REVERSE OSMOSIS DESALINATION PLANT IN NUWEIBA CITY (CASE STUDY)

Due to the continuously increasing demand of fresh water in the desert and remote areas, the development of non-conventional water resources in Egypt is essential. The most advanced and charming desalination system is the reverse osmosis (RO) system. In this paper, a 5000 m 3 /day RO desalination plant in Nuweiba City in Sinai, Egypt is taken as a case study. The measured data of the plant are recorded during 5 years of its normal operation. Also, experimental tests are carried out in site to investigate the influence of the main design and operating parameters on the plant performance. The RO system is found to be sensitive to the variation in the feed water temperature, pressure and salinity. The used maintenance schedule is also seen to be suitable for the plant, since the change in plant performance during the operation period is not noticeable. On the other hand, a cost analysis is carried out on the RO plant components. The major factors affecting the product water cost of this plant are the capital cost and power consumption. Surprisingly, the chemical treatment cost is one of the lowest in percentage. In this case, the power consumption cost is 35% and capital cost is 33.6% and that of maintenance and repairs represent only 5% while the chemical treatment represents 10% of the total cost.