Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Wednesday November 28 2018, @09:06AM   Printer-friendly
from the power-(and-fresh-water)-to-the-people dept.

Phys.org:

As part of the "Blue Growth Strategy', the EU-funded H2020 W2O project has demonstrated the economic practicality of the world's first wave-driven desalination system, Wave2O. This operates completely 'off-grid' to supply large quantities of affordable fresh water.

Wave2O will be piloted in Cape Verde, an island in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa. A location for the pilot plant has been identified and site assessment studies, including bathymetric surveys, wave energy assessments, and water quality assessments are being carried out. Project coordinator and cofounder of the SME Resolute Marine Limited, Olivier Ceberio says, "We secured a pledge from the local power and water utility to purchase a full-scale Wave2O plant after trials of a pilot-scale plant have been successfully completed."

[...] Two wave energy converters (WECs) and two large 20-foot containers, one housing equipment for producing electricity and another for producing fresh water make up the Wave2O module. The WECs are connected to the containers by flexible hoses carrying pressurised seawater to and from the WECs. "Process seawater is sourced from an offshore well away from any sources of contamination through a multi-stage filtration system before entering a manifold system that splits its flow into two different paths," explains Ceberio.

Wave-induced mechanical energy is used by the WECs to drive two rotary actuators that increase the pressure of the intake seawater to 7 000 kPa before pumping it ashore. Here it is stabilised by a hydro-pneumatic accumulator to remove unwanted pressure pulsations before it enters the R/O system. A secondary flow of seawater is sent to an energy recovery unit (ERU). The ERU recovers energy from high-pressure brine – the by-product of the desalination process – and uses it to increase the pressure of the process seawater to 7 000 kPa. Energy recovery creates higher efficiency conversion, crucial for stand-alone operation.

The pressure-stabilised intake seawater is then merged and enters a standard R/O unit at an operating pressure of 6 200 kPa. Approximately 35 percent of the feed water is processed into fresh water, which is a relatively low recovery rate that has benefits related to reduced maintenance, extended membrane life and lower brine salinity. The highly energetic brine is then used to pre-charge the feed water.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday November 28 2018, @12:38PM (2 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Wednesday November 28 2018, @12:38PM (#767280) Homepage Journal

    France in the Caribbean and French Guyana in northern South America. Also Tahiti and St. Pierre and Michelon islands immediately south of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic.

    The UK has the Falklands.

    I expect there are others.

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 28 2018, @02:45PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 28 2018, @02:45PM (#767306)

    Sure, many European countries have those (including mine). However, Cape Verde is an independent (non-EU) country.

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday November 28 2018, @06:29PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday November 28 2018, @06:29PM (#767398)

      Former Portuguese colony.
      There's a good amount of money flowing towards former colonies, by countries trying to preserve influence in strategic places.