Seawater desalination plants (SWRO)

I’mWATER carries out complete projects for seawater desalination systems with SWRO technology, from the engineering phase to manufacturing, installation, and equipment supply.

These systems are known as SWRO systems, which stands for “Sea Water Reverse Osmosis.”

The most widespread seawater desalination process uses reverse osmosis (RO) technology. This process requires high pressures of around 55-70 bar, resulting in significant pumping energy consumption. Additionally, the use of special materials with high resistance to corrosion caused by seawater is necessary.

On the other hand, a characteristic of all reverse osmosis systems is that there is a maximum conversion that can be achieved, depending on factors such as the initial salinity, water temperature, required quality of the treated water, etc. For seawater, conversions of around 40-50% are typically achieved.

Types

  1. Reverse osmosis racks of all sizes, specially designed to be transported in containers to the final destination. Customized according to customer needs for large projects.
  2. Complete compact seawater desalination plants, modular, with capacities of around 2000 m³/day (2MLD) per module.
  3. Small desalination units for coastal hospitality or small communities. Very compact systems.
  4. Manufacturing of high-pressure pipes in special alloys such as duplex or super duplex, and low-pressure pipes in PVC, HDPE, GRP…

Reverse osmosis racks for seawater desalination designed by ImWater:

  • Pre-treatments (Disinfection)
  • Filters with silica sand, anthracite, Turbidex media…
  • Filters with activated carbon bed
  • Cartridge filters (microfiltration)
  • Chemical dosing systems for conditioning
  • High-Pressure Pumps (Multistage centrifugal or positive displacement pumps)
  • Energy Recovery Devices (pressure exchangers or turbochargers)
  • Reverse Osmosis (RO) Racks
  • Post-Treatments (for example residual chlorine dosing)
  • Flushing and CIP (Clean-In-Place) Membrane Cleaning Systems

The desalination plants we offer can have small or medium treatment capacities, meaning they can be supplied mounted on a single skid or containerized structure, or even multiple skids; or they can be large desalination facilities, where multiple skids and large-scale equipment are supplied for on-site assembly.

  • Small desalination plants for coastal hotels and small communities: These systems can have treatment capacities ranging from less than 1 m³/h up to approximately 10 m³/h, depending on specific needs. They can supply water for around 1,000 to 2,000 people. I’mWATER provides them fully pre-assembled, ready to connect inlets, outlets, and electricity. They offer easy operation and maintenance, with reduced chemical consumption.
  • Compact and complete medium-sized desalination plants: Pre-assembled compact systems on skids or containers, modular, with unit modules of up to 2,000 m³/day. Our most common pre-established capacities are as follows, although custom-designed plants can also be provided.
EcoMarine Series Q (m3/d)
EcoMarine 10 10
EcoMarine 20 20
EcoMarine 30 30
EcoMarine 50 50
EcoMarine 100 100
EcoMarine 200 200
EcoMarine 500 500
EcoMarine 1000 1000
EcoMarine 1500 1500
EcoMarine 2000 2000
  • Q = Permeate flow rate.
  • The systems are supplied on skids or in containerized units.
  • The number and size of containers will depend on the system’s capacity.
  • Larger systems can be configured with multiple interconnected modules in parallel.
  • Optional features: Pre-treatment, post-treatment, energy recovery system.

Large desalination plants: Systems designed for large populations. Custom-made projects with significant civil infrastructure. I’mWATER can design and supply equipment such as reverse osmosis skids, sand filters, safety filters, pumps, energy recovery devices, etc.

  • Manufacturing and supply of pipes, couplings, grooved sleeves, and high-pressure valves in special alloys such as DUPLEX or SUPERDUPLEX.
  • Manufacturing and supply of custom-made low-pressure permeate manifolds and valves in PVC, HDPE, and FRP.
  • Certified pressure testing for the above-mentioned fabrications.

  • Manufacturing of special metallic pressure filters for seawater.
  • Internal finishes with ebonite rubber up to 3mm or special ceramic paint.
  • Special manufacturing in FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic).

  • Pressure Exchangers:
    • For our larger seawater systems, we use advanced pressure exchangers such as the PX-Q300 from ERI to optimize energy consumption in our SWRO systems, like those shown in the image on the right. These devices use the reject stream to pressurize part of the feed flow, reducing the required flow rate of the high-pressure pump and thus saving energy. I’mWATER manufactures custom modular frames with the necessary number of PX units to meet project requirements.
    • For smaller projects, we also use compact pressure exchangers such as the ERI PX-S or Danfoss i-Save, which integrate both an exchanger and a booster pump in a single unit.
  • Turbochargers: For systems that require them, we can install ERI or FEDCO turbochargers, which utilize the concentrate stream to provide a pressure boost to a feed pump. This allows for the use of a lower-power pump, reducing energy consumption.