swcc Scale Control in Multi Stage Flash (MSF) Desalination Plants Lessons Learnt

swcc Scale Control in Multi Stage Flash (MSF) Desalination Plants Lessons Learnt Presenter : Dr. Osman A. Hamed 1 1

Outline Introduction to the desalination industry in the GCC The importance of scale control in MSF desalination plants Lessons learnt from acid dosed MSF desalination plants. Evolution of scale control in threshold chemical additive dosed MSF plants Future R&D directions to improve the technoeconomic effectiveness of the MSF desalination industry 2

80 70 60 34% milion m3/d 50 40 30 66% 20 10 Membrane Thermal 0 1980 1985 1990 1990 1995 1995 2000 2000 2005 2005 20132010 Evolution of the Global installed membrane and thermal capacity,1980-2013 (cumulative) 3

Breakdown of Total Worldwide Installed capacity by technology Other (2%) Hybrid (1 %) ED (3 %) MED (8 %) 80.9 million m 3 /d RO (63%) MSF (23% 4

Breakdown of Total Worldwide Installed capacity BAHRAIN 1.32% OMAN 1.38% SPAIN 7.64% QATAR 3.39% KSA 18.00% OTHERS 27.36% UAE 16.66% USA 17.80% KUWAIT 6.46% 5

Historical evolution of total installed capacities of desalination plants in the GCC countries thermal membrane thermal 72% RO 28% Production (million m3/d) 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1,988 1980 1985 1,996 1990 1,998 1995 2,000 2000 2,002 2005 2,004 2,010 2013 year 6

The majority of sea water desalination plants are employing Multi Stage Flash Process The major problem in operating MSF distillation plants is the formation of scale inside the heat transfer tubes. Scale deposits in the brine heater and heat recovery section will lead to either high energy consumption or loss of water production 7

Scale formation is initiated by some of the dissolved constituents within the seawater T y p i c a l tion of G u l f S er SCALE FORMING CONSTITUE C a t i o pn ps SEA WATER S o d i u 1m 3 0 P o t a s 4s 6i u C a l c i u5 0m M a g n 1e 6s T r a c e s opper, B o r o n, A n i o n s C h l o r i2d 4e 0 S u l f a 3t e 3 B i c a r 1b 7o Calcium B r o m i8d 3e Carbonate T r a c e s o f S ilic o n T o t a l d i 4 3 Ca ++, M g ++, H C 3 O- Ca ++, M g ++, H C 3 O -, S O2-4 Magnesium Hydroxide Ca ++, S O2-4 Calcium S u lfate alts = Alkaline Scale " Soft " N o n -A lka lin 0 Scale " Hard 8

Remove the source of alkaline scale formation. Complete removal or reduction of bicarbonate ions in sea water will eliminate the possibility of CaCO 3 or Mg(OH) 2 scale formation Prevention or mitigation of alkaline scale formation Can be achieved by two different scale control strategies 9

ALKALINE SCALE CONTROL BY ACID TREATMENT ph 7.5 10

Jeddah Phase 1 (1970-1980) Al khobar phase 1 (1973-1982) SWCC Acid operated plants Lessons learnt 11

Jeddah Phase 1 & Al-Khobar Phase-I 1970-1982) TBT (design) 121 o C,118 o C Operating TBT 115 o C Distiller capacity 2.5 MGD 42,34 stages No external deaerator Deaeration:stage 42&34 Shell material:unlined CS Tube :Cu Ni 90-10 Limited service life ( around 11 years) Both plants experienced : Undersized decarbonator Deaerator overloaded, (oxygen content 100-150 ppb) 3. Accelerated corrosion Al khobar 2 also was subjected to formation of calcuim sulfate scale because of the seawater high TDS 12

Jeddah Phase 1 (1970-1980) Al khobar Phase 1 (1973-1982) SWCC acid operated plants Lessons learnt Jeddah Phase 2 (1977-2007) 13

Jeddah Phase-II (1977-2007) 4 distillers each of production capacity of 2.5MIGD 34 stages TBT (design) 121 o C TBT (operating) 115 o C External deaerator Ball cleaning once a week Long tube Module#1 lined SS316 ;Tubes 90/10 Cu Ni Visual inspection of the plant's physical structure revealed that the plants heat transfer tubes and flash chambers of the high temperature modes are heavily corroded. 14

Photo #1 Upper parts of the flash chambers Photo#2 Flash chambers walls 15

Jeddah Phase 1 (1970-1980) Al khobar phase 1 (1973-1982) SWCC acid operated plants Jeddah phase 2 (1977-2007) Yanbu phase 1 ( 1982-till then ) 16

Yanbu Phase 1 Salient features 1. 4 MSF distillers each with a production capacity of 4.84 MIGD 2. 24 stages 3. TBT (design) 121 o C 4. TBT operating 115 o C 5. Originally designed to operate on acid treatment. 6. Operating on alternating treatment mode additive/acid treatment 17

Variation with time in fouling factor 18

Remove the source of alkaline scale formation. Complete removal or reduction of bicarbonate ions in sea water will eliminate the possibility of CaCO 3 or Mg(OH) 2 scale formation Prevention or mitigation of alkaline scale formation Can be achieved by two different scale control strategies Inhibit the formation and/or deposition of alkaline Scale through addition of proprietary scale inhibiting materials in combination with mechanical on-line cleaning. 19

SUPPRESSION OF SCALE PRECIPITATION BY ANTI- SCALANTS Commonly used antiscalants are derived from three chemical families. Condensed polyphosphates Phosphonate Polyelectrolytes (mostly polycarboxylic) 1. Polyacrylic acid 2. Polymethaerylic acid 3. Polymaleic acid (MW 1000 to 5000 DA) 20

Significant reduction of antiscalant dose ratee Lessons learnt from Scale control by additive treatment 21

SWCC s ACHIEVEMENTS IN CONTROLLING ALKALINE SCALE FORMATION Antiscalant Dose Rate (ppm) 16 16 15 14 14 12 12 10 10 1981 2013 Dose Rate recommended in 1981 Dose Rate Optimized in 2003 8 6.5 6 4.5 3 4 2 2 2.5 0.8 1.5 0 1 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 Top Brine Temperature (oc) 9 Optimization Tests Improvement of Chemical Formulation Adoption of On- Line Sponge Ball Cleaning System 22

The most important factor which contributed in the reduction of anti-scalant dose rate is the use of sponge ball cleaning systems. The cleaning balls help to maintain the tubes free from any soft deposit and therefore facilitate the maintenance of low fouling factors for long period of time.thus extended operational periods between acid cleaning are attained. The sponge balls need not be circulated continuously but for a short period every shift normally 30 minutes three times every 24 hours. 23

ON-LOAD SPONGE BALL CLEANING All SWCC MSF plants are equipped with on-line sponge ball cleaning system Chemical Ball/ Tube Ratio Frequency of Ball No. of cycles per Plant Treatment BH HRC Cleaning Operation operation Jeddah Jubail II Acid 0.296 0.236 One/week 3 cycle/oper III Antiscalant 0.29 0.665 3 Oper. / Day 4 Cycles / Oper. IV Antiscalant 0.251 0.370 2 Oper./ Week 10 Cycles / Oper. PhI Antiscalant 0.450 0.427 3 Oper. / Day 8 Cycles / Oper. C2 & C3 Antiscalant 0.342 0.324 3 Oper. / Day 8 Cycles / Oper. C4 Antiscalant 0.270 0.257 3 Oper. / Day 8 Cycles / Oper. C5 Antiscalant 0.300 0.302 3 Oper. / Day 8 Cycles / Oper. Khobar II Antiscalant 0.453 0.458 3 Oper. / Day 9 Cycles / Oper. Yanbu I Antiscalant 0.243 0.249 3 Oper. / Day 12 Cycles / Oper. Acid 0.243 0.249 One Oper./ Week 12 Cycles / Oper. Al-Shuqaiq Antiscalant 0.22 0.22 3 Oper/ Day 8 Cycles / Oper. ( 16 for high TBT ) Al-Shoaiba Antiscalant 0.251 0.253 3 Oper/ Day 3 Cycles / Oper. Al-Khafji Antiscalant 0.351 0.351 One Oper/ Day 9 Cycles / Oper. 24

Economic Impact of Antiscalant Dose Rate Reduction in SWCC MSF Plants Million US $ 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 7.86 Antiscalant Annual Operating cost as per 1987 dose rate 4.65 Antiscalant Annual Operating cost as per current dose rate 3.21 Annual Savings 25

Significant reduction of antiscalant dose ratee Lessons learnt from Scale control by anti-scalants Optimized Thermo-Dynamic Design Parameters ) 26

Optimized Thermo-Dynamic Design Parameters Al-Khobar III 0.264 m 2 o C/kW Shuaiba II 0.211 m 2 o C/kW BH Design Fouling Factors Shuaiba I 0.30 m 2 oc//kw (1982) Al-Jubail II 0.176 m 2 o C/kW (1983) Jeddah II 0.086 m 2 o C/kW (1977) Yanbu 1 0.14 m 2 o C/kW (acid) Tawaleh B Jebel Ali 0.15 m 2 o C/kW 0.12 m 2 oc/kw 27

Price Trend for turn-key complete MSF plants 14 12 12 10 $ / IGD 8 6 8 6 5 4 4 2 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2013 2004 year Reasons Constant Reduction of Investment per MIGD optimized use of materials of construction. Reduction of redundant equipment. Optimized mechanical design of evaporator vessel. Optimized thermo-dynamic design parameters. 28

Significant reduction of anti-scalant dose ratee Lessons learnt from Scale control by anti-scalants Optimized Thermo-Dynamic Design Parameters ) MSF production capacities and performance ratios are still maintained within or in most cases higher than the design values values. 29

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PR Kg/2326 KJ 10.5 9.5 8.5 TBT= 90 & 98 oc (PR)d=8.0 (PR)d=8.5 Al-Jubail II TBT = 90 98 o C Prod. = 923 1250 m 3 /h 7.5 PR Kg/2326 KJ 8.5 7.5 6.5 5.5 TBT= 90 o C 0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 (PR) d =6.5 Al-Khobar II TBT = 82 92 o C Prod. = 865 975 m 3 /h 10 9 8 7 0 40 80 PR Kg/2326 KJ 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 TBT= 85 o C (PR)d=8.2 0 Al-Khafji TBT = 72.7 88.7 o C Prod. = 312 490 m 3 /h 30 Days 30

Significant reduction of anti-scalant dose ratee Lessons learnt from Scale control by anti-scalants Optimized Thermo-Dynamic Design Parameters ) MSF production capacities and performance ratios are still maintained within or in most cases higher than the design values values. High availability, Load Factor and long life time 31

7% 3% Availability 90% Planned Shutdown Forced Shutdown Average Availability for Al-Jubail Plant Phase II (1983-2012) 9% 12% 91% 88% 32 Water Production Design Deficiency Power Production Design Deficiency Average Water and Power Load Factors for Al- Jubail Plant Phase II (1983-2012) 32

S. Plants Year Capacity (migd) Life Time 1 Jeddah-III 1979 4x5 32 2 Jeddah-IV 1981 10 x 5 32 3 Al-Jubail-I 1982 6 x 6.2 31 4 Al-Khobar-II 1982 10 x 6 31 5 Al-Jubail-II 1983 40 x 5.38 30 6 Al-Khafji-II 1986 2 x 2.6 27 7 Shoaiba-I 1989 10 x 5.06 24 8 Shuqaiq-I 1989 4 x 6.5 24 9 Yanbu-I 1981 5 x 5 32 10 Yanbu-II 1999 4 x 7.94 14 11 Al-Khobar-III 2001 8 x 7.5 12 12 Shoaiba-II 2002 10 x 10 11 33

Employ currently available commercial chemical additives to extend the TBT of MSF distillers up to 115 o C POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SCALE CONTROL IN MSF PLANTS 34

Currently available commercial chemical additives can be employed to operate MSF distillers up to 115 o C The MSF pilot plant at DTRI, Al- Jubail was used to study the performance of the three commercially available antiscalants which include two different maliec acid based copolymers and phosphonate based antiscalant under very harsh operating conditions TBT of 119 o C, low dose rate of 1 ppm and high concentration factor of 1.9 for a one month period. A baseline test was also conducted without dosing any antiscalant at the same operating conditions 35

0.2 Fouling Factor 0.18 0.16 y = 0.0023x + 0.0615 / No Antiscalant 0.14 Y=8E-05x+0.0805 m2k/kw 0.12 0.1 0.08 0.06 Phosphonate y = 8E-05x based + 0.0805 antiscalant / DSB(M) y = 3E-05x + 0.0632 / maleic Sokalan acid PM based 10I antiscalant #2 0.04 0.02 y = 7E-05x + 0.0126 / maleic Belgard acid EV2030 based #1 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Time in Hours 36

90 80 70 Loss of Total Alkalinity (LTA) 80 (LTA), ppm 60 50 40 30 20 10 9 14 16 0 Maleic acid based antiscalant #2 Maleic acid based antiscalant #1 Phosphonate based antiscalant Sokalan PM 10I Belgard EV 2030 DSB(M) No Antiscalant 37

Employ currently available commercial chemical additives to extend the TBT of MSF distillers up to 115 o C POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SCALE CONTROL IN MSF PLANTS Development of chemical additives that Inhibit calcium sulfate salt precipitation to extend the TBT of MSF distillers to More than 120 o C 38

PROSPECTS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF MSF DESALINATION SYSTEMS Water production m 3 /d 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 Chemical additives pretreatment zone Acid Zone Prohibitive zone zone:.principal principal deterrent deterent is the is the formation of hard of (sulfate) hard (sulfate) scale scale 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 Top brine temperature o C 10 9.5 9 8.5 8 7.5 7 6.5 6 Performance ratio 39 39

Solubility limits for three forms of calcium sulphate in seawater concentration Safe Operation Region 40

CONTROL OF NON- ALKALINE SCALE By operation below 120 o C By operation above 120 o C Operate with low temperature and salt concentration not exceeding the solubility limits Remove Ca ++ or SO4 by Nanofiltration or Ion Exchange 41

MSF / MED Unit MSF / MED Product Seawater ppm Ca 491 Mg 1556 TH 7633 HCO3 156 SO4 3309 TDS 45550 NF Unit NF Reject NF Product Rejection Ca 154 69% Mg 225 86% TH 1310 83% HCO3 57 64% SO4 75 98% TDS 33500 26% Increase of TBT will lead to: 1. Increase GOR ( less energy consumption) 2. Increase water production. 3. Use less specific heat transfer area 4. Low vacuum duty 5. Less pumping energy 6. Decrease in demister size Removing calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and sulphate ions in the raw seawater by NF membranes opened the possibility to be hybridized with either MSF, MED or RO processes 42 42

NF/RO/MSF Tri-hybird System MSF Product MSF Unit NF Unit Seawater NF Product SWRO Unit RO Reject RO Product ppm Ca 491 Mg 1556 TH 7633 HCO3 156 SO4 3309 TDS 45550 NF Reject Ca 154 Mg 225 TH 1310 HCO3 57 SO4 75 TDS 33500 Ca = 281 Mg = 406 TH = 2350 HCO3 = 101 SO4 = 128 TDS =61410 43

14 13 12 11 10 Standalone MSF MSF Wthin Trihybrid Scheme 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Ad*10 2 ( m 2 /kg/hr ) 34% PR 39 % Pumping Power (kwh/m 3 ) 10% Mr/Md 17 % Mc/Md 23 % Mu/Md 42 % Comparison between the standalone MSF and MSF combined with NF/RO configuration 44

Impact of energy cost on water production cost 45

Conceptual design of an Improved Power/Water Cogeneration Cycle Compressor Air in Brine Heater Fuel in Exhaust gases Combustion Chamber Waste Heat Boiler Recovery Section STEAM CYCLE GAS CYCLE 600 o C Gas Turbine Steam Turbine 1100 o C 500 o C Rejection Section Power Output Power Output Cooling Seawater Reject Seawater in Blowdown RO Reject Recycle Brine REVERSE OSMOSIS Nano Filtration Product Water 46

LESSON LEARNT SWCC embarked upon a highly ambitious research program to optimize dose rate of chemicals which are frequently used in MSF distillers. Recommended antiscalant dose rates to SWCC in 1981 were 12.5 and 4.5 for top brine temperature (TBT) of 110 and 90 o C, respectively and are currently reduced to only 2.0 and 0.8 ppm for the respective temperatures. 47

LESSON LEARNT As the result of satisfactorily performance of scale control chemical additives, MSF distillers which are over 30 years old, instead of being derated due to ageing, actually maintained production and performance ratios that equaled or, in most cases, surpassed the original design specifications.. This in turn, enhances the cost effectiveness of MSF process. 48

LESSON LEARNT Continued As a result of successful approach to control alkaline scale formation, design fouling factors less than 0.15 m 2 K/kW can be safely employed in new additive MSF designs. 49

LESSON LEARNT Continued Employing on-line ball tube cleaning with a ball to tube ratio in the range of 0.22 to 0.45 proved to be a successful mean to augment the role of chemical additives to inhibit scale formation. 50

Thank You 51