seawater desalination as an alternative solution for ... seawater desalination as an alternative...

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Seawater Desalination as an alternative solution for potable water in Mexico

Seawater Desalination PlantCabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

About 75% of Earth’s surface is water, of this quantity, Saltwater oceans hold 97.25% of surface water and only 3% is fresh water but only, 0.7% it is available for human use from rives, streams, lakes, groundwater, etc.

The other 2.05% is stored in solid form in the ice caps and glaciers

ReservoirVolume of water

1000³ km³Percent of total

Oceans 1370 97.25

Ice caps & glaciers 29 2.05

Groundwater 9.5 0.68

Lakes 0.125 0.01

Soil moisture 0.065 0.005

Atmosphere 0.013 0.001

Streams & rivers 0.0017 0.0001

Biosphere 0.0006 0.00004

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The water cycle is a natural continuous process of natural desalination, 100% of Earth’s available fresh water is naturally desalted.


If we review the availability per capita of fresh water in several countries we found the following data:

Mexico has lower availability of fresh water; if the population grows, this availability will be less.

COUNTRY m3x1000/Inhab./Year

CANADA 99.7

BRASIL 43.3

ARGENTINA 29.1

BANGLADESH 20.0

INDONESIA 13.3

UNITED STATES 9.5

MEXICO 4.6

JAPAN 4.4

TURKEY 3.3

NIGERIA 2.9

CHINA 2.4

INDIA 2.3

EGIPT 1.0

HIGH RATE (MORE THAN 10)

MEDIUM RATE (BETWEEN 5 AND 10)

LOW RATE (LESS THAN 5)

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Additionally if we review the condition in Mexico:

We find a contrast between water availability vs development, population and economic activity. We see that we need more fresh water where there is not available.

POPULATIONNATURAL

AVAILABILITY

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

NATIONAL AVERAGE 4,573 m3/Inhab/Year

SOUTH EAST AREA 13,759 m3/Inhab/Year

NORTH, CENTRAL AND NORTH EAST AREA

1,874 m3/Inhab/Year


By these and others reasons, we have to find new water sources and seawater desalination becomes a real alternative to supply fresh water to certain cities near of the ocean that have specific characteristics.

A successful example is Los Cabos Municipal Seawater Desalination Plant

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LOS CABOS DESALINATION PLANTFirst Municipal Desalination Plant in Mexico

• The desalination of seawater has being used in last decades (1960 trough 1980) as an ultimate resource for water obtaining, in coastal populations without fresh water available, with development and growing economies sustained in oil operation, being an expensiveprocess.

• The related industry has seen the process of desalination like an opportunity, and it has been invested in investigation that has obtained that actually there are processes for seawater desalt, shipper than last decades.

• The costs of sea water desalination at present time, are comparable to the costs of conventional of superficial pick up and/or underground schemes, with long conduction toward consumption areas.

DESALINATION WITH REVERSE DESALINATION WITH REVERSE OSMOSIS PROCESSOSMOSIS PROCESS

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• Within the diverse ways to desalt, the reverse osmosis is the process that has evolved more favorable than others.

• At present time, almost all the desalination plants has been developed with systems of R.O., based on:

Reliability.

Economy that has been obtained by m3 desalted, by better results at evolution of membrane technology.

Power efficiency, obtained from the engineering designs for energy recovery.

• The price by m³ produced was more than 3.5 dlls/m3 25 years ago.

•• Today, desalted water may cost as much than 1dll/mToday, desalted water may cost as much than 1dll/m 33..

DESALINATION WITH REVERSE DESALINATION WITH REVERSE OSMOSIS PROCESSOSMOSIS PROCESS

Interest on Seawater desalination is increasing due to

combination of population increases, development demands and climate change. These means that freshwater will be in chronically problems for

water supply in the world.

Improvements in technology of desalination, coupled with the rising cost and increasing unreliability of traditional water supply, are

bringing desalinated water into more focus as a general water supply

option with major plants in operation, in planning or under studies in

Europe, North Africa, North America, Australia, China and India among others.

DESALINATION IN THE WORLD

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In 2004, it was estimated that seawater desalination

capacity would increase 100% by 2015, an addition of 31 million m3 a day.

But these forecasts, seem certain to be exceeded by wide margins . In one

example, the forecast was for China and India to be desalinating 650,000

m3/day by 2015, but China alone has recently announced plans to be

desalinating 1 million m 3 of seawater a day by 2010 increasing to 3 million

m3 a day by 2020.

DESALINATION IN THE WORLD

LOS CABOS: LOS CABOS: First Municipal Desalination Plant in MexicoFirst Municipal Desalination Plant in Mexico

• From the 80's, in the south end of the peninsula of Baja California, and as a result of infrastructure investments done by FONATUR, begins in the zone an economic growth as a result of a fast tourist development, that produced a demand of potable water that was not possible to satisfy with underground water.

• The rates of growth were of 4% up to 10% in 1995, with a population of 70,000 inhab. in San Jose del Cabo and 75,000 inhab. in Cabo SanLucas.

• Actually the annual growth rate is 7.5% .

• Its main source of water supply has been wells located in the creeks and channels of the San Jose del Cabo and Santiago streams, arriving at its possible highest extraction, and even being observed considerable over-exploitation in the case of the San Jose del Cabo stream.

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The state and municipal authorities made the decision to solve the present and future water deficit, summoning an international bid, under the following conditions:

– Project, Construction and Operation. The operation will be for a 20 years period.

– Capacity: 200 lps

– The offerer would decide if the intake would be direct or by beach wells.

– The site for intake was suggested, with opportunity for the bidders to present other options.


– The project will have the following facilities:

•Seawater intake

•Piping from intake to desalination plant

•Desalination plant

•Brine piping to the ocean

•Pumping station to pump produced water to regulating tank

•Piping lines to supply water to the city

•Regulating tanks

•Piping for water distribution to neighborhoods Mesa Colorada andCangrejos

•Piping to deliver 100 lps at Tanque 4 de Marzo


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• The project would be finance according to the following distribution:30% Thoroughly Federal Grant

45% (or less) Banking Credit25% (or more) Risk capital (Equity)

• The amount that the offerer finances, will be recovered by fee of m3 of water produced and given to the system, during 20 years, with obligation to a settled down annual volume.

• The winning proposal was the partnership “PROMOAQUA Desalación de los Cabos”

LOS CABOS: LOS CABOS: First Municipal Desalination plant in MexicoFirst Municipal Desalination plant in Mexico

Capacity .................................... 200 lps

Investment * ............................. 28 MDlls

Cost by m3 ............................... $0.90 / m3

Period of concession ................ 20 years

Beginning of construction ......... May 2005

Tests of operation……………… Jan. 2007

Beginning of operations ........... March 2007

PROJECT PARAMETERSPROJECT PARAMETERS

*This amount of investment includes in addition to the desalinat*This amount of investment includes in addition to the desalination plant, ion plant, infrastructure works for pumping, water treatment, conduction aninfrastructure works for pumping, water treatment, conduction and d distribution.distribution.

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GENERAL PLAN OF THE PROJECT OF THE SEAWATER GENERAL PLAN OF THE PROJECT OF THE SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT, LOS CABOS, B.C.S., MEXICODESALINATION PLANT, LOS CABOS, B.C.S., MEXICO

DESALINATION PLANT AND PUMPING

STATION No. 1

BEACH WELLS SEAWATER

INTAKE

TANK No. 1 TANK No.2 AND

PUMPING STATION No. 2

TANK No.3 AND PUMPING

STATION No.3

TANK No. 4

MESA COLORADA

LOS CANGREJOS

TANK 4 de MARZO

COLONIA 4 de MARZO


Partnership PROMOAQUA Desalación de los Cabos, is

constituted with the participation of 3 Mexican (Tijuana) companies

(LIBRA, VAZLU and CISA) that made 52% of the facilities during

construction stage.

In the operation stage, Mexican companies have 10% of the society

where the Spanish company INIMA, has 90% of participation.

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LIBRA was in charge of the elaboration of:

Geo-hydrological surveyProject DesignConstruction of Civil Works Construction of Tanks and Pumping stations

VAZLU carried out the construction of:Access roads to the site of the plant Seawater intake and Brine piping to ocean Around 18 km of aqueducts, Cangrejos neighborhood water network


CISA was in charge of

The electrical design and construction Construction of water network at Mesa Colorada neighborhood

INIMA carried out:Design, provision, installation and operation of the equipment for process of desalination by reverse osmosis

The procurement for all permits at all instances were conducted by the mexican companies

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Flow diagramFlow diagram

REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES

ENERGY RECOVERY

BRINE WATER

720 M3/HR 1.0 BAR699.4 M3/HR

1.7 BAR

BEACH WELLS

SEAWATER PUMP

BOOSTER

PUMP 49 KW

MULTIMEDIA FILTER

CARTRIDGE FILTER

740.6 M3/HR 1.7 BAR

1440 M3/HR 1.7 BAR

1440 M3/HR 58.7 BAR

699.4 M3/HR 58.7 BAR

699.4 M3/HR 56.7 BAR

740.6 M3/HR 58.7

BAR

720 M3/HR 0 PSI

POSTREATMENTPRETREATMENT

DATAPOTABLE WATER FLOW: 720 M3/HR

RECOVERY: 50%

SEAWATER PUMP FLOW: 1440 M3/HR (100%)

HIGH PRESSURE PUMP FLOW: 740.6 M3/HR (51.5%)

BOOSTER PUMP FLOW: 699.4 M3/HR (48.5%)

HIGH PRESSURE PUMP 1462 KW

720 M3/HR 57.7 BAR

SEAWATER

FILTERED SEAWATER

BRINE

POTABLE WATER

HIGH PRESSURE


ROSARITO: PILOT PLANTROSARITO: PILOT PLANT

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TYPICAL COST COMPOSITION OF TYPICAL COST COMPOSITION OF DESALTED CUBIC METERDESALTED CUBIC METER

Variable Cost by Operation and Maintenance

Fixed Cost by Operation andMaintenance

Electric energy cost for seawater desalination by reverse osmosis represents almost 40% of the total cost of desalted cubic meter.

(Average cost of electric energy= 0.8 Pesos/ Kw-hr)

IFC 36%

FCOM 21%

VCOM 43%

CHEMICALS 16%

MEMBRANES 2% CARTRIDGES 2%

ELECTRICITY 80%

PERSONNEL 26%

ELECTRICITY 19%MAINTENANCE 22%

CHEM. ANALYSIS 3%

MANAGEMENT 10%

INVESTMENT 4%

INSURANCES 16%

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Los Cabos desalination plant supplies potable water to a population of 40,000 inhabitants that had a deficient service.


Due to the rapids growth of the population it is expected a future expansion of Los Cabos Desalination Plant to satisfy the demand.

Mexican authorities of several states have visited this plant to get information about the operation and financial aspects to know the benefits of this technology .

The construction of Los Cabos desalination plant, will detonate others desalination projects in Mexico as:

La Paz, B.C.S.

Ensenada, B.C.

Hermosillo, Son.

Loreto, B.C.S.


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NEWSPAPERS NOTES

Lunes 30 abril 2007

Destaca el alcalde de Los Cabos Luis Armando Díaz , en su 2º . Informe de Gobierno; inversión en infraestructura hidráulica y sanitaria, as í como la conclusión de la Planta Desaladora de Cabo San Lucas.

Jueves 15 diciembre 2005

La construcción de la Planta Desaladora, ubicada en las costas del océano Pacifico, en Cabo San Lucas, avanza a pasos firmes.José Antonio Agúndez Montaño .

Viernes 16 marzo 2007

Destaca el Gobernador de Baja California Sur la Conclusión de La Planta Desaladora de Los Cabos, en su Segundo Informe de Gobierno.

Miercoles 25 julio 2007

Participa el OOMSAPAS de Los Cabos en el "Premio Gobierno y Gestió n Local 2007", con la Planta Desaladora de Agua de Mar para consumo humano.

Domingo 24 diciembre 2006

Día trascendental en la historia del México, el Inicio de Operaciones de la primera planta desaladora de agua de mar para consumo humano, destinada a más de 60,000 habitantes de Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

PHOTO PHOTO -- GALLERY OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEAWATER GALLERY OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT, LOS CABOS, B.C.S., MEXICODESALINATION PLANT, LOS CABOS, B.C.S., MEXICO

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PHOTO PHOTO -- GALLERY OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEA WATER GALLERY OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEA WATER DESALINATION PLANT, LOS CABOS, B.C.S., MEXICODESALINATION PLANT, LOS CABOS, B.C.S., MEXICO


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The Desalination plant initiates its operation on December 2006, being it inaugurated by the state and municipal authorities of Los Cabos B.C.S.


On April 19 2007, Mexican president Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, re-inaugurated the desalination plant, emphasizing it like an alternative of solution for desert areas with possibilities of development in the region

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CONCLUSIONS

Seawater desalination represents at present time a reliable option as

source of potable water to populations near of the ocean.

Potable water taken from seawater desalination will detonate touristic

investment where were disabled by lack of water.

Costs of seawater desalination are similar than some of several cities of

Mexico with conventional sources.

Excellent quality of desalination seawater satisfies international

requirements and even it is better than the aquifers ones.


CONCLUSIONS:

Don’t forget that prior to any seawater desalination project, it is

necessary to develop field surveys to know the quality of the influent

water in order to design the most adequate pretreatment and to explore

several options to solve the brine final disposition, because all these are

very important to avoid environment damage.

It is important to get all information about the seawater and the place

where the plant will be settled in order to give more confidence to the

desalination project.

Seawater desalination represents a fresh, new and unlimited resource

and doesn’t affect to any superficial water or groundwater user.

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seawater desalination as an alternative solution for ... seawater desalination as an alternative...

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