AWWA MTC69754

The need for additional water resources by many water utilities and the resulting growing interest in brackish water and seawater desalination brings an additional level of complexity to the material and equipment selection process. This new area of materials is associated with the introduction of more corrosive waters into the treatment process such as brackish water, raw seawater, reverse osmosis permeate, and membrane concentrate. This paper focuses on seawater applications, and highlights the approaches that have been taken by agencies in Australia and in the United States to maximize the long-term value of the components of their large scale seawater desalination facilities. This includes examining material selection and compatibility issues that develop during design, construction, and operation, as well as how these issues were mitigated. Along with these items, it is also important to evaluate the impacts of utilizing specialized materials on equipment availability and maintenance in order to help engineers and utilities understand some of the key material compatibility and material supply issues associated with construction of a seawater desalination facility. Includes 3 references, tables.