As the global water community is experiencing an intensified deficit in fresh water resources, developing seawater desalination infrastructure has become a necessity for many regions. Over the decades, technology advancements have made seawater desalination a reality, however high energy demand remains an issue, both in terms of operating cost and significant CO2 emissions. Finding an effective way to integrate renewable energy into energy-intensive water treatment processes has become a critical challenge for the development of new water supplies. Oceanus Power & Water (OPW) has partnered with AECOM to develop an innovative concept integrating a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant with a seawater pumped storage hydropower (SPSH) facility. The system operates by pumping seawater up to a high elevation storage reservoir during periods of low power demand or excess supply. This stored water is later released for hydroelectricity generation during peak hours. OPW’s system uses the potential energy of the stored water to continuously produce freshwater from the SWRO system, without the need for additional high pressure booster pumps. The system may also provide low-cost power for other energy-intense water operations, such as finished water conveyance or wastewater reuse. OPW’s innovative system reduces the energy cost for advanced treatment processes, while also storing renewable energy. Substantial savings in construction and O&M costs can be realized from the facility co-location approach. This paper will present results from the feasibility design of the seawater intake and outfall structure and the core desalination process, and describes an innovative No-Pump desalination approach.
This presentation is available to AMTA Members only.
Speaker
- Mark Allen / Sandra Walker / YuJung Chang PhD / Neal Aronson
Company
- Oceanus Power & Water, LLC
Event
- AMTA/AWWA Membrane Technology Conference, Long Beach, CA
Session
- AMTA/AWWA Membrane Technology Conference
Date
- 02/14/17
Media
Keywords
- Membrane, Seawater, Ultrafiltration, Intake & Outfall, Desalination, Energy, Optimization, Reverse Osmosis, Microfiltration, Ceramic, Environmental Impact
Reference
- 9676-DP1952