Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant

Project Overview

As part of the Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA) Line 5 Expansion, Satec Service Ltd designed, manufactured, and supplied a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant for Bechtel International. The system was developed to provide an additional 110 m³/hr of potable water from a challenging borehole source containing 14,500 mg/l Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and 6.5 mg/l hydrogen sulphide.

The fully engineered treatment process converts high-salinity groundwater into potable-quality water suitable for industrial use, delivering a reliable and efficient water supply for one of the world’s largest aluminium production facilities.

Treatment Process

The borehole water is conditioned with sulphuric acid before entering a single-pass reverse osmosis system operating at a 75% recovery rate. Following desalination, hydrogen sulphide is removed through a degasser tower and a three-stage oxidation process using sodium hypochlorite and sodium bisulphite.

The treated water then passes through cartridge and activated carbon filtration before final re-hardening, pH correction, and chlorination, producing high-quality potable water that meets the project’s operational requirements.

Key Equipment Supplied

• Reverse osmosis desalination plant (110 m³/hr)
• High-pressure and interstage Flowserve pumps
• GRP inlet and cartridge filtration systems
• Forced-draught GRP degasser tower
• Three-stage reaction tank
• Activated carbon filtration system
• Chemical dosing systems for sulphuric acid, antiscalant, hypochlorite, bisulphite, lime, and carbon dioxide
• Clean-in-Place (CIP) and membrane flushing systems
• Complete skid-mounted process equipment

Project Highlights

• Designed and supplied for the ALBA Line 5 Expansion Project
• Delivered through Bechtel International
• Treated high-TDS groundwater (14,500 mg/l)
• Produced 110 m³/hr of potable-quality water
• 75% reverse osmosis recovery rate
• Complete turnkey process solution with integrated chemical dosing and post-treatment systems

Satec Service Ltd has extensive experience delivering bespoke reverse osmosis, desalination, and advanced water treatment systems for major industrial and infrastructure projects throughout the UK and internationally.