At a glance

• Six RO trains provide 48,000 m3/d of permeate for Saudi Arabia’s busiest airport.
• Just one HPB turbocharger per train is required for effective energy recovery.
• Just two high-speed mechanical components per train are required for pressure boosting and energy recovery: the high pressure pump and turbocharger ERD.

About the project:

Located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) is the busiest airport in the country, serving over 40 million passengers per year. It is a hub for the country’s national carrier, Saudia and serves as a gateway to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The airport has three terminals and offers flights to destinations around the world.

Since 2008 KAIA has relied on FEDCO equipment to ensure reliable water supplies to support the airport’s operations. To meet their needs for high energy efficiency, low energy consumption, and reliable water production, KAIA installed a 40,000 m3/d seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) facility with a FEDCO HPB-1000 energy recovery turbocharger recovering brine energy on each 8,000 m3/d train.

Following successful commissioning and operation, KAIA added a further 8,000 m3/d SWRO train to the facility using the same design, bringing the total production capacity to 48,000 m3/d.

KAIA Membrane Array 2KAIA Turbocharger

KAIA SWRO membrane array (left) and HPB Series turbocharger (right)