Working Principles of Watermakers

Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems, which are being used worldwide today, are one of the rapidly growing technologies. Osmosis can be observed in nature, like vegetables absorbing the water from the soil or kidneys distinguishing blood from urine. In the RO systems, fresh water is gained by percolating minerals from the sea water getting through membranes with pinholes in size of 1/1000 of micron, that is a molecular sieve, under high pressure (55-60 bars). Totally dissolved solids (TDS) are thrown out of the system with a salty solution that can not get through the membranes. The system is designed to reduce the salinity by 99%. The water procuded on figure of 380 ppm in the Aegean Sea (salinity rate: 38000 ppm) is potable. The water procuded is disinfected from any microbe or viruses. According to World Health Organization standards water with a TDS level of less than 500 ppm is drinkable. Tap waters in many of the Aegean Sea cost regions are higher than 1000 ppm.

How does the system operate?

Sea water reaches the feed pump by being filtered after it gets sucked into the sea water inlet valve in the craft. Fıltered through 20 and 5 micron pre-filters, the sea water flows through membranes via high pressure pump. In the meantime, operating pressure is calibrated through pressure control valve (55-60 bar). Some fresh water is recovered from the sea water that is pressurized. Depending on the specifications of the device, the salinity level of the water which has been produced is measured. If the water meets the desired characteristics, it is directed into the fresh water tank but if it does not, it is dumped back to sea. Amount of the fresh water that has been procuded is monitored with the flowmeter