Paging the Desalinisationisti

So what's the score then?

Just been reading up on the ongoing drought issues Australia... like
them, we're an island surrounded by water, and yet we also have water
shortages.

Why not build a load of desalinisation plants?

Is it down to something along the lines that they're bloody dear to
build / run vs how much fresh water you'll actually get out of one, or
is there another reason why they're not adopted on a much wider scale?

TIA

 

Depends on what type of desalination you use, I have worked for a
company that made just this kind of thing. I designed the control
systems. The reverse osmosis type systems work by forcing water through
a semi-permeable membrane, the size of the holes (tiny, microscopic!) in
the membrane determine what come out the other side. water moleculkes
are very small, so most stuff gets stripped out. This can be a problem,
as you do get rid of the salt, but you get rid of everything else too.
The water produced is actually very pure to the point of actually
attacking the stomach lining so it has to be dosed with all sorts of
chemicals to enable it to become even half potable.

We did desalination plants for the QE2, the Cunard Princess & Countess.
We did also do a big plant for Saudi Arabia too.

They are very expensive to buy & run, the membranbes are horrifically
expensive & they break down a lot.

Interestingly enough, a lot of low alchohol beers are made using the
self same process. we had a lot of 'fun' at Vaux, Gales & Mansfield
Breweries.

It's a non starter for this type of unit as it just does not put out
enough water for the cost & headaches.

There are other types of desal, but they are all set by big problems of
thier own.

Ta

Nige

 

Cost

 

Plus, they'll lose half the water in transit anyway.

 

They're only Aussies.

 

They had (have?) one in HK. Huge power consumption, apparently.

 

For different reasons. Australia gets FA rain, we get plenty but most of
it runs off into the sea too quickly. All the old slow-moving rivers
have been straightened and the flood plains built on, and the land has
been too well drained over the last 50 years or so. As a result the
underlying natural water tables don't really get a chance to replenish.

Some areas get less rain than others, of course, but overall there's
huge amounts of water fall on the British Isles.

 

There's an upside to living oop 'ere then.

It's usually been the cost IIRC.


--
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I don't know why we don't just convert Scotland into a big reservoir.
We /could/ relocate the people first, but there hardly seems any point.


--
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www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
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It seems like I've been driving through a reservoir of late. I don't need a
car or a bike, it's a speedboat next. Place will be like Venice (without
the architecture) if this keeps up.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Krusty

I wouldn't bother. They'll only bang on about "clearances" for fucking
centuries. Kindest all round just to let it come as a surprise. I
suppose we could cut the tax on Buckfast a few weeks beforehand so that
they'll be sedated and wouldn't suffer.

--
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ITYF that those parts of Scotland which are suitable for containing
water already do. The rest of it tends to make water go into those
areas quite efficiently.

I'd just like to point out that the part of England in which I live
had sufficient rain to maintain about 95% capacity in its reservoirs
last year. If anything, during my lifetime it's only going to get
wetter here. I own waterproof clothing.

 

Take off, orbit, nuke, repeat as necessary.


--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

That's a lot of pipe to lay, as they say. Far easier would be to use
the M25 as a foundation for a <shrugs> 30m high wall, then to divert a
couple of decent sized rivers to fill it to the brim. Boat trips to
the sticky-out bits could be an added touristy bonus, but the South
East would never be droughted again.

 

It's the wrong shape, shawly?

You'd have to put a wall all the way round the outside.
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30m high where?

It's 200m above sea level in Surrey. That'd be a fecking great wall at
Dartford.
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Pedant.

 

Timo Geusch ha escrito:

Spain is on that way... the only experience I know first hand is Blanes
(near Lloret de Mar, for the cheapoholidayisti), a desalinization plant
is supplying water to a 30K person village.

 

Do any of your towns use seawater a la Gibralter? I know why Gib uses it but
for coastal towns in warm/hot countries it seemed like a good idea.

 

Scraggy ha escrito:

http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2003/01/17/catalunya/1314272.html
Desde ayer, las poblaciones costeras situadas entre Tossa y Arenys de
Mar podrán consumir agua marina tratada. En la primera fase, la
desaladora producirá 10 hectómetros cúbicos anuales, que se
distribuirán a tres estaciones depuradoras situadas en Palafolls,
Tossa-Lloret y Blanes. Ocho pozos captarán el agua del mar.

Yep, it is sea water. Babelfish for details.

About the process:

La depuración

El proceso químico de purificación del agua se realiza en cuatro
líneas del proceso fisicoquímico conocido como ósmosis inversa.El
líquido es captado del mar a través de pozos subterráneos.El
tratamiento previo, que incluye la acidificación, es fundamental para
eliminar la actividad biológica, las materias orgánicas y evitar la
precipitación del carbonato cálcico sobre los módulos de ósmosis. A
continuación, se efectúa otra filtración para eliminar las
partículas en suspensión.

Una vez tratada, unas motobombas de alta presión inyectan el agua en
los módulos de ósmosis inversa para provocar su desalinización,
desechando una parte en forma de salmuera. El proceso osmótico se basa
en el empleo de membranas semipermeables que permiten el paso del
líquido, pero no de las sales. Por último, se realizarán los
tratamientos habituales para garantizar la salubridad y potabilidad del
agua.