Location: Marsa Alam, Egypt
Project: Marsa Alam Water Plant
Product Configuration: PX Pressure Exchanger 300 and VP3471 booster pump
Capacity: 1,500 m3/day
The Challenge: Water Supply Needs at Odds with Regional Demands to Lower Power Use
The shoreline of the Red Sea is a dazzling destination for tourists and locals to experience the beach and enjoy marine activities. In Egypt, the shoreline sprawls from the Suez Canal in the north, down to the southern part of the country bordering Sudan. Though most of Egypt’s population has traditionally lived in the Cairo metro area, migration trends show more and more residents are relocating to the coastlines. Given this migratory development, small coastal towns like Marsa Alam on the Red Sea now have huge demands to supply potable water to a growing population. Until recently, the Red Sea Water and Sanitation Company was operating an outmoded SWRO desalination plant and any increase in production would require a retrofit of the existing plant. In addition to the much needed plant upgrade, the Red Sea Water and Sanitation Company was tasked by regional authorities to simultaneously lower its power consumption.
The Innovation Solution: Retrofit with Energy Recovery’s PX300 and VP3471 booster pump
To solve the plant’s main issue of high power consumption, the upgrade of the old 500 m3/day plant to increase capacity to 1,500 m3/day required a high-efficiency solution. The Red Sea Company implemented two of Energy Recovery’s PX®300 Pressure Exchangers with a booster pump to optimize the plant’s energy usage. Energy Recovery’s Team 360 and their proven track record of superior customer service, coupled with the maximum availability of the PX Pressure Exchangers, provided a win-win solution for the Red Sea Company.
The Result: Dramatic Energy Savings and Surge in Water Availability
By upgrading the Marsa Alam Water Plant with Energy Recovery’s PX300, the Red Sea Company witnessed immediate reductions in total power consumption at the plant. The plant is now able to run at fully upgraded capacity using only one diesel generator set instead of two: a huge contribution to the overall energy savings. Furthermore, the project return on investment and implementation was exceptional, and the Marsa Alam region now has an abundant supply of fresh drinking water for its residents.
“By retrofitting with Energy Recovery’s PX300, the return on the investment has been remarkable. The Energy Recovery support team served as expert advisers and demonstrated that we could significantly lower power consumption by two-thirds of previous levels – all without affecting water production.”
– Ragb Sobhey
Desalination Sector, Red Sea Water & Sanitation Company