Skid-Mounted SWRO Systems | 10–150 m³/day

10–150 m³/day Seawater Desalination Systems

GlobalUF supplies skid-mounted seawater reverse osmosis systems for resort, island, coastal and remote-water projects requiring approximately 10 to 150 m³/day of freshwater.

Each SWRO system is configured according to the actual seawater conditions, required production capacity, operating hours, product-water application, available power supply and project specifications.

The 10–150 m³/day range describes the available project capacity range. It does not represent one fixed hydraulic or membrane configuration.

Where Is a Skid-Mounted SWRO System Used?

Skid-mounted SWRO is suitable when a project needs an integrated desalination equipment package but does not necessarily require the complete plant to be installed inside a shipping container.

Typical applications include:

• beach resorts and seaside hotels;
• private islands;
• island communities;
• remote coastal facilities;
• commercial and tourism developments;
• marine-support facilities;
• coastal industrial sites; and
• EPC and water-treatment integrator projects.

For projects where the complete water-treatment plant needs an enclosed transportable structure, a containerized SWRO system may be considered instead.

Available Capacity Range

GlobalUF can configure skid-mounted SWRO systems within approximately the following production range:

Intermediate capacities can also be evaluated.

The required feed flow, membrane arrangement, recovery, operating pressure and number of operating hours are determined during project design.

How Does the SWRO System Work?

A typical seawater desalination process includes:

Seawater Intake → Pretreatment → Cartridge Filter → High-Pressure Pump → SWRO → Post-Treatment

Pretreatment

Pretreatment protects the downstream SWRO membranes from suspended solids, colloids, organic matter and other fouling risks.

Depending on the seawater intake and water analysis, the pretreatment system may include:

• screening;
• chemical dosing;
• multimedia filtration;
• activated-carbon filtration where appropriate;
• ultrafiltration;
• cartridge filtration; or
• other project-specific pretreatment.

Ultrafiltration is not the desalination step. When UF is selected, it is used as pretreatment, while the SWRO membrane performs dissolved-salt removal.

High-Pressure SWRO

After pretreatment, seawater is pressurized and supplied to seawater reverse osmosis membranes.

The membrane configuration and high-pressure system are selected according to the feed-water characteristics and required production conditions.

GlobalUF does not use one universal operating pressure, membrane quantity or recovery value for all 10–150 m³/day systems.

Post-Treatment

SWRO permeate is not automatically the finished water for every application.

For drinking-water applications, the project may require:

• remineralization;
• pH adjustment; and
• disinfection.

Industrial or other applications may require a different post-treatment configuration.

Skid-Mounted Equipment Configuration

Depending on the project scope, the equipment package may include:

• pretreatment equipment;
• cartridge filtration;
• chemical dosing;
• high-pressure pump;
• SWRO membrane vessels and membranes;
• stainless-steel skid structure;
• instrumentation;
• PLC/HMI control;
• CIP equipment; and
• post-treatment equipment.

These items are project-specific rather than universal standard features.

Materials for Seawater Service

Material selection is an important part of SWRO design because seawater has a high chloride concentration.

For GlobalUF SWRO projects, material options may include corrosion-resistant stainless steel for the high-pressure section and suitable plastic piping for lower-pressure service.

The final material specification depends on seawater chemistry, operating pressure, project specifications, required service life and budget.

What About Energy Recovery?

For smaller SWRO plants, system simplicity, capital cost, maintenance requirements and operating hours may be more important than adding an energy recovery device.

Based on GlobalUF’s engineering practice, SWRO systems at or below approximately 150 m³/day are typically evaluated without an ERD, although this is not an absolute rule.

An ERD can still be evaluated when electricity cost, daily operating hours, project lifetime or customer requirements justify the additional equipment.

The decision should therefore be made project by project rather than by capacity alone.

Skid-Mounted vs. Containerized SWRO

A skid-mounted system and a containerized system use the same fundamental seawater reverse osmosis process, but the equipment layout and site interface are different.

Skid-Mounted SWRO

Consider skid-mounted equipment when:

• a technical room or plant room is available;
• the EPC contractor will integrate the system into the site;
• equipment access is important;
• the project has its own building or enclosure; or
• several skids need to be incorporated into a larger treatment plant.

Containerized SWRO

Consider a containerized system when:

• the project is in a remote location;
• an enclosed equipment package is preferred;
• transportation as an integrated module is useful; or
• reducing part of the site assembly work is an important project objective.

Neither configuration eliminates the need for agreed site connections, power supply, drainage, intake arrangements and commissioning responsibilities.

Reference Project: 40 m³/day SWRO in Bohol, Philippines

GlobalUF supplied a 40 m³/day skid-mounted seawater desalination system for an island project in Bohol, Philippines.

The project demonstrates how compact SWRO equipment can be configured for an island freshwater application.

The Bohol system is a project reference rather than a universal design standard. Another 40 m³/day project may require a different pretreatment process, membrane arrangement, material specification or power configuration.

What Information Is Needed for an SWRO Proposal?

To prepare a preliminary SWRO recommendation, please provide:

1. Feed Water Analysis

Where available, send seawater TDS or conductivity, temperature, pH, turbidity, SDI and other available laboratory data.

2. Required Capacity

For example:

• 20 m³/day
• 40 m³/day
• 50 m³/day
• 100 m³/day
• 150 m³/day

3. Product-Water Application

Tell us whether the freshwater will be used for:

• drinking;
• guest rooms;
• kitchens;
• laundry;
• landscaping;
• process water; or
• another application.

4. Operating Hours

Specify how many hours per day the SWRO system is expected to operate.

5. Power Supply

Provide the available voltage, frequency and phase.

6. Project Preferences

Let us know whether you require specific materials, automation, component brands, skid dimensions or other project specifications.

Request a Preliminary SWRO Configuration

Planning a seawater desalination system for a resort, hotel, island or coastal project?

Send GlobalUF your available seawater analysis and project capacity.

We can then evaluate the pretreatment route, SWRO configuration, equipment layout and project-specific supply scope.

GlobalUF
Guangzhou Globaluf Water Treatment Co., Ltd.
Email: sales@globaluf.com
Website: globaluf.com