CANAL DE ALICANTE DESALINATION PLANT

Process description

Located in the vicinity of Alicante, the Canal de Alicante Desalination Plant produces drinking water from seawater drawn from 18 wells located on the beach in front of its facilities. In order to obtain drinking water (some 50,000 m3 daily), all the salinity is removed by means of the REVERSE OSMOSIS process.

The water obtained, with very low salinity, is discharged to the channel that supplies its customers.

The Problem

In each one of the 18 wells there is a submersible pump for the extraction of the water in such a way that one of them is always continuously operating.

The extraction pump regulation systems are sensitive to voltage variations. When problems occur in the electricity supply, the pump stop completely and start up in an uncontrolled way. This phenomenon causes turbulence in the wells and means that the extracted water is not clean and sand from the seabed is also extracted.

This sand blocks the lines used in the process and also damages the reverse osmosis membranes.

The Solution

Since 2006 a 600 kW SET DVR has been installed in order to maintain the supply voltage to the variable frequency drives of the extraction pumps stable. Since then, the pumps have no longer stopped and started in an uncontrolled way as a consequence of the voltage dips in the supply line.

Description of the installed system

600 kW – 3×400 Vac SET DVR