APPD

Standard Specification Committee

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consent of designated committee

Volume-1
01-GEMSS-M-01
Steam Turbine and Auxiliary Equipment

ORIGD

GEMSS-M-15
Revision No. 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO ) Plant

DESCRIPTION

VOLUME - 1

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
This document contains proprietary information developed by and for exclusive use of
Saudi Electricity Company. Your acceptance of the document is an acknowledgement
that it must be used for the identified purpose/application and during the period indicated.
It cannot be used or copied for any other purposes nor released to others without prior
written authorization of Saudi Electricity Company. Saudi Electricity Company will not be
responsible for misuse and/or misapplication, and any harm resulting therefrom. Saudi
Electricity Company also reserves the right to take any necessary actions to protect its
interest against unauthorized use.

DATE

Originated By

Certified By

Approved By

Abdul Rahim Al Harbi

Khaled S. Al Rashed

Tariq M. Al Tahini

Division Manager
Generation Projects
Engineering & Design

Department Manager
Generation Projects
Engineering

Executive Director
Generation Engineering &
Projects

Date:-

Date:-

3.

2.

Date:1.

NO.

GENERATION ENGINEERING & MATERIALS STANDARD SPECIFICATION

CERT.

REVISIONS

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Steam Turbine and Auxiliary Equipment

Page 1 of 18

Generation Engineering & Materials

Standard Specifications
GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant
Document Responsibility:- Engineering and Design Division

Volume - 1

Next Planned Update : Based on new development & technology with the consent of designated division

Table of Contents
1.0

GENERAL DESCRIPTION---------------------------

2.0

SCOPE--------------------------------------------------

3.0

APPLICABLE CODES & STANDARDS------------

4.0

DESIGN CRITERIA AND SYSTEMS

DETAILS------------------------------------------------

4.1

Piping and valves--------------------------------------------------

5.0

MATERIALS--------------------------------------------

6.0

GENERAL TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT----------

6.1

Seawater supply---------------------------------------------------

6.2

Pretreatment plant------------------------------------------------

6.3

Dual media filters--------------------------------------------------

6.3.1
6.3.2

Ultrafiltration-------------------------------------------------------Filtered water storage tank-------------------------------------

6.4

Chemical dosing system----------------------------------------

6.4.1
6.4.2
6.4.3
6.4.4

Acid dosing---------------------------------------------------------Coagulant dosing-------------------------------------------------Sodium bisulphite dosing system--------------------------Antiscalant dosing system-----------------------------------

6.5

Cartridge filters---------------------------------------------------

6.6

Seawater reverse osmosis system------------------------

6.6.1
6.6.2
6.6.3
6.6.4
6.6.5
6.6.6
6.6.7

Product water quality------------------------------------------SWRO membrane selection and system design

-------------------------------------------------------------------------SWRO process plant-------------------------------------------High pressure RO feed pumps-----------------------------Energy recovery device--------------------------------------Flushing pumps-------------------------------------------------Suck back tank (if required)------------------------------

6.7

Chemical cleaning system------------------------------------

6.8

Desalinated water storage tanks---------------------------

6.9

Chemical storage------------------------------------------------

6.10

Technical guarantees-------------------------------------------

7.0

MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS-------------

7.1

Instrumentation & Control System------------------------

7.2

Electrical System-----------------------------------------------Page 1 of 16

Generation Engineering & Materials

Standard Specifications
GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmossis (RO) Plant
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7.3

Field Quality Control--------------------------------------------

8.0

TECHNICAL SCHEDULES/DATA SHEETS-------------

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1.0

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GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant shall utilize seawater or raw water as specified in the scope of
work for reverse osmosis membrane technology to produce desalinated water for use as potable water,
utility and service water, fire water and a source of feed-water to a demineralized water production plant.
The design of the RO plant shall be based on the seawater / other applicable specified raw water quality
provided in the Scope of Work but with the proviso that it is incumbent on the Bidder to obtain appropriate
seawater /specified raw water samples for analysis, at his own costs, to aid in the plant design. It is
anticipated that the RO plant shall comprise two-pass permeate staging although other formats will be
considered if appropriate. Particular attention shall be placed upon boron removal to ensure the desalinated
water is suitable for potable water use. Effective pretreatment of seawater / raw water shall be practised to
prevent fouling of RO membranes and to maximize the useful membrane life. The Contractor shall specify
margins of tolerable variation in levels of biofouling, suspended solids, total dissolved solids (TDS) etc in the
design of the RO pretreatment plant and the selection of RO membranes to ensure required water quality
and output volume.

2.0

SCOPE

This Specification provides for the design, manufacture, construction, supply, testing in works,
packaging for export, shipping, transport, delivery to Site, unloading at Site, complete erection, painting,
commissioning and putting into normal operation, performance and reliability testing on completion and
instruction of the Companys personnel for the Reverse Osmosis [RO] Plant, which are common to all
systems, plant and equipment being provided under the Mechanical Equipment and Material specifications
and all obligations during the defects liability period as stipulated in the Conditions of Contract. All
equipment, spare parts and materials used in the construction of the plant shall be new and unused.
The desalination plant shall utilize reverse osmosis (RO) technology to produce desalinated
water to meet the plant demands for service, fire, potable and demineralised water requirements.
The RO plant shall be designed as a designated number of trains, each with capacity to
continuously produce the maximum water requirement throughout the year, even during periods where
routine maintenance is required.
The RO shall be housed in a suitable building with requisite space and facilities for maintaining
the membrane modules and pressure vessels.
The design life of the plant shall be thirty (30) years.

3.0

APPLICABLE CODES & STANDARDS

For general requirements relating to codes and standards, please refer to Section 3 of GEMSSG-01 and other more specfic codes and standards are listed within the text of this specification.

4.0

DESIGN CRITERIA AND SYSTEMS DETAILS

a.

The Contractor shall ensure that all equipment selected shall provide high reliability and
availability and all services necessary for the efficient operation of the plant. The
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Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

complete RO plant shall be capable of being operated from the DCS located in the
Central Control Room (CCR).

4.1

b.

The Contractor shall submit the proposed layout of the RO plant within the building
including details of sumps, foundation blocks for HP pumps and energy recovery
devices, RO skids and chemical storage tanks , including the tank bunded area. The
plant shall be based on a modular concept with membrane vessels, mounted in banks
on fabricated racks for each train. Adequate space shall be provided at each end of the
membrane vessels in order to facilitate membrane removal and replacement.

c.

All technical and design information shall be provided in technical schedules in standard
SI units and references should be made to Standards and Codes specified in the
attachments and to any manufacturers standards of proven design.

d.

All civil works including site preparations, building works, building structural steelwork,
plant concrete foundations, sumps and drain culverts shall be provided by the
Contractor.

e.

Power and control to be at input terminal boxes on control panel and motors. All power
supply connections to plant equipment shall be as specified in this document. All pumps
and blowers should be capable of operating from the DCS.

f.

All access platforms and ladders shall be provided as required for the whole of the plant
for maintenance, testing, inspection and safe operation of the plant. Plant shall be sized
to allow safe ergonomic operation of manual valves and equipment such as relief valves,
where applicable, shall be grouped together for easy access from platform. Platforms
shall be constructed of galvanized open steel flooring or a suitable grade of GRP grating
in areas of high salinity to relevant ISO, ASME or British Standards.

Piping and valves

If GRP pipework is offered for low pressure system then it shall have integral coating to protect
from UV light and sunlight.
High pressure pipework shall be Duplex stainless steel or equivalent stainless steel with a pitting
resistance number >40.
Chemical Dosing pipework shall be stainless steel except where the dosing chemical can cause
corrosion of stainless steel.
Permeate pipework should be PVC or GRP material.
Valve materials shall be dependant on the specific duty and therefore, the type of valves offered
in any process system as allowed by Codes and standards. Butterfly and diaphragm valves shall be rubber
lined and ball valves shall be duplex stainless steel, suitable for the duty. The materials for all valves and
fittings shall be compatible with the piping.
All vents and drains wherever necessary shall be led to a common discharge point/gulley.
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5.0

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Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

MATERIALS

The materials of construction must be commensurate for use in a marine environment. In

particular the following shall apply:
For high pressure piping and pumps the material shall be selected from ASTM Grades S32205,
S31254, S32750 or similar. Preferably high pressure pipework shall be Duplex stainless steel or equivalent
with a pitting resistance number >40.
For low pressure piping PVC/GRP is suitable. If GRP pipework is offered for low pressure
systems, then it shall be supplied with an integral coating to protect the pipework from UV light and sunlight.
Chemical Dosing pipework shall be 316L stainless steel except where the dosing chemical can
cause corrosion of stainless steel.
Permeate pipework shall be PVC or GRP material.
Valve materials shall be dependant on the specific process system duty and shall be as allowed
by applicable Codes and standards. Butterfly and diaphragm valves shall be rubber lined and ball valves
shall be stainless steel, suitable for the duty. The materials for all valves and fittings shall be compatible with
the piping.
The Contractor shall provide a list of all materials for approval by Company.

6.0

GENERAL TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT

The specification is for an adequate number of RO trains.

The seawater for the RO shall be supplied from seawater pumps installed in the CW intake
system as detailed in GEMSS-M-13 or from other water pumps specified in the scope of work.
The design life of the RO plant shall be 30 years with the exception of the guaranteed membrane
replacement intervals. The plant shall be designed for ease of maintenance and minimum operator
supervision during normal plant operation.
The design of the RO plant shall be based on spiral wound Polyamide Thin Film Membrane
technology.
The RO plant shall preferably be designed as a one (1) pass system for the production of
potable water, utility/service water and feed-water to a demineralization plant producing boiler /HRSG
makeup water. The Contractor shall specify the RO configuration and may specify more than one pass or
include a staged system if it is considered necessary to meet water quality requirements for the downstream
desalinated water users. The main items of the plant comprising de-chlorination, RO membrane skids, HP
feed pumps, energy recovery devices, post treatment dosing systems, desalinated water transfer system to
storage tanks etc shall be installed within a building. The pre-treatment plant, complete with dual media
filters and chemical dosing systems may be located within the ventilated building or in an adjacent building
with proper ventilation. Desalinated water shall be forwarded to storage tanks located outside the RO plant

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building. A reject brine/backwash discharge line from the RO plant to the power station outfall shall be
provided.
The RO plant and auxiliaries shall be operated through the plant DCS.
A conceptual flow diagram of the RO desalination plant is shown on Tender Drawing GESDRWM-15 for sea water application as conceptual flow diagram.

6.1

Seawater supply

The sizing of the seawater / raw water as specified supply pumps and the discharge header shall
include the total water flow requirements of the RO plant. The Contractor shall be responsible for the
seawater / raw water supply pipeline to the RO plant through a suitable sized GRP pipe or equivalent.
A small continuous dosing system shall be provided to enable the residual chlorine level to be
topped up in order to prevent algae and other biological growth in the seawater supply pipeline to the RO
system if residual chlorine level is below the expected level. The system shall be fed from the
electrochlorination plant and shall comprise dosing pumps, filters and associated auxiliary equipment,
pipework, monitoring and control system.
The Contractor shall carry out sufficient, representative seawater / raw water as specified
analysis to ensure the adequacy of the design. The Contractor shall state the limits of temperature and
seawater quality within which the plant shall operate at design performance.

6.2

Pretreatment plant

The pretreatment process shall typically consist of but not be limited to the following
requirements:
a.

Monitoring of residual chlorine in the seawater / raw water as specified feed and
additional dosing if required.

b.

Sulphuric acid dosing for lowering of pH to aid coagulation and prevent membrane
scaling

c.

In-line coagulant dosing to remove colloidal material

d.

Primary and Secondary dual-media pressure filter beds with complete associated
backwashing equipment such as air scour blowers, backwash pumps, and filter
backwash tank. Alternatively, ultrafiltration plant may be offered.

e.

Cartridge security filters and/or ultrafiltration as required analysis from the seawater /
raw water a as specified

f.

De-chlorination by sodium bisulphite dosing system

g.

Antiscaling inhibitor dosing

h.

Suckback tank if required

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i.

Pre-treated water recirculation/backwash dump line

j.

Silt density index sampling system

Volume - 1
GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

The Contractor shall provide details of complete pretreatment deemed necessary based on the
analysis of seawater / raw water samples as specified that he has taken and had analysed by a recognized
laboratory. The Contractor shall specify the coagulant and polyelectrolyte to be used. The contractor shall
specify the filter bed velocity and the filtration cycle. The Contractor shall specify the total number of
pressure filters (dual media) provided including standby filter for the total seawater / raw water as specified
flow to the RO trains.
Dosing of sulphuric acid should be upstream of the filter unit for prevention of RO membrane
scaling and the lowering of pH to provide optimum effect for in-line coagulation and the efficiency of the
chlorine disinfection.
In-line static mixers should be provided to obtain proper mixing of an appropriate coagulant.
Dechlorination of the seawater / raw water feed shall be provided prior to RO membranes to
prevent chlorine attack on polyamide RO membranes resulting in hydrolysis of the membranes.
Raw feed water quality should be continuously monitored for turbidity and dissolved oil.
Air flotation may be introduced before dual media filters/ultrafiltration.
A complete I&C system for the operation of the pretreatment system shall be provided along with
monitoring measuring parameters including but not limited to inflow, outflow, Silt Density Index (SDI) and
pressure drop. This monitoring shall be included in the plant DCS system.
The Contractor shall provide all inter-connecting pipework, valves, drainage, chemical handling/
filling facilities for the pretreatment of seawater / raw water as specified to the RO plant.

6.3

Dual media filters

Prior to the dissolved air flotation, in-line static mixer/s shall be provided to obtain effective
mixing of the dosing chemicals, such as, a coagulant, and sulphuric acid and polyelectrolyte, which shall be
injected upstream of the static mixer, as part of the pretreatment for lowering of the pH and to aid flocculation
of suspended particles in the seawater feed.
The seawater / raw water supply piped from the common supply header shall discharge to
dissolved air flotation units. The filtration system shall be designed to enable supply to the RO trains with the
requisite number of filters in standby or backwash mode and the remaining pressure filters supplying the total
design seawater flow to the RO plant in order to achieve the required desalinated water output. The design
frequency of cleaning should be no less than once every 24 hours. Backwashing of the filters shall be
capable of being initiated either on a time or differential pressure basis. Each filter shall have an individual
differential pressure indication Manual override for backwashing from the control panel shall also be
provided. Sampling points shall be provided to monitor turbidity, particle counts and Silt Density Index (SDI)
readings.
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The filter vessels should be carbon steel, suitably lined and designed to an acceptable
international standard for pressure vessels. Other materials will be permitted provided that they comply with
relevant internationals standards. The internals of the filter units shall be of corrosion resistant materials.
Each dual media filter shall be equipped with nozzle plate for filtered water collection and distribution of
backwash water and scouring air. The filters shall be provided with differential pressure measurement to
protect the system and initiate back washing of the filter unit.
The backwashing of filters shall use filtered water from the filtered water tank. Filtered water
backwash pumps shall be provided. The backwash pump materials shall be Duplex stainless steel or
equivalent for the specified duty. The pumps shall be provided with a suitable protection against sunlight and
weather if located outdoors.
Air blowers shall be provided for air scouring and backwashing of filter units. Automatic
discharge valves should be provided to allow safe start-up of the blowers and prevent backflow of water into
them. The air blowers shall be in their own acoustically protected enclosure.
If the filtered water for backwash is not supplied from the filtered water tank a dedicated dual
media backwash water tank shall be provided. The tank shall be fully enclosed to prevent contamination and
shall be sized for one complete backwash cycle of one media filter and rinse requirement of the filters. Level
controls for protection of backwash pumps shall be provided. The overflow and drains from the tank should
be led to the reject discharge line.
Wastewater from the backwash of the dual media filters shall be discharged to the power station
outfall.
As an alternative to media filtration, a membrane filtration system may be proposed using UF or
MF membranes. The membrane system shall use membranes for which there is proven operating plant on a
desalination process pretreating seawater of a similar quality.
The effluent from the membrane filtration plant shall discharge to the seawater outfall pipe either
directly or via the effluent collection system.

6.3.1

Ultrafiltration

Notwithstanding the choice of filtration advised above, the Contractor shall advise if ultrafiltration
is additionally required based on the seawater analysis in order to achieve a Silt Density Index (SDI) of <3. If
required these shall be hollow fibre pretreatment membranes provided in sufficient numbers of pressure
vessels to allow continuous production of sufficient feed-water for the SWRO plant. The supplier shall
specify the flux rate for the membranes. The membrane banks shall operate with regular backflushing and
periodic cleaning with acidified backflush water in order to maintain the differential pressure within
acceptable limits.

6.3.2

Filtered water storage tank

A tank shall be provided for the storage of filtered water. The tank shall be constructed of GRP
or other suitable material. The capacity shall be determined in the scoping document plus any water
required for the backwashing and cleaning of the dual media filtration plant and/or ultrafiltration plant if
appropriate. The tank shall be fully enclosed to prevent contamination. The tank shall be fitted with suitable
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low level measuring device with transmitter to ensure filter water and backwash pumps are protected against
cavitation and dry running. The overflow and drains from the tank should be led to the appropriate waste
discharge line.

6.4

Chemical dosing system

6.4.1

Acid dosing

Sulphuric acid dosing shall be provided for injecting into the incoming seawater feed to prevent
RO membrane scaling by the precipitation of sparingly soluble salts as the seawater is converted to brine
and provide optimum pH for the in-line coagulant dosing.
one duty and one standby dosing metering pumps automatically controlled by pH and / or flow
measurement to dose acid to the pretreatment system upstream of the dissolved air flotation. The pumps
shall include calibration columns or pots, in-line strainers and pulsation dampers
Acid dosing shall be proportional to feed flow under automatic pH control with sampling point
control loop being at downstream of the injection point. Acid Injection points shall consists of Teflon flanged
section and injection quill or similar.
The sulphuric acid dosing system shall consist of:
a.

a bunded bulk storage tank sized for one tanker load plus 14 days usage at full plant
output. The bund will be provided with a suitable measure for discharging any
accumulated liquid waste. The accumulated waste shall be neutralized and conveyed to
the CW discharge culvert. The waste water shall be treated in the range pH 6 to 9
before it is pumped to the discharge culvert).

b.

a day tank sized for one days usage of sulphuric acid including stirrer and dilution
system if appropriate.

c.

duplicate pumps to transfer acid from the bulk storage tank to the day tank.

d.

Dosing metering pumps automatically controlled by pH measurement to dose acid to the

pretreatment system upstream of the dual media filters. The pumps shall include
calibration columns or pots, in-line strainers and pulsation dampers.

e.

I&C and DCS interface facility required for safe and efficient operation of the system.

f.

Safety water shower and eye wash facilities shall be provided adjacent to the bunded
area.

The materials for all items of equipment shall be suitable for the duty.

6.4.2

Coagulant dosing

In-line coagulant dosing shall be provided to the acidified seawater feed to improve the efficiency
of the filtration and the performance of the membrane elements in the RO system. Ferric chloride and
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polyelectrolyte should be dosed as the coagulants upstream of the dissolved air flotation filters along with
sodium-hexametaphosphate as anti-scalant dosing, downstream of the filters.
.
Each of the chemical dosing systems shall be a stand alone dosing skid, complete with dosing
tanks, stirrers, dosing pumps, level switches on tanks, calibration pot and pulsation damper.

6.4.3

Sodium bisulphite dosing system

The characteristics of the polyamide RO membranes require de-chlorination of seawater / other

water feed and this shall be provided by dosing of sodium bisulphite downstream of the filtration and before
the cartridge filters. A residual chlorine, or oxidation reduction potential (ORP) measuring instrument
downstream of bisulphite injection point shall be provided to automatically shut down the RO section of the
plant, to prevent damage to membranes from any residual chlorine.
The dechlorination system shall include covered storage for 30 days supply of the chemical and
handling facilities to transfer the chemical from storage to the solution preparation tank. The solution
preparation tank shall be sized for not less than 1 days requirement of the chemical at full plant output and
shall be complete with lid, solution basket, electrically driven stirrer, water supplies, overflow system and a
drain valve located such that the tank can be completely drained. The electric stirrer shall not operate when
the tank lid is open. The solution shall then be transferred to the dilution/dosing tank which shall have a
capacity of not less than one days supply at full plant output.
The tank shall be complete with dilution water supplies, any necessary mixing facilities, drain
and overflow connections and level indicators and alarm facilities. Dosing pumps automatically controlled by
redox analysers shall be provided to dose the sodium bi-sulphite to the filtered water. The dosing pumps
system shall include a calibration pot and pulsation dampeners.

6.4.4

Antiscalant dosing system

A dosing system for all of the anti-scalant chemicals required by the RO membranes shall be

supplied.
The anti-scalant dosing system shall include covered storage for 30 days supply of the chemical
and handling facilities to transfer the chemical from storage to the solution preparation tank. The solution
preparation tank shall be sized for not less than 1 days requirement of the chemical at full plant output and
shall be complete with lid, solution basket, electrically driven stirrer, water supplies, overflow system and a
drain valve located such that the tank can be completely drained. The electric stirrer shall not operate when
the tank lid is open. The solution shall be transferred to the dilution/dosing tank which shall have a capacity
of not less than one days supply at full plant output and which shall be complete with dilution water supplies,
any necessary mixing facilities, drain and overflow connections, level indicators and alarms. Dosing pumps
automatically controlled by flow rate in the filtered water supply shall be provided to dose the anti-scalant to
the filtered water supply. The dosing pumps system shall include a calibration pot and pulsation dampeners.

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Cartridge filters

Cartridge filters shall be provided as a safety device to protect the RO membranes and the highpressure pumps from suspended solids. Total raw water feed from the filtered water storage tank shall be
pumped to a bank of 5-micron cartridge security filters for removal of fine solids and residual colloids, and
corrosion impurities introduced with the dosing chemicals.
Manual inlet and outlet valves shall be provided on each cartridge filter.
A differential pressure gauge shall be supplied for each filter which shall transmit differential
pressure value to the control room and shall include two levels of warning. The first level shall indicate the
need for a cartridge change and the second level of warning shall shut down the system. Inlet control valves
and flow meters shall be installed to permit flows to be monitored and balanced and also to permit automatic
shut down of the filters.
The filter housings should be multi-element type with pressure gauges to allow monitoring of
extent of fouling and thus, the differential pressure. The filter element should be spiral wound type made of
corrosion resistant material.
The filters shall be designed for the total flow required to produce the full output of desalinated
water and shall have a design working pressure suited to the duty.The filters shall be housed in corrosion
resistant material e.g. GRP, duplex stainless steel or rubber lined carbon steel. The filter bodies shall be
fitted with facilities to assist in opening of the filters and the safe and efficient replacement of the cartridges.
A drain facility shall be provided and located such that the filter can be completely drained down.
The supplier should confirm the frequency of backwashing or replacement for the filter elements.

6.6

Reverse osmosis system

6.6.1

Product water quality

The final product water quality from the RO plant shall be adequate to allow further treatment for
producing demineralized water for boiler feed water make-up and potable/service/fire water for station
services.
The contractor shall provide analysis of the filtered water quality at the filter outlet and the
permeate quality at outlet of the first pass membrane process system to demonstrate that the permeate is
suitable for use in the various station services. An analysis of the RO product water shall be given in the
Tender.

6.6.2

RO membrane selection and system design

A one (1) pass system consisting of several pressure tubes, containing membranes in series,
shall be provided in order to achieve the required product water output and quality over the specified
seawater temperature range. Standard polyamide spiral wound high rejection/low flux membrane elements
shall be used to ensure the highest recovery from the RO plant.
All membranes should have a minimum design life of three (3) years before replacement is
necessary. The membranes should be selected for most onerous duty with high performance low flux, and
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good intervals between acid cleaning. The supplier should specify the flux value for the membranes. Ten
(10) percent spare membranes shall be provided as part of the Contract. These membranes shall be stored
in a purpose built environmentally controlled store constructed as part of the Contract.
The water overall recovery from the RO shall be at least 36 - 40 percent in case of sea water RO
Plant application.
The water overall recovery from the RO shall be at least 65 - 85 percent in case of deep well
(Brackish) water RO Plant application depending on the TDS and salinity level.
The water overall recovery from the RO shall be at least 80% for the first stage and 85 % for
recirculation reject from 2nd pass BWRO for sewage treated water.
The water overall recovery from the RO will be increased & high based on the salinity level of the
Brakish water RO. The Tenderer shall provide details water overall recovery from the RO in the proposal.
To reach this level of recovery without causing the precipitation of sparingly soluble salts and
hence scaling, the feed water may be acidified to pre-defined pH (approx 6.5) and dosed with anti-scalant
dosing. The contractor should specify all the dosing details proposed for the pretreatment plant.

6.6.3

RO process plant
The RO section of the plant shall include but not necessarily be limited to the following

equipment:
a.

a one pass RO system

b.

HP RO pumps for each RO train.

c.

energy recovery devices for each RO train

d.

fresh water flushing system for shut downs and flushing

e.

complete membrane chemical cleaning system

The RO train shall be provided with a ten (10) per cent spare capacity, Where modules are
installed at a height above 1.8 m, stable mobile facilities shall be provided for gaining access to modules for
inspection, maintenance, sampling and replacement of membranes. The membranes selected for the RO
plant shall be the Spiral Wound High Rejection Low Flux Polyamide type. The brine reject from each RO
train shall be directed to the energy recovery device in order to reduce the overall power consumption of the
system.
The total permeate output from the RO plant shall be forwarded to the desalinated water storage
tanks for subsequent use by the demineralization plant for producing boiler make-up water and by the
potable water plant for producing potable/service/fire water.
The membrane banks should be provided with feed transmitter, pressure transmitters, product
flow transmitters and product quality conductivity meter.
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Volume - 1
GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

A temperature gauge shall be provided to monitor the temperature of seawater / raw water feed
at inlet to the RO unit to ensure that the plant is operated within the recommended temperature range.
Sampling points shall be provided at all relevant points, such as, incoming seawater / raw water,
after first stage and second stage filters, at inlet to RO unit, at permeate outlet from each stage in order to
monitor the effectiveness of the pretreatment plant and the performance of the RO process system.

6.6.4

High pressure RO feed pumps

High pressure feed pumps, (one duty per RO stream and one common standby) shall be
provided to feed the treated seawater / raw water through each RO stream and these shall be rated to supply
required feed flow to the RO membrane process system to achieve the required permeate output. per stream
from the RO plant at the rated design feed water temperature range and seawater salinity range. Design
permeate output shall be equal from each stream at the end of the membrane guaranteed life span. The
pump selected for the duty shall have a discharge head on a continuously rising characteristic between full
flow and no flow. If required there shall be feed-water regulating valve after each high pressure pump to
ensure control of the pressure to the RO modules.
The pumps should have soft-starters to minimize start-up shock causing pressure surges into
RO membranes. High pressure transmitters shall be provided at both suction and discharge to protect the
pump against low flow or no flow condition with corresponding alarms at the DCS. The pump duty shall take
account of the lowest seawater temperature and 110 per cent of the designed capacity for each stream..
The pumps should typically be horizontal, multi-stage centrifugal units of ring casing or barrel casing type.
They shall be suspended at the centre-line and keyed in such a manner as to permit free expansion in all
directions while maintaining alignment. The pumps shall be of suitable design to withstand any possible
thermal shock without damage or leakage. The pumps shall be provided complete with motor, flexible
coupling, guards, integral piping, gauges, drains etc. Materials selected for the pumps shall be duplex steel
or other material suitable for the duty. The design pressure for each section of the pump casing shall be the
maximum pressure which can be generated in that section of the pump with cold water. The pumps shall
operate free of any harmful vibration under any condition of loading. Vibration levels shall comply with the
requirements of API 616. The rated total head shall include a suitable margin on the frictional resistance part
of the total head at a flow corresponding to the normal maximum flow plus the margin for control purposes
and also margins on the higher and lower static pressures in the system to cover for pressure control limits
and to cover for pressure changes during transient operating conditions. The pump should be sized to
operate at its best efficiency point at a flow that corresponds to the mean RO feed-water flow over the plant
lifetime. A non-return discharge valve shall be installed for each pump. There shall also be for each pump
an independent leak-off valve to ensure that whenever the pump is running, there is an adequate flow of
water through it. Air release valves shall be fitted on the pump branches. Valved and blanked drain
connections shall be fitted to the lowest drainage point available on either pump branches or integral piping,
but shall not be fitted to pump casings. The electric drive motor shall be designed with suitable over capacity
and be capable of multiple starts per hour without degradation.
The Contractor shall consider the provision of variable speed drive for the HP pumps to ensure
highest energy efficiency over the full range of operating conditions.

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6.6.5

Volume - 1
GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

Energy recovery device

Reject brine from each train of the RO systems shall be routed to an energy recovery device to
reduce the overall power consumption of the HP pump driving motor of each train. The energy recovery
device shall be based on either isobaric or hydraulic piston technology. Pelton wheel energy recovery
devices and/or turbochargers shall not be considered. The Contractor shall provide full details of the
proposed energy recovery device including the percentage of energy recovered from the RO reject brine
stream. The energy recovery device shall have proven field operational experience for over 5 years in
similar operating environment and similar product water output.
Suitable provision shall be made to facilitate continued operation of the RO plant during any
maintenance on the energy recovery device.
The brine from the energy recovery device shall discharge to the RO plant discharge system.

6.6.6

Flushing pumps

During a prolonged shutdown it is recommended that the membranes in any stream are flushed
with permeate water. Flushing pumps of adequate capacity should be provided for flushing of the RO trains
and the high pressure piping system. The permeate flushed through the membranes shall be discharged to
the site waste water sump for disposal.
Two flushing pumps shall be provided and shall be suitably sized to flush one train at a time.
Flushing water shall be taken from the desalinated water tank. The pumps shall be single stage horizontal
split, end-suction type and shall have shaft, sleeve and impeller of suitable chemical and corrosion resistant
material preferably of duplex stainless steel.
The system shall be complete with all the inter-connecting GRP pipework, valves, drainage
facility and all I&C facility for safe and efficient operation of the flushing system.
Flushing valve shall be interlocked with the feed valve.

6.6.7

Suck back tank (if required)

A suck back tank may be provided, if required, to supply permeate to the RO modules to allow
osmotic effect and prevent dehydration of the membranes at shutdown and automatically flush the
membrane system with permeate from the tank, during a plant trip or shutdown and standstill condition.

6.7

Chemical cleaning system

A clean-in-place system shall be supplied for membrane cleaning when this is required. The
clean-in-place system shall also incorporate a system for supplying preservation solution to the membranes
when required. It shall be permanently installed and shall be capable of chemically cleaning the membranes
of biological, particulate or scale foulants, at regular intervals and shall also be capable of restoring the
differential pressure back to clean values. The appropriate chemicals for the foulant shall be mixed with
dechlorinated service water and circulated by pump through the membranes and then back into the chemical
cleaning solution tank. The cleaning system shall be capable of flushing one train at a time for up to about
20 hours continuously. A continuous supply of water shall be provided to the cleaning tank. The contractor
is to determine all chemicals required for cleaning and the required time for the process.
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GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

The system shall be permanently sited. A portable skid or trolley mounted system is not
permitted. The site of the system shall be a dedicated area of the RO building or alternatively a separate
building adjacent to the RO building. The system shall include all of the fixed tanks, pumps, preparation
equipment and pipework necessary to carry out the cleaning and preservation processes. The tank shall be
complete with level gauge and a drainage system for used chemical disposal. A heater shall be provided in
the tank to maintain the cleaning solution at the required temperature.
If required, a cartridge filter shall fitted in the cleaning loop to remove any suspended solids
released during chemical cleaning. A pH probe shall be in the cleaning loop to monitor the chemical quality.
The system shall be piped to each bank of RO modules by fixed pipework. From this point either flexible or
fixed pipework is permitted.
Operation and control of the cleaning system shall be from a panel mounted locally near the
cleaning system. Where necessary pump operation and tank contents information shall be related via the
DCS to the central control room. Instrumentation required to control the cleaning and preserving process
shall be provided and shall include a high temperature alarm which shall automatically trip the circulating
pump.
Where spent solutions are capable of disposal into the effluent system, pipework shall be
supplied to direct this effluent to the main desalination plant effluent system. Should neutralization be
required before disposal a complete automatic neutralization system shall be provided.
The chemical storage area shall be bunded to contain any spillage that occurs. Individual
chemicals shall be separately bunded.

6.8

Desalinated water storage tanks

Desalinated water storage tanks are provided as required for the power plant, the size will be
determined in the scoping document. The storage tanks shall be constructed of either GLS material ( if GLS
material use capacity limits for the tank shall not be more than 10,000 m3) or carbon steel material and will
be protected both externally and internally as specified in the relevant parts of the specifications GEMSS-M38 General Mechanical Rrequirement's and GEMSS-M-35 Painting and Coating Protection Systems.
Tanks shall be provided with flanged connections for all external piping. All tank connections shall be
protected by rubber expansion joints which shall be furnished and installed by the Contractor.
The tanks shall be complete with stairs, stair and roof handrails, internal and external coatings,
instruments (level indication and high level alarm, displayed locally and on the DCS), vents, manholes,
drains, filling and extraction pipework, and any other equipment necessary for the safe operation of the
system.
Chemical storage
A centralized chemical storage area shall be provided to receive all of the bulk chemicals used in
the desalination plant/water treatment plant/treatment chemicals. This shall include chemical storage for the
pre-treatment, acid injection, membrane cleaning, demineralization and potable water treatment systems.
Bulk storage facilities shall be provided where necessary.
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GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

Provision shall be made for filling the bulk storage tanks from a road tanker with an approved
delivery system from the loading point to ensure that spillage and drainage from the delivery pipeline is
minimized.
The road tanker standing area shall include a drainage system capable of intercepting all
drainage and spillage in the area occupied by the road tanker. This drainage system shall drain to the
neutralization tank.
A swilling and flushing connection shall be provided at each chemical loading point including all
necessary pipework and valves.
The storage tanks shall be fitted with access ladders and platforms, access manhole, level and
contents gauge visible at the filling point, emptying valve with extension spindle and, suitable vents. The
vents shall be designed to ensure no blockage due to corrosion can occur with the resultant danger of
pressurizing the tanks during filling.
The bulk storage tanks shall be situated at ground level in bunds sized to retain 110 percent of
the total tank contents. Facilities for removing spillages from these bunds and discharging to the bulk effluent
tank or sump neutralization shall be provided under this Contract. There shall be no drains from the bunds.
Electrically operated manually started pumps shall be provided for transfer of spillage and rain water from the
bunds. All filling connections and vents shall be located within the area of the bunds.

Safety deluge shower and eye wash facilities shall be provided adjacent to the bund area and
also in other desalination plant locations where corrosive chemical spillage is a hazard.

6.9

Technical guarantees

The supplier shall guarantee the following values for the operating conditions defined in this
specification with no tolerances other than those mentioned or those in the measuring accuracy:
a.

The RO plant shall produce the design volume per stream of product water, net to
service, continuously at required water quality.

b.

The RO plant shall continuously produce the design volume per stream over the
seawater temperature range.

c.

In application of sea water RO, The overall recovery of the selected membrane system
shall be 36- 40 per cent or better to optimize seawater flow rate for the seawater supply
pumps and the HP pumps . The Contractor shall specify the recovery from each pass if
a two pass RO plant is provided, based on the design seawater TDS and at a seawater
temperature of 19C before any pretreatment of the feed water.

d.

The potable water quality after post treatment of product water from the RO plant shall
be within the limits specified by the WHO and the pH shall be within the range of 7.4
8.4.
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Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

e.

Filtered water quality at the filtered water tank.

f.

Water quality at the outlet of the membranes.

g.

Membrane life in normal operation over the design seawater temperature range.

h.

The total auxiliary power consumption at the design operating conditions.

i.

The percentage energy recovered from the RO brine by the energy recovery device.

7.0

MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS

7.1

Instrumentation & Control System

Control of the complete RO plant shall be fully automatic from a local PLC system with DCS
interface at CCR, on plant status and essential alarms. In the event of a trip the plant shall fail to a safe
condition without threatening the integrity of the desalination process.
All necessary instrumentation and control, alarms shall be provided for the safe and efficient
operations of the plant. On restoration of plant operating status, the RO system shall be started manually
after all necessary checks from operator interface via the mimic panel. The system shall start and stop on
demand, and also on number of alarms, including low pump pressure and high permeate conductivity.
The local control panel in the desalination building shall have the following indication/ alarm
conditions as appropriate:
a.

Control of coagulant dosing.

b.

Control of acid dosing.

c.

Control of anti-scale dosing.

d.

Control of dechlorination dosing.

e.

Control of filter backwash.

f.

Level indicators and controls on all storage and buffer tanks.

g.

High pressure differential across media filters.

h.

High pressure differential across the cartridge filters.

i.

HP RO pump trip on high differential pressure across the cartridge filter.

j.

High pressure differential across each train of membrane elements.

k.

High turbidity of seawater / raw water.

l.

High oil in seawater / raw water.

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7.2

Volume - 1
GEMSS-M-15 Rev 03
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant

m.

High/low pH in feed-water.

n.

High chlorine in RO feed-water.

o.

High SDI in feed-water.

p.

Automatic dump of feed-water and HPRO pump trip based on filtered water quality (silt
density index, residual chlorine, pH, temperature).

q.

High conductivity at RO outlet.

r.

Failure to start any duty/ standby pumps or blowers and status indication.

s.

Loss of control power to PLC.

t.

Chemical cleaning of a train in progress/completed status.

u.

Failure to initiate or complete backwashing of dual media filters.

v.

Backwashing or replacement of cartridge filters required.

w.

Failure of coagulant dosing equipment.

x.

Pressure, temperatures, flow indications/alarms/trips as necessary.

y.

The PLC shall have the facility for signal input from the level transmitters and level
switches from the demin, make-up and potable water tanks.

z.

Flow integrating and indicating meters at each stage of the process.

aa.

Conductivity meters on product water flows.

bb.

Level indicators and alarms on bulk chemical storage tanks. The sulphuric acid bulk
storage tank shall be fitted with a contents gauge calibrated in tonnes clearly visible at
the filling point. These gauges shall be of the diaphragm type.

Electrical System

All necessary electrical connections, switchgear, motor control cubicles etc. shall be provided to
allow safe and reliable operation of the RO plant.

7.3

Field Quality Control

Field Quality Control shall be managed in accordance with specification GEMSS-G-03 Factory
inspection and testing and specification GEMSS-G-05 - Quality Control and Quality Assurance.

8.0

TECHNICAL SCHEDULES/DATA SHEETS

Technical Schedules and data sheets shall be completed and submitted along with the proposal
for COMPANY / Engineer review. (Please refer to Volume 2 ).
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