UF Allows Use of RO for Power Plant’s Water Demineralization

Water Demineralization System in Central Puerto power plant.
A power plant in Buenos Aires needed to increase its demineralized water production and save money on operating expenses, but the poor quality of the available raw water from a nearby river made it difficult to make the switch from ion exchange technology to reverse osmosis (RO).
This case study shows how Fluence installed a reliable ultrafiltration-reverse osmosis-CEDI system to produce demineralized water while reducing the plant's overall operating expenses.
Background
Following a detailed analysis of the raw water quality, Fluence concluded that using ultrafiltration to pretreat river water would solve fouling problems and make RO an effective option.
Challenges
Solutions
Following the ultrafiltration stage, the pH is raised with sodium hydroxide injection to improve carbon dioxide removal before the RO treatment stage. Finally, the permeate is sent to the continuous electrodeionization system (CEDI) for final polishing. This process eliminates the need for a holding tank to prevent carbon dioxide contamination. CEDI technology relies on ion exchange resins and ion-selective membranes for additional filtration, and doesn't require costly chemicals for resin regeneration.
The new system can produce 67 m3/h (295 GPM) of demineralized water suitable for use in the power plant’s high-pressure boilers. Final water quality reaches the following specifications:
- Silica <10 ppb
- Conductivity < 0.1 µS/cm
Results
No shutdown was necessary due the fact that the existing ion exchange plant remained in service throughout the construction.
The switch to RO and CEDI has greatly reduced the regeneration costs of the existing resin system.
Industrial Water Treatment Challenges?
Contact Fluence to learn more about our industrial water solutions, or discuss your specific project details with our experts.
PROJECT DETAILS
LOCATION
Buenos Aires, Argentina
CUSTOMER
Central Puerto Power Plant
SOLUTION
Complete Water Demineralization Plant
TECHNOLOGIES
Ultrafiltration, Reverse Osmosis, Continuous Electrodeionization