Description
The project “ Development and design of a new open seawater intake structure on the sea bed for the improvement of sea water quality in desalination process during critical episodes of high organic matter pollution” seeks to ensure a high quality of water abstraction in desalination plants, minimizing environmental impacts and challenges caused by organic pollution. Hence, it sets out to develop new technology capable of capturing the water free of this organic matter in its origins, before entering the plant, without a modification of the water sources. The new technology will consists of a flotation process at ocean depths, performed in a new open seawater intake structure on the sea bed. The organic matter will be separated from the water using air currents and returned to the sea from the top aperture of the structure whilst the water, free of these substances, will be taken to the plant. The project seeks to achieve an 80% reduction of the amount of organic matter present in the collected water, a 25% reduction in pretreatment costs, and reduction of organic waste.
Summary of project results
The project set out to ensure a high quality of water abstraction in desalination plants, avoiding the impact to the environment and to the desalination processes caused by the organic pollution, most notably related to red tides phenomena. With this project GS Inima aims to address ever increasing demands for water supply alongside with sustainable business and a respect for the environment. The research was carried out on multiple those scientific and technological aspects that would allow the preliminary definition of a viable capture system - namely, for the first time, inland water collection and flotation of organic pollutants to avoid their entry into the desalination process. These specific and technological aspects include the tests of algae flotation in the laboratory and new CFD simulation (a software that provides fast, accurate and flexible tools for thermal simulation and fluid flow) of the hydrodynamic aspects of the water intake station where the flotation process is carried out. A viability test of the algae dragging process was carried out with microbubbles generated by pre-dissolved air. For this purpose air dissolution elements and mixing chambers have been used. After contacting the dissolved air with the medium, a flotation test has provided information on the percentage of algae adhered to the microbubbles as a function of time. It should be noted that this project involves a disruptive technological leap in terms of water abstraction technologies in desalination processes. The new system is based on the flotation of the organic matter in the own collection tower system to be devised in a way that prevents the entry of organic contaminants in the pipes and therefore in the plant process. The new solution is based on the conception of a collection tower for the collection of sea water for the desalination process. This tower is conceived as a flotation chamber in which sea water enters, but through an air injection system placed at its base allows the flotation of the organic matter present in it, so that is returned to the sea and a free flow of these elements is obtained to the jar and therefore to the desalination process.
Summary of bilateral results