SEAWATER DESALINATION
SUCCESSFUL COMMISSIONING OF DESALINATION PLANT IN GRESIK SMELTER AND REFINERY
Reverse osmosis (RO) has proven to be the most reliable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient technology for producing fresh water compared to other desalination technologies. In 2017, Enerba successfully commissioned a desalination plant at PT Smelting, Gresik Smelter & Refinery. The plant utilizes SWRO technology. The desalinated water is further treated through a BWRO system to produce permeate water for boiler and process water applications.
The Enerba SWRO system consists of a 165 m³/hour pretreatment plant comprising a lamella clarifier, followed by a three-stage filtration process using sand filters, manganese filters, and carbon filters.
Energy Recovery Devices (ERD)
In SWRO desalination processes, reducing energy consumption is one of the primary areas of interest. Energy costs in SWRO systems typically account for 30–50% of the total water production cost and can reach up to 75% of the operating cost, depending on electricity prices. Energy consumption therefore represents a major cost factor in drinking water production.
The unit installed at PT Smelting – Gresik is equipped with an energy recovery device (ERD) using a turbocharger. This system is simple and cost-effective, although it offers lower efficiency, achieving approximately 40% energy savings.
PLC & SCADA-Based Automation of SWRO Desalination Plants
SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. A SCADA system is a computer-based monitoring and control system that collects and records operational data in real time. It is used to acquire data and control plant variables such as temperature, pH, and pressure. The most critical control parameters in an SWRO plant include flow rate, pressure, and conductivity.
Enerba has developed a unique operating system that utilizes its own hardware and software within a distributed control system (DCS), enabling automatic start-up and shutdown of complex RO systems.