Energy Recovery
The technology behind Katadyn reverse osmosis watermakers
Reverse osmosis desalination was first developed over three decades ago. It was a major
breakthrough in desalting technology, but the original process required a lot of power. By
recovering 90% of the energy lost in conventional reverse osmosis systems, we’ve made small
desalinators practical, so you can have freshwater when and where you need it.
Conventional Reverse Osmosis Desalination
The lower left portion of Figure 2 shows the basic principle of reverse osmosis desalination.
When saltwater is forced through a
semipermeable membrane at high
enough pressure—typically 800
psi—pure water will pass through
the membrane, but salts will not.
The membrane acts as a barrier to
contaminants such as salts,
viruses and bacteria, separating
hem from the pure water. t
When seawater is forced against a
membrane, only 10% passes
through as pure water. In a
conventional system, the
remaining waste brine stream, still
under high pressure, passes
through a pressure-reducing valve
and is discharged overboard. For
every gallon of pure water made,
up to ten gallons of seawater must
be pressurized! Therefore, 90% of
the energy used in conventional
reverse osmosis is lost!
Energy Recovery Makes It Possible The upper right portion of Figure 2 illustrates
how Katadyn systems are configured to recover and effectively re-use the energy wasted in
conventional reverse osmosis. The waste brine stream contains up to 90% of the energy
expended. By recovering this energy, we are able to dramatically reduce the power needed to
esalt seawater. d
To do this, we developed and patented a high pressure energy recovery pump. It recycles the
high-pressure brine by redirecting it to the backside of the pump’s piston. By balancing the
opposing force on the piston’s front side, the brine provides a power assist to the pumping
operation. Seawater can then be pressurized with much less effort.
Katadyn Watermakers Katadyn watermakers are simple, energy efficient and easy to
use and maintain. The PowerSurvivor 80E incorporates the latest advances in watermaker
technology, featuring an improved oil-bath drive assembly, an all-316 stainless steel pump
body, and simplified construction for easier and less frequent maintenance.
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