How to get more from your marine RO system

On September 6-9, the global shipping industry will meet in Hamburg at the SMM Expo. The importance of reverse osmosis technology to marine operations cannot be overstated, so it is crucial for shipbuilders to be sure they are getting the most out of their RO system.

Shipboard RO units face challenging constraints, most importantly size, weight and power consumption. Reliability and simplicity are also key - there is no next-day delivery of spare parts on the open sea.

FEDCO pumps and turbochargers offer compact, quiet and efficient fluid handling for marine RO systems.

In addition to boasting high efficiencies, our pumps and turbochargers operate at low noise levels and low vibration, and come with 18-36 month warranty as standard, meaning that quiet, reliable operation comes as standard with a FEDCO product. Our global field service team is also on hand at any time to provide support with installation, operation and maintenance where necessary.

 Optimizing RO for a smaller footprint - boosting recovery

Increasing recovery is the simplest way to reduce plant footprint. Higher recovery means lower feed flow, which allows a smaller pump (less weight, less footprint), smaller motor (less weight, less footprint, lower power consumption), and in some cases smaller diameter piping to the RO (less weight).

Boosting recovery reduces the size of the pump and pretreatment system, freeing up valuable shipboard real estate for other uses, or allowing the client to increase water production without needing any additional space.

All of this contributes to keeping the RO unit within specification, and brings down the total cost of water. A high recovery system is simple to install either as a new build or a retrofit.

How can we boost recovery? Multi-stage RO has a proven track record in achieving 60% recovery for seawater desalination. This is almost 50% higher than the 40-45% recovery rate generally seen in single stage RO.

At FEDCO we have developed the BiTurboTM  multi-stage RO solution to deliver high recovery desalination for any application. A multi-stage RO system that uses an interstage turbocharger enables flux balancing to optimize membrane performance and increase membrane life, but doesn't require an interstage booster pump. Instead, the pressure boost is powered entirely by brine energy.  

The BiTurbo^TM solution builds on a long track record of supplying high quality pumps and turbochargers for marine applications, with FEDCO equipment installed on hundreds of vessels over 20 years.

To find out more about working with us on your next shipboard RO project, visit our booth at SMM Hamburg, or reach out to our team.