CONVERSION AND OPERATION OF THE COMMERCIAL UMM LUJJ SWRO PLANT FROM A SINGLE SWRO DESALINATION PROCESS TO THE NEW DUAL NF- SWRO DESALINATION PROCESS 1

Earlier pioneering work done at SWCC RDC on the pilot and demonstration plants level demonstrated that the NF pretreatment of seawater feed to seawater desalination plants: (1) prevented SWRO membrane fouling by the removal of turbidity and bacteria, (2) prevented plants scaling (both SWRO and MSF) by removal of scale forming hardness ions and (3) lowered required pressure to operate SWRO plant by reducing TDS of seawater feed. The net effect of this NF pretreatment was to increase SWRO potable water yield and recovery. Likewise, it increased MSF distillate recovery and it allowed for the operation of SWRO and MSF without the addition of antiscalant and antifoam. It also allowed for the operation of the latter also without scale formation, at MSF top brine temperature (TBT) of ≥120 o C.