba : Titanium
Jeddah II, III, IV 90/10 Cu/Ni
Shoaiba 70/30 Cu Ni
20
 Projects which were recently built use the following materials of
construction for the major components

Carbon steel lined with stainless steel

Flash chamber of both recovery (floor lined with 317L, walls with
and heat rejection sections 316L and roof with either 316L or
304.

Water boxes Carbon steel lined with 90/10

Copper-Nickel

Brine heater tubes modified 66/30/2/2

Tubes Cu/Ni/Fe/Mn ; heat recovery tubes:
Copper/Nickel (first four stages 70/30
and remaining stages 90/10)

Heat rejection tubes Titanium &

modified 66/30/2/2 Cu/Ni/Fe/Mn

21
 High reliability
& availability.
Life-time over 30
years
Evolutionary
Evolutionary
Developments Increase in distiller
of
of MSF
MSF Plants
Plants size
 Historical Growth of MSF Distiller Size
25

20
20
17.5

15

10
10
7.9

5.1
5

2.5

0
1973-1978 Jeddah 1979-1988 Jeddah III 1999-2001 Yanbu II 2002 Shuaiba II 2003 UAE 2011 Ras Alkhair
I&II kKhobar I &IV Yanbu I Jubail khobar II
I&II Khobar II
Shuaiba I

Large unit size:

• Low investment cost for auxiliary equipment such as interconnection and control
piping .
• Operating and maintenance people depends on the number of unit installed.
• Savings in operational cost. 23
 Price Trend for turn-key complete MSF plants

14
12
12

10
8
$ / IGD
8
6 5
6 4

2
2010
0
1985 1990 1995 2000 2004
year

Reasons Constant Reduction of Investment per MIGD

• optimized use of material of construction.
•Reduction of redundant equipment.
•Optimized mechanical design of evaporator vessel.
•Optimized thermo-dynamic design parameters.
 High reliability
& availability.
Life-time over 30
years
Evolutionary
Evolutionary
Developments Increase in distiller
of
of MSF
MSF Plants
Plants size

Use of thermally
efficient power
generation cycles
 Seawater

Seawater intake

Pretreatment
LP steam
Desalination Condensate Power generation
Plant Plant
Pumping
power
Desalinated Net power
output
water

Operation flow chart for a water/power

Power/Water cogeneration plant
Flow Chart
 Before 1982 SWCC employed Extraction-
condensing turbine arrangement

Extraction /
Condensing
Turbine
Boiler Condenser
To Ejectors

MSF

Fuel

Deaerator

Condensate
Heater # 1
Pump

Power to water ratio 12 to 15 MW/MIGD

Jeddah II,III,IV AlJubail I Yanbu I Alkhobar II

27
27
After 1983 SWCC employed back-pressure turbine arrangement

Back Pressure
Turbine G

MSF Distillers

Ejector Moisture
Separator
Boiler

Fuel

Deaerator

Heater # 2 Heater # 1

Condensate Pump

Power to water ratio 5 to 7.9 MW/MIGD

28
28
After 1983 SWCC employed back-pressure turbine arrangement
2012 Combined Gas-vapor power generation cycles coupled with MSF/RO desalination
plants

Fuel in GAS CYCLE

Combustion 1100 oC
Chamber
Compressor Gas Power Output
Turbine Net
613 oC
Air in Exhaust 2400 MW
gases Waste Heat Boiler 539 oC 5 x 129.7 MW
Steam Power Output
Ejector STEAM CYCLE Turbine
Steam 81
140 oC, 2.89 Bar Common Cooling
MW
18 bar, 50 Rejection Seawater
Equipment
Recovery Reject
MW Section
o
Section Seawater in
230 C
Brine
Heater Blow down

Recycle Brine
700,000
SWRO m3/d
Product Water

300,000 62.5 MW
m3/d 1,000,000 m3/d
Typical power to water ratios for different technologies
Technology PWR (MW installed/Million Imperial Gallopns per)
Steam turbine BTG-MED 3.5
Steam turbine BTG-MSF 5
Steam turbine EST-MED 7
Steam turbine EST-MSF 10
Gas turbine GT-HRSG-MED 6
Gas turbine GT-HRSF-MSF 8
Combine cycle BTG-MED 10
Combine cycle BTG- MSF 16
Combine cycle EST-MED 12
Combine cycle EST-MSF 19
 Financial Benefits for Dual Purpose Plants

Dual purpose power/water plants have an overall

financial gain against two single purpose plants.
■ Sharing of some common equipment (boiler and its
associated facilities, intake and outfall facilities).

■ Elimination of some equipment

(power plant condenser)
■ Tremendous saving in fuel consumption related to
the desalting process
 Fuel
requirements

Fuel =565 MW
requirements
=447 MW Dual Single
Purpose Purpose
100 MW
Electrical 285 MW

243 MW

Dual Single
Purpose Purpose
Water Production
15 MIGD
280 MW
204 MW

Thermal Benefits of Cogeneration Plants

 MSF

Thermal
Processes

MED/TVC
 MED_TVC
offers the best potential method of improving the performance of straight MED desalination plants and
achieving high performance ratios and hence low water cost.

or Steam
Transformer

1kg
GOR=6
Historical evolution of the installed capacities of MED
desalination plants in the GCC states.

3,000,000
2645000
Production m3/d

2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000 754000

500,000 243000
65000
13000
0
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Year
 MARAFIQ POWER/WATER COGENERATION PLANT

Four power cycles : each power cycle incorporates 3 GT,3HRSG and one ST
Three of the power cycles are coupled with 27 MED units.
 Marafiq Power/Water
Cogeneration Plant

■ 27 MED/TVC Desalination units each produces

6.56 MIGD, total 177.2 MIGD
■ Power generation 2750 MW
■ Independent water and power production project
(IWPP)
■ Contract of water plant US$ 945 million
■ Project completed in 2010.
 Factors responsible for the recent market emergence of
MED-TVC desalination plants

 They provide higher overall heat transfer coefficients when

compared to multistage flash (MSF) desalination systems.
 MED does not employ recycling and are thus based on the
once through principle and have low requirements for
pumping energy.
 The power consumption of MED/TVC plants is only around
1.5 kWh/m3 as there are no requirements to re-circulate large
quantities of brine.
 Increase of MED unit capacity results in the decrease of the
investment cost.

 Multi-effect distillation also offers the possibility of reducing

the plant size and footprint
 EVOLUTION OF MED/TVC DESALINATION PLANTS

15MIGD
unit capacity MIGD

15
12 8-10 MIGD

9
5MIGD
6
3 1MIGD

0
1990 2000 2009 2012
year
MED UNIT CAPACITY GROWTH
 C C
B B B
B B

1 2 3
REB 3
4 5 6 7 8
REB 5
B B

A A

A A A
A A

Distillate through Distillate through Cell 1 / distillate

Steam
guillotine U pipe suction
Produced Distillate through Brine suction
Steam Saw line
HYBRID CONCEPTS
 Seawater
Seawater intake

steam
Thermal Desalination condensate Power Plant
Plant Pumping power

Pumping
Distillate Power
Power

RO
PRODUCT DESALINATION PLANT
WATER Blending
Permeate

Power/Water
43
Hybrid Flow Chart
43
 Simple hybrid Systems
adding a stand- alone
RO desalination
plant to an existing MSF complex

HYBRID
SYSTEMS

Integrated Hybrid systems

the plant is designed from
the beginning
as a combined plant .
 To main grid

Electricity

To RO Plant

Power Plant Steam to MSF

To MSF Plant
Seawater
Out
Common
Heat
Condensate
Rejection
Outfall
Return
Facility

MSF Product
MSF Unit Blended
Product

Brine
MSF
Make-up

Blow Down

MSF
Feed
Common Single Pass RO
Seawater Feed
Intake
Facility RO Unit Product
RO
Feed

Schematic diagram of simple hybrid configuration

 ADVANTAGES
• Such arrangement allows to operate the RO unit with relatively
high TDS and consequently allows to lower the replacement
rate of the membranes.

• If the useful life of the RO membrane can be extended from 3 to

5 years the annual membrane replacement cost can be reduced
by nearly 40 percent . Blending the products of the thermal and
SWRO allows for the use of a single stage SWRO instead of the
two stage SWRO plant normally employed in standalone SWRO
plants.

• Combining thermal and membranes desalination plant in the

same site will allow to use common intake and outfall facilities
with less capital cost.

• An integrated pretreatment and post-treatment operation can

reduce cost and chemicals.
 Simple hybrid

Hybrid
systems
Integrated
Hybrid
 To main grid
Electricity

To RO Plant

Power Plant Steam to MSF

To MSF Plant

Heat
Seawater
Out
Common
Condensate
Return Rejection
Outfall
Facility
MSF Product Common Post
MSF Unit Treatment
MSF
Brine Facility
Make-up BlendedProduct

Blow Down

MSF
Feed RO
Common Seawater Feed Single Pass
Intake
RO Unit Product
Facility RO
Feed

Schematic diagram of fully integrated hybrid configuration

 1989 , Phase I
Jeddah Single stage , 12.5 MIGD
MSF/SWRO
1994 , Phase II
Single stage , 12-5 MIGD

Product blended with MSF Product

Commercially Available Yanbu  SWRO 28.16 MIGD

Hybrid Desalination MSF / SWRO  Phase II MSF 40 MIGD
Plants

 20 MIGD
Al-Jubail
 Comman intake/outful with MSF
MSF/SWRO
 Product blended with MSF

Ras Al Khair
MSF/SWRO
 P= 10*199.7 MW Pnet
2400 MW

Steam P=5*129.7 MW
turbine
P=10*199.7 MW Paux
Steam
Steam PMSF
Gas PRO
Flue HRSG
HH Condensate
‫لل‬
turbine
Natural gas gases MSF
system return 700000
m3/d
plant

1000000
m3/d
300000
SWRO m3/d
plant
PRO

Block diagram of the combined power cycle integrated

with the hybrid MSF/SWRO desalination plant
 Electricity To Grid

G/T # 1 G/T # 2 G/T # 3 G/T # 4

G GE9171E GE9171E G G GE9171E GE9171E G
Electricity Electricity Electricity
105 MW 105 MW 105 MW
HRSG HRSG HRSG HRSG
Supp. Unit # 1 Unit # 2 Supp.
Unit # 3 Unit # 4 Internal
Firing Firing Consumers
Steam 390 t/h Steam 390 t/h

Electricity

By-pass
DSH
S/T S/T
G Unit # 1
G
Unit # 2
Electricity Electricity
118 MW 118 MW
STEAM
STEAM

MSF
MSF MSF
MSF MSF
MSF MSF
MSF MSF
MSF RO
RO
Unit
Unit ## 11 Unit
Unit ## 22 Unit
Unit ## 33 Unit
Unit ## 44 Unit
Unit ## 55 Plant
Plant
12.5
12.5 MIGD
MIGD 12.5
12.5 MIGD
MIGD 12.5
12.5 MIGD
MIGD 12.5
12.5 MIGD
MIGD 12.5
12.5 MIGD
MIGD 37.5
37.5 MIGD
MIGD
WATER
To Grid
(Fujairah Power/Water Plant (Combined cycle)
 MSF dual purpose
SWRO
hybrid MSF/SWRO
Specific fuel enery consumption

70
60
50
kWh/m3

40
30 . ..
20
10
0
2 (Yanbu) 3.3 (Jeddah) 13.51 (Al Jubail)
MSF/SWRO water production

Specific fuel energy consumption of SWCC hybrid

MSF/SWRO desalination plants
R&D PROSPECTS
 Address the shortcomings
Of currently employed thermal
desalination processes

R&D
PROSPECTS IN Development of desalination concepts
THERMAL That have not been fully explored and
DESALINATION Applied in commercial scale

Development of new desalination concepts

 Address the shortcomings
Of currently employed thermal
desalination processes

R&D
PROSPECTS IN
THERMAL
DESALINATION
 R&D PROSPECTS

Address the shortcomings of current thermal desalination processes.

C OS T OF WA T E R

S pa re &
Ma inte na nc e
L a bor (O & M)
4%
8%
Che mic a ls
1%
Ca pita l Cha rge s
P ow e r Cos t 29%
6%

S te a m Cos t
52%

Breakdown of water production cost

Address the shortcomings
Of currently employed thermal Prohibitive zone
desalination processes .Principal deterent is the
formation of hard
(sulfate) scale

40000 10
Water production m3/d

9.5
35000

Performance ratio
Chemical additives 9
30000 pretreatment 8.5

Acid zone
25000 8

20000 7.5
7
15000
6.5
10000 6
80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150

Top brine temperature oC

Impact of variation of TBT on MSF water production and performance ratio

To eliminate the possibility of scale formation, commercial MED
desalination plants are currently operating with TBT up to 65 oC .

Prohibitive Zone

Impact of the variation of operating temperature on the energy

consumption of the MED Process
 NF/RO/MSF or NF/RO/MED Tri-hybird System
MSF/MED Product
MSF/MED Unit

NF Unit
Seawater NF Product
SWRO Unit
RO Product
RO Reject
Ca = 481 Ca = 72 Ca = 1
Mg = 1507 Mg = 63 Mg = 2
Ca = 281
TH = 7406 NF Reject TH = 440 TH = 9
Mg = 437
HCO3 = 145 HCO3 = 51 HCO3 = 4
TH = 2502
SO4 = 3257 SO4 = 23 SO4 = -
HCO3 = 101
TDS = TDS = TDS = 660
SO4 = 124
45400 32060
TDS = 61080
 Pretreatment
NF Unit

NF Product

Seawater Intake

NF Reject

RO Unit
RO Product
Blended
Product

MED Product
RO Reject
Steam
MED/TVC Unit Cooling Seawater in

Make-up Seawater Cooling Seawater out

Condensate
Return
MED Brine

Schematic flow diagram of trihybrid NF/RO/MED desalination system

 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE AND UNIT CAPACITY
MED-TVC DESALINATION PLANT

61
Configuration of new MED/TVC desalination plants

Dist
Cell Cond Cell
3B enser 3A

Cell
6
Cell Cell
2B Cell 2B
5
Cell
4 Cell
Cell 1B
1B

Steam
Transformer
 Schematic flow diagram of MED
unit of Tri-Hybrid Desalination Plant

63
The impact of energy cost in $/bbl oil equivalent on the water production cost
16
Standalone MED
14
MED+Power Plant
12
Standalone
NF/RO/MED (70-30)
Water Cost (SR/m 3)

10
NF/RO/MED (70-30)
+Power Plant
8

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
($/bbl)
 Pretreatment
NF Unit

NF Product

Seawater Intake

NF Reject

RO Unit
RO Product
Blended
Product

MED Product
RO Reject
Steam
MED/TVC Unit Cooling Seawater in

MSF Make-up Seawater Cooling Seawater out

Condensate
Return
MSF
MED Brine

Schematic flow diagram of trihybrid NF/RO/MSF desalination system

 The impact of TBT on water production and energy consumption

66
 The impact of energy cost in $/bbl oil equivalent on the water production cost

conventional MSF
5.5

5
Water production cost $/m3

4.5

3.5 conventional MSF

conventional MSF
3
Dihybride NF/MSF System
conventional MSF
2.5
Dihybride NF/MSF System
2 Trihybrid NF/RO/MSF System

1.5

0.5

0
0
0
0 20
20 40
40 60
60 80
80 100
100 120
120

Energy
Energy cost
cost $/bbl
$/bbl

67
 14

13

12
Standalone MSF MSF Wthin Trihybrid Scheme
11

10

Pumping Power Mr/Md Mu/Md

Ad*102 PR 17 % Mc/Md 42 %
( m2/kg/hr ) (kWh/m3) 10%
23 %
34% 39 %

Comparison between the standalone MSF and

68 MSF combined with NF/RO configuration
 Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC)

Prospects of reduction of operational cost

of SWCC small scale thermal desalination
plants using solar energy
 Synergy between desalination and solar energy
Solar desalination combinations

Solar energy driven

desalination processes

solar ponds,
Photovoltaic cells Concentrating solar
evacuated tube , flat
(PV) collector field,
plate,
Thermal parabolic trough
Electricity energy

Heat Thermal power Electricity to

RO ED MVC Electricity
cycle grid

TVC MED MSF Heat

RO ED MVC

TVC MED MSF

RO = Reverse Osmosis
ED = Electrodialysis (ED)
MVC = Mechanical vapor compression
TVC = Thermal Vapor compression
MED = Multieffect distillation
MSF = Multistage flash distillation
SWCC-SWDRI/HITACHI ZOSEN Joint Solar Research Project

Schematic diagram of the solar assisted thermal desalination

experimental set-up
 Solar Energy
for
SWDRI
SWCC
Desalination Plants
 Address the shortcomings
Of current thermal desalination processes

R&D
PROSPECTS IN Development of desalination concepts
THERMAL That have not been fully explored and
DESALINATION Applied in commercial scale
 R&D PROSPECTS

Membrane distillation
Development of
desalination concepts
That have not been
fully explored and
Applied in commercial
scale

Freezing processes
 Address the shortcomings
Of current thermal desalination processes

R&D
PROSPECTS IN Development of desalination concepts
THERMAL That have not been fully explored and
DESALINATION Applied in commercial scale

Development of new desalination concepts

Water Production Cost

Evolutionary change

Step Change

Year
 Thank You

77