Mobile reverse osmosis system provides reliable purified boiler feedwater to refinery
Challenge
A West Coast refinery turned to Evoqua for help in providing a more consistent and reliable quality of purified boiler feedwater. The refinery, using up to 1,500 gpm of demineralized boiler makeup water, was experiencing a variety of problems including aging demineralizers, pending environmental legislation, excessive operation costs, wide variations of raw water quality, and limited capital to address these issues.
Solution
After a thorough on-site needs analysis by the local sales engineer, Evoqua Water Technologies was selected to design, install, and operate a 1,500-gpm mobile-based reverse osmosis (RO) system.
Within a three-month time period, a high-purity water system was installed and put into operation feeding the refinery's existing demineralizers. The system consists of trailer-mounted carbon filtration, sodium softening, and reverse osmosis. To conserve plant water and minimize waste, the RO reject water is used for cooling tower makeup.
Cost Savings Per Month: $100,000 Operating Costs; $50,000 Water, Energy & Chemicals
Results
The installation of this system has provided:
- $100,000 per month reduction in the refinery's operating costs
- $50,000 per month savings in water, energy and treatment chemicals from boiler blowdown reduction