Published on IDRA Global Connections Spring 2021 Issue
By Dr. Chris Fellow, Senior Anti-Scaling Expert at SWCC, and Eng. Fredrich Alt, Professional Engineer
Improvements to the Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) portion of the plant
The Operations and Maintenance team at the Ras al Khair integrated water and power plant, together with the researchers of the Water Technologies Research Institute (WTRI) have implemented changes to the plant which have had a dramatic effect on the ‘carbon footprint’ of the plant.
A number of operational improvements to the Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) portion of the plant, which produces approximately 770,000 m3 of potable water per day, have reduced the allocated annual gas energy consumption by about 4,000 billion BTU. The decision has been made to maintain the production of water and electricity at the same level as previously, which translates into a carbon dioxide abatement of 171,000 tons per year.
Improvement to Reverse Osmosis (RO) portion of the plant
Further savings have been made by changing the membranes used in two trains of the Reverse Osmosis (RO) portion of the plant, reducing the specific energy consumption to give a further 6500 tons per year of carbon dioxide abatement, for a total savings of 177,500 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Total savings of 177,500 tons of carbon dioxide per year
Extending the modifications already made to two trains to the entire RO system at Ras al Khair will realise 55,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide abatement, for a total projected carbon dioxide reduction of 226,000 tons per year. This is approximately the same as the entire carbon dioxide emissions of the Comoros Islands.[1]
The improvements made to operations at the Ras al Khair integrated water and power plant are not unique to that facility –similar operational changes and modifications should be possible across the entire system of SWCC plants, potentially giving up to five times as much carbon abatement, so of order of 1,000,000 tons per year.
Potentially giving up to five times as much Carbon abatement, so of order of 1,000,000 Tons per year.
1| Comoros, the only member of the Arab League entirely in the southern hemisphere, sits off the east coast of Africa and has a population of nearly 900,000.