Water treatment in focusBy Brad Buecker, SAMCO TechnologiesPart 1 of this series1 (a continuation of a POWERGEN 2025 Knowledge Hub presentation)...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
By Brad Buecker, SAMCO Technologies
Part 1 of this series1 (a continuation of a POWERGEN 2025 Knowledge Hub presentation) highlighted that even though renewable energy has grown dramatically in recent years, a decades-long need for dispatchable power generation continues, per energy requirements for AI data centers and many other users. Simple- and combined-cycle power plants currently provide much of that power, along with remaining coal and nuclear plants. Nuclear power may enjoy a renaissance, likely in the form of small modular reactors (SMR). Geothermal energy and underground hydrogen deposits have been highlighted in the news recently, and breakthroughs in fusion technology have some utilities looking at real-world applications within a decade or so.2
Most of these technologies require or will require high-purity makeup water. Not to be forgotten are the many steam generators and cogeneration systems at industrial plants such as refineries, steel mills, petrochemical plants and numerous other facilities.
Design prep, know what’s in the raw water
In a previous position, I was part of a team that reviewed the water treatment portion of combined-cycle power plant design specifications. The specs rarely contained anything close to complete raw water analyses and seemed to reflect a much too common mindset, “Water is water, don’t worry about it.” This mistaken belief can cause huge problems with the design and operation of any water treatment system, makeup or otherwise. For example, suspended solids can mechanically foul pretreatment and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes; calcium, magnesium and other cations may combine with bicarbonate, sulfate, silica and other anions to form scale deposits; high chloride concentrations can cause pitting in some metals including the very popular 304 and 316 stainless steels; the list goes on. The table below outlines the major constituents of many freshwater supplies that must be accounted for when designing and operating makeup water treatment systems.
Attached link
https://www.power-eng.com/operations-maintenance/water-treatment-in-focusTaxonomy
- Treatment Plants
- Reverse Osmosis
- Geothermal
- Reverse Osmosis
- Water Supply
- Water Supply Design
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Design
- Water Treatment Systems
- water packaged plants
- Water sensitive design and planning
- Raw Water
- water treatment
- Water, Waste Water Chemical & Treatment
- water treatment operator
- Water Treatment Equip