1. Nikolay Voutchkov, PE, BCEE
2012
Lisbon, Portugal
Desalination
Overview of
Desalination Status & Future Trends
Nikolay Voutchkov, PE, BCEE
Water Globe Consulting

2. Desalination – Where Are We Today?
16,000 Desalination Plants Worldwide –
66.4 Million m³/day
Source: IDA Desalination Yearbook

3. Projected New Desalination Capacity in 2012
7.9 MM m³/day
Actual New Capacity in MM m³/day
Source: WDR, July 2010

4. Thermal vs. RO Desalination
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5. Membrane Desalination – Key Trends
SWRO Desalination Technologies Dominate;
Large - (over 50,000 m³/day) and Mega - (over 200,000 m³/day) Desalination Plants Are the Wave of the Future;
Most Large Urban Coastal Centers Worldwide Have Established a Target to Produce 25 % of their Drinking Water from Desalination;
Research &Development Activities are in 10-Year High – Likely to Yield Breakthroughs in Membrane and Desalination Technologies by 2015;
Large SWRO Projects Are Aiming at Sustainability – Green is In!

6. Water Production Costs of Recent SWRO Desalination Projects
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7. Common Features of Low-Cost Desalination Projects
Low Cost HDPE Open Intakes or Beach Wells;
Near-Shore/On-Shore Discharges w/o Diffuser Systems or Co-discharge w/ Power Plant or WWTP Outfalls;
Point of Product Water Delivery within 5 km of Desalination Plant Site;
RO System Design w/ Feed of Multiple Trains by Common High Pressure Pumps and Energy Recovery Systems;
Turnkey Method of Project Delivery.
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8. Typical Cost and Energy Ranges (Medium & Large SWRO Plants)
Classification
Cost of
Water Production
(US$/m³)
SWRO System Energy Use (kWh/m³)
Low-End Bracket
0.5 – 0.8
2.5 – 2.8
Medium Range
3.0 – 3.5
High-End Bracket
2.0 – 4.0
4.0 – 4.5
Average
1.0
3.0

9. Evolving SWRO Membrane Performance
Larger Membrane Element Area:
41 m² vs. 37 m²;
Larger RO Element Productivity:
28 to 47 m³/day;
Improved Salt Rejection: 99.7 to 99.8 %;
Increased Boron Rejection: 90 to 93 %;
Wider Membrane Spacers: 28 mil vs. 34 mil.

10. Membrane Pretreatment is Becoming More Popular for Large Plants!
300,000 m³/day Adelaide SWRO Plant, Australia :
– Disk Filters + Submersible UF;
– Largest SWRO Facility with Membrane Pretreatment.
Where Membrane Pretreatment Has Worked Well? – for Source Waters of Low Bio-fouling Potential:
Subsurface or Deep Open Ocean Intakes;
Plants w/ DAF or Other Pretreatment Ahead of UF/MF Membranes.
Where Membrane Pretreatment Has Faced Challenges?
Shallow Open Intakes Exposed to Heavy Algal Blooms;
Systems Designed for Overly High Flux Rates Based on Short-term Piloting.

11. Where Future Cost Savings Would Come From?
New Membrane & Pipe Materials
& Separation Technologies
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12. Improvements in Membrane Element Productivity:
Main Areas Expected to Yield Cost Savings in the Next 5 Years (20 % Cost & Power Reduction )
Improvements in Membrane Element Productivity:
Polymetric Membranes (Incorporation of Nano-particles Into Membrane Polymer Matrix);
Bio-membranes & Enzymatic Transport of Water
Carbon Nanotube Membranes
Increased Membrane Useful Life and Reduced Fouling:
Smoother Membrane Surface
Increased Membrane Material Longevity;
Use of Systems for Continuous RO Membrane Cleaning;
UF/MF Membrane Pretreatment.
Commercial Forward Osmosis Systems;
Larger RO Elements, Trains and Equipment.
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13. “The Best” of Seawater Desalination Present Status & Future Forecasts
Parameter
Today
Within 5 Years
Within 20 Years
Cost of Water
(2012 US$/m³)
US$
US$
US$
Construction Cost
(US$/m³/day)
1,200-2,200
1,000-1,800
500-1,000
Power Use of SWRO System (kWh/m³)
Membrane Productivity
(m³/day/SWRO membrane)
28-47
35-55
95-120
Membrane Useful Life
(years)
5-7
7-10
10-15
Plant Recovery Ratio (%)
45-50
50-55
55-65
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14. Concluding Remarks
The Ocean Is Becoming One of the Key Sources of Reliable and Draught-Proof Coastal Water Supply in the Next 10 Years;
Seawater Desalination is Economical Today and Will Become Even More Cost-Competitive in the Future;
The Future of Seawater Desalination Is Bright – 20% Cost of Water Reduction in the Next 5 Years;
Long-term Investment In Research and Development Has the Potential to Reduce the Cost of Desalinated Water by 80 % In the Next 20 Years.
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15. Water Globe Consulting
Questions ?
Nikolay Voutchkov, PE, BCEE
Water Globe Consulting
Nikolay Voutchkov
TechnoBiz Training Program (