Technology
Why
We are located in the part of the world where water demand is ever growing while water resources are scarce. In the GCC water is a strategic resource, and water recycling has to become an integral part of many processes. Water desalination creates 1 to 1.5 liters of brine for every 1 liter of fresh water produced. Oil and gas industry often experiences high water cuts, while most of the processed water is being disposed and not viewed as a resource. We wanted to change that.
Development
We created a team of researchers and engineers from multiple fields including water treatment, solar systems, hydro-metallurgy, power engineering, and chemistry.
Our goals for research and development were to:​
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Produce additional resources from the water to improve the economic feasibility
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Find and design a solution for large amounts of produced water/reject water in the region that is being disposed of in various ways
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Lower the energy requirements of water disposal
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Take advantage of the local climate and utilize as much of direct heat transfer as possible​
To accomplish this we are working with many innovative companies and institutes who supply us with the variety of parts and aid us with testing.
Process
The process produces fresh water as condensate and solid salts. Majority of elements in brine can be extracted as sediment by using evaporation, electrolysis and other techniques. The process results in zero discharge.
The water from a dedicated tank enters solar collectors for pre-heating under pressure, then entering a covered pond with normal pressure where rapid evaporation occurs. The vapor is then separated from the solids and condensed. At the same time solid salts are collected and processed further or disposed.
Industries and Application
The solution is applicable in oil recovery, where after oil separation a hyper-saline brine is produced. This brine is then disposed in some way. Due to environmental regulations in some areas brine handling and disposal bears high cost. Our solution can manage brine in environmentally safe way and offset the costs. The system can minimize waste by producing fresh water, and salts that can be processed into minerals depending on the composition.
Brine from industrial desalination can also be managed with our solution. Industrial disinclination creates high quantities of brine that has to be mixed into the water stream. However in areas with weak water currents the brine can fall on the seabed creating environmental issues in a long run. In the areas with no sea access the brine has to be disposed by costly ground injection or large ponds. Our solution can provide additional water volumes from the brine as well as help with environmental brine management.
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Concept
