Germany's first cooling tower blowdown water recycling plant for a thermal power plant
Task
EEW Energy from Waste GmbH EEW Energy from Waste GmbH is a leading provider of electricity and heat generation from the thermal recycling and disposal of waste. A sustainable thermal waste treatment plant is operated at the Helmstedt site, generating around 287,000 MWh of energy annually. This corresponds to the electricity requirements of around 87,000 households. Great importance is attached to sustainability and resource conservation at the site. EEW is pursuing the goal of wastewater-free operation.
Due to procedural changes, the cooling tower blowdown water from the evaporative cooling system could no longer be reused. In order to continue to ensure wastewater-free operation, ALMAWATECH was tasked with planning and implementing a recycling plant for the treatment of cooling tower blowdown water.
The planned plant at the Helmstedt site will be the first in Germany to implement this type of process for treating and reusing cooling tower blowdown water in a thermal power plant. The project is therefore a pilot and reference project and sets a new standard in the field of industrial water recycling. With the initial implementation of this plant, EEW is making a significant contribution to the sustainable use of resources, a significant reduction in fresh water requirements, and the consistent avoidance of wastewater streams.
Photo: ALMA Mem UF dual-line ultrafiltration system with redundant design
Design data
Design data
Media: Cooling tower blowdown water
Volume flow: 15–25 m³/h
Photo: Our ALMA OSMO Process reverse osmosis system, installed on a stainless steel rack. With high-quality metrological monitoring in every partial flow.
Solution & implementation
The cooling tower blowdown water is collected in two storage tanks. From there, it is pumped through a coarse filter into an ALMA Mem UF ultrafiltration system. Ultrafiltration removes particulate matter and protects the downstream reverse osmosis system ALMA OSMO reliably against contamination.
The ultrafiltration system is dual-line and redundant. The solids-free filtrate is then fed into a concentrate-staged reverse osmosis system. The concentrate-staged design achieves a high water yield. In addition, an antiscalant from the ALMA AQUA MEM series, specially tailored to the application, is used to reduce membrane fouling, protect the membranes, and further increase plant availability.
An integrated CIP station is used to clean the reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration membranes. Cleaning is automated using our alkaline, acidic, and oxidative membrane cleaners.
Photo: Redundant pumping stations with base load changeover
Process additives used
The product series ALMA AQUAproduct series, which was developed specifically for the respective applications and industries. The operating materials can be customized as needed to ensure maximum efficiency and high operational reliability of the system.
The following products, among others, were used in the project:
ALMA Mem Antiscalant – High-performance antiscalant for effective scale prevention, specifically tailored to the water analysis and process parameters of the application.
ALMA Floc PAC –Primary precipitation and coagulation agent for efficient agglomeration of colloidal particles and solids.
ALMA Clean A60 – Mildly alkaline membrane cleaner. The combination of powerful surfactants and chelating agents dissolves organic deposits and disperses dirt particles to reliably prevent redeposition on the membrane surface.
ALMA Additive S – Acidic special cleaner with integrated dispersants. Specifically developed for dissolving and removing inorganic scale and metal oxides.
- ALMA Additive WP – Oxidative intensive cleaner for removing stubborn biofouling. The formulation is characterized by maximum material compatibility with polyamide membranes.
Photo: Our dosing stations for our ALMA AQUA process additives
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