Desalination: Technologies, Applications & Trends



This course is available at these future events:
Gold Coast 2010

A new comprehensive course on RO desalination, taught by a world leading practitioner.  Learn how a state-of-the-art RO desalination facility is developed, designed, constructed and operated.

Reverse osmosis desalination has moved from being considered an “alternative” to a “conventional” technology over the past ten years. Along the way, a lot has been learned about what is required to ensure a project success. This course will take a look at RO technology and all of the supporting options that must be considered to develop, site, design, construct and operate a successful project.

This is a practical course taught by a world leading practitioner in RO desalination. Participants will benefit from numerous project profiles which will provide invaluable "lessons learned", and in some cases, put to bed the urban myths that surround some recent projects.

ISSUES ADDRESSED

Day 1

  • Introduction to RO – The theory of osmosis and the history, development and commercialisation of the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane.
  • The Desalination Market -  The desalination market, particularly the seawater desalination market, is the fastest growing market in the water sector. This module will look at the application of RO membrane technology and the growth in market size and value.
  • Intake & Pretreatment - Abstracting seawater and pretreating it to remove suspended solids prior to the desalination process is often more complicated and costly than the desalination process itself. This module will review the various sub-seabed and surface intake arrangements used to minimize marine life impacts, and the various pretreatment options to ensure the membranes are able to operate efficiently.
  • Seawater RO Systems - RO membrane configurations, and the key design variables that can be employed to reduce capital and operating costs.  
  • Hands-on workshop session in which you will make a spiral-wound RO membrane element.

Day 2

  • Energy & Energy Recovery - Desalination energy requirements, and the strategies that may be used to minimize energy consumption as well as the use of renewable energy sources.
  • Concentrate Discharge - Typical seawater desalination discharges a concentrate with a salinity approximately twice as high as the seawater itself. This module will review the methods used to discharge concentrate to minimize its environmental impact.
  • Post-treatment & Distribution - The introduction of large volumes of desalinated seawater into an existing distribution system can pose significant challenges. This module will review the post-treatment methods employed to improve desalinated water’s taste and stability.
  • Site visit to the Tugun Desalination Plant at the Gold Coast.

Day 3

  • Project Development - Large-scale desalination plants can pose siting, development, permitting and procurement challenges. This module will review the development process beginning with feasibility study.
  • Total Water Cost - What is the real cost of water produced by seawater desalination ?
  • Project Profiles - Review the case histories of six seawater and four brackish water RO projects.
  • Desalination Trends - The trends in RO membranes, desalination and environmental mitigation that are being employed on today’s desalination plants, including some of the new developments that are in the early stages of commercialisation.

WHAT DO YOU GET ?

  • Access to a world leading desalination expert
  • An excellent overview of desalination technologies, applications and trends
  • Course notes and CD-ROM 
  • Workshop sessions based on real case study material 
  • Lessons learned from several large international desalination projects
  • Australian and international case studies 
  • Practical skills and knowledge to take back to your workplace
  • Site visit to a large seawater desalination plant

WHO SHOULD ATTEND ?

Engineers, plant managers, regulators, operators and consultants who want to learn how a state-of-the-art facility is developed, designed, constructed and operated, and what environmental mitigation measures will ensure that the plant will have minimum environmental impact.


PRESENTERS:
Tom Pankratz