Arguably, water is the most essential component to generate electricity, primarily as a cooling medium. That being said; currently, most power plants were built over a decade ago, when advanced technology and machinery didn’t exist. Hence, they are constructed mainly near water bodies like major rivers where they can get access to water. Moreover, the quality of water at that time wasn’t too much of a considering.

Now, due to the increased in water pollution, more power plants are building water purification systems on-site to ensure the water they use for power plant operations is clean and pure. Failing to do so could result in high levels of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), basic pH, organics, and other pollutants. This results in scale buildup, fouling, and even the corrosion of the materials in the plant. Hence, the importance of having a water purification system in your power plant cannot be stressed upon enough.

The process of water purification generally follows three primary steps; flocculation, filtration and reverse omission (RO). In this article, we will go over each step in detail.

Water Purification System Step 1: Flocculation

Flocculation, also known as settling, is where a flocculant chemical is added to the water. This chemical helps the sediments present in the water to stick together, which makes larger particles. These larger particles then settle in a slow or stagnant water column. To ensure the particles can settle efficiently, clarifiers are used to slow the flow of the water.

Water Purification System Step 2: Filteration

The next step in the water purification system process is filtration, wherein multiple techniques are used to filter the water, including the use of travelling screens and even ultrafiltration. As the name suggests, a travelling screen filter h has a screen attached to a roller which is moved across the water body to remove debris and sticks. On the other hand, ultrafiltration units consist of both chemicals and backwash systems. Acid-based chemicals are added to the water to remove salts or any other buildup on the filters, while backwashing forced the water in the opposite direction of the normal flow.

Water Purification System Step 3: Reverse Osmosis (RO)

The final step in the water purification process, Reverse Osmosis (RO), used a semi-permeable membrane, which only allows extremely tiny particles through. These reverse osmosis membranes have a reputation for retaining 90-99% of all inorganic substances, 95-99% of organic constituents, and 100% of finely-divided colloidal matter like bacteria and viruses present in the water.

When it comes to the flow rate of the water used in a reverse osmosis membrane, you need to ensure that it is directly proportional to the adequate pressure, i.e. the difference between the applied pressure and osmotic head. To achieve excess pressure, a high-pressure booster pump can be used to get a satisfactory flow of water passing through the RO units.

More often than not, impure water can have severe adverse effects on the materials and machinery used in power plants. Hence, it imperative for every power plant to have a water purification system to ensure their operations are carried out effectively. To know more about water purification processes and systems, you can contact companies like Thermax.