FEDCO and Biwater deliver innovative energy recovery design

The San Diego North City Pure Water Facility is part of San Diego’s Pure Water Project, and will use a brine-staged reverse osmosis system with pressure boosting between the second and third RO stages.  

FEDCO President Eli Oklejas (left) and Biwater President Richard White (right), pictured following their joint presentation at the AMTA Membrane Technology Conference 2023, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The interstage boost for the facility's reverse osmosis system is powered by a FEDCO HP-HEMI motor-assisted turbocharger, which is connected to a regenerative variable frequency drive (rVFD) in order to generate electricity with excess brine energy.

The motor-assisted turbo and rVFD allow for full control of brine hydraulic energy, enabling optimal interstage pressure boost across the entire operating range while fully utilizing available brine hydraulic energy.

The paper presents a detailed analysis of enery recovery design and operation at the North City Pure Water Facility, with a focus on addressing the  challenge of regulating brine flow and pressure through the energy recovery device to meet a wide range of flows and pressures. 

San Diego's Pure Water Project has significant potential for the city's future water supply, reducing the city's reliance on imported water, improving water security. The North City Pure Water Facility will play a key role in delivering this vision, providing 40 MGD of purified wastewater to the nearby Miramar Reservoir to be blended with local and imported water sources before further treatment at the Miramar Water Treatment Plant. 

Reach out to our team to find out more about working with us on your next RO project, and to find out more about energy recovery for BWRO and wastewater purification systems.