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1(G67 8/ There are "any ways to !ower water consu"ption at a CP( faci!ity+ and they can be broad!y categorized into water9reduction strategies+
identifying and harnessing pre$ious!y untapped resources+ and uti!izing wastewater fro" one process unit in a different unit
Only on ,he6co) :: &eb Features
#u!y :+ ),8;
&ater 7anage)ent Strategies *or the ,$-
Water has become a key resource for chemical process plants. Here are some ideas to save
more and waste less
Rajiv Narang and Rashmi Jain, Fluor India
A!though in "any p!aces in the wor!d+ freshwater is sti!! $iewed as a co""odity+ a paradig" shift of thin'ing
has begun where water is increasing!y considered a critica! resource/ This shift in "indset is acce!erated when
water stress rises/ A$ai!ab!e freshwater supp!ies can be !i"ited in <uantity or in <ua!ity for "eeting the
increasing de"ands of popu!ation growth and industry e.pansion =1>/ (n "any arid and se"i9arid regions+
producing !arge $o!u"es of freshwater is especia!!y difficu!t/ There is no doubt that water is precious+ and its
scarcity is e"erging as one of the "ost serious natura!9resource issues facing the wor!d today/ Water is
direct!y re!ated to hea!th+ safety and econo"y/
The che"ica! process industries 4CP(5 ?i"portant consu"ers of fresh water ?can ease water stress by
i"pro$ing water use processes+ and by using a!ternati$e water sources/ The wor!dwide co""unity of
professiona! che"ica! engineers are p!aying+ and wi!! continue to p!ay+ a 'ey ro!e in sustainab!e industria!
water use/
This artic!e high!ights $arious strategies that can be used in s"a!!9+ "ediu"9 and !arge9sca!e che"ica! faci!ities
to reduce raw water usage+ and ways in which these "ethods can be adopted/
Reuse8 reduce8 resource
There are "any ways to effecti$e!y reduce water consu"ption+ and they can be categorized in the fo!!owing
way 41igure 85@
Reduce: 7eductions in water consu"ption can be acco"p!ished by "a'ing changes in the process design
and e<uip"ent se!ection/ 1or e.a"p!e+ by "a.i"izing air coo!ers+ thereby reducing the coo!ing9water
re<uire"ent
Resource: 1ind additiona! ways to source fresh water/ 7ainwater har$esting can be an e.ce!!ent opportunity
Reuse: 6ti!ize wastewater fro" one process unit as source water for another+ or reuse water after treat"ent/
1or e.a"p!e+ boi!er b!owdown can be put into the coo!ing9water circuit after !itt!e or no treat"ent
An i"portant point to note is that the $o!u"e+ <ua!ity+ co"position and i"portance of water in a particu!ar
industry seg"ent $aries/ 1or instance+ the paper industry re<uires !arge $o!u"es of water+ and it has different
specifications depending on which unit operation is using the water/ (t is a!so i"portant to rea!ize that water
<ua!ity re<uire"ents for different uses can be radica!!y different/ The <ua!ity re<uire"ents for water "a'eup+
for firewater "a'eup or for uti!ity water are !ess stringent than those for coo!ing9water "a'eup+ boi!er
feedwater or process water "a'eup/
These $ariations in <ua!ity and <uantity "a'e it i"possib!e to estab!ish a sing!e genera! water9"anage"ent
strategy that is app!icab!e in a!! situations ?there is no one Asi!$er bu!!etB so!ution/
Reduce strategy
Cere are so"e ideas to reduce water usage that
are worthy of consideration 41igure )5@
85 7ep!ace coo!ing9water duty by e.changing heat
with another process strea"/ A pinch ana!ysis wi!!
"ai! Print C!ip D 1i!e 9
Artic!e
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#!$%R& '" (eeral strategies) including air cooling and integration with another
process stream) are aailable for reducing cooling*water demand
#!$%R& +" By segregating wastewater and applying only the re,uired treatment) wastewater can be minimi-ed
#!$%R& ." /aresting rainwater can represent a new
source of freshwater that can be used often with minimal
treatment
#!$%R& 0" The wastewater from one unit can be used as feedwater
for another
,uic1ly reali-e ma2imum opportunities to
e2change heat with other process streams"
'3 Replace cooling*water duty with air cooling" The
disadantage is that the air coolers occupy more
space and are more e2pensie" 4odulari-ation
can mitigate the space constraints significantly"
+3 Replace once*through cooling*water systems
with closed cooling*water systems" !n modern
plants) closed cooling*water systems are the
norm) but een they hae ma1e up for losses due
to blowdown) eaporation and drift"
.3 Replace the cooling tower for cooling duty with
a heat e2changer and a once*through cooling*
water system acting as a heat sin1" At first glance) this would appear to be inefficient and e2pensie) but the
adantages are that one can use seawater as a heat sin1) coupled to a closed cooling*water system" The
materials of construction for the process e2changes are no longer goerned by the seawater ,uality)
significantly lowering the cost of these e2changers" The pressure on using freshwater 5or cooling water
ma1eup*,uality water3 is lowered significantly"
A combination of
strategies + and .)
coupled with
process changes)
can totally eliminate
the re,uirement of
freshwater for
cooling*water duty)
at least"
03 Replace steam
used for heating
with electric heaters
or direct*fired heaters" Although steam generation is the least e2pensie method for proiding process heat) if
the cost of sourcing freshwater or disposing of wastewater becomes prohibitie) then substituting electric or
direct*fired heaters can be leeraged effectiely"
63 Reduce water used for hose*cleaning spillages in the plant by increasing the elocity of the water used for
cleaning" Particulates) dirt and oil can be loosened at a faster rate) which allows the length of rinse cycles to
be shortened) saing water 748"
93 !nstead of hosing the spillage area) first sweep up any spillages
and washdown only when essential" This will not only reduce
water use) but also reduce the concentration of contaminants
entering the drain) because more of the waste can be disposed of
as a solid"
:3 !n general) try to minimi-e the routing of water to the
wastewater*treatment facility" This may include aoiding sending
water*tan1 oerflows or stormwater to sewers) if no e2tensie
treatment is re,uired"
(imilarly) wastewater re,uiring e2tensie treatment should be segregated from water that re,uires only simple
or conentional treatment methods" This reduces the load on the facility) which in turn reduces chemical
consumption) power consumption) area footprint and water footprint"
;3 Reduce potable water consumption by controlling waste with high*end fittings and by controlling supplies"
%esource strategy
/aresting new sources of freshwater can come in many forms" The following are seeral ideas:
<3 A common solution which can ma1e sense in countries such as !ndia) is rainwater haresting" !f rainwater
can be collected and used as freshwater ma1eup) it reduces pressure on freshwater" 4any industrial
e2amples e2ist"
An obious) but under*recogni-ed adantage of using harested rainwater is that it needs minimum treatment
to be used as boiler*feed ma1eup water) which re,uires superior water ,uality" (tormwater can easily be used
with minimal treatment for firewater ma1eup) utility water or cooling*water ma1eup also"
'3 =oo1 for nearby industries) or een large) municipal wastewater*treatment plants that generate a
wastewater stream) which may be much easier to treat for reuse" (econdary*treated municipal wastewater is
generally acceptable for cooling*water ma1eup) een though it often contains phosphate and ammonia" !ts use
can be made possible by operating cooling towers at low cycles of concentration and by using pipes and heat
e2changers with appropriate materials of construction" The blowdown of such cooling towers can be used in
agriculture to ta1e adantage of its high leels of ammonia and phosphate 728" With tertiary treatment of
municipal wastewater) ammonia and phosphate leels can be brought down"
(ome water constituents can be beneficial to cooling systems" >itrates protect against stainless*steel
corrosion and phosphate protects against carbon*steel corrosion" Treated municipal wastewater may also
contain traces of free chlorine) which controls microbiological fouling 728"
+3 !n cold climates) thawing snow also can be a useful source for freshwater"
%euse strategy
While there are seeral technologies aailable to minimi-e
water consumption) each solution is uni,ue to a plant and
its site" The affordability of water treatment compared to the
price of freshwater is a drier for reuse in areas where the
two are similar" Water reuse also stabili-es the plant?s water
supply) especially in drought*prone areas) and can help
ma1e a plant @drought proofA to the e2tent that it is able to
reuse water" !t also flattens out influent water ,uality and
buffers the plant against sudden upsets in water supply that might arise) for e2ample) in rier water" The
benefits to steady operation of water*treatment e,uipment) and thus to the process) is also significant"
Page 2 of 10 Water Management Strategies for the CPI :: Chemical Engineering
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FIGURE 6. Several sources exist for cooling water makeup
The following items are examples of water reuse strategies
!" #$ taking water from some of the cleaner operations% water that is not clean enough to &e treate' an'
reuse' in a cleaner area% can &e use' in areas that are ('irtier). The water coul' &e more than (clean enough)
to serve its purpose in these areas. *lwa$s check the +ualit$ of each water source against the 'eman' +ualit$.
The goal is then to provi'e water of re+uire' +ualit$. For example% clean effluent from steam stripping of sour
water can &e use' as makeup water for 'esalters% +uench towers an' water wash towers. It can also &e use'
in h$'raulic coke cutting of a coker 'rum.
," In petroleum refineries an' chemical plants% cooling-tower makeup water an' &oiler makeup water
represent two of the significant freshwater users that have specific water-+ualit$ constraints. Significant water
savings can result through the a''itional mil' treatment of the environmentall$ accepta&le wastewater
treatment plant .//T0" effluent as cooling-tower makeup water% or through further 'eep treatment as &oiler
makeup water .'esalte' water".
Reverse osmosis .R1" re2ect water contains high levels of 'issolve' soli's% which makes it generall$
unsuita&le for total replacement. 3owever% it can replace a portion of makeup water with onl$ a minor impact
on water +ualit$. If the R1 fee' has an upstream softening step% then the R1 re2ect water will have little or no
har'ness% an' hence less potential to cause scaling in the cooling-water s$stem 425.
6" #oiler &low'own% with minimal treatment can also replace a portion of makeup water. *n example of
&len'ing various water makeups is illustrate' in Figure 6.
In Ta&le !% a comparison has &een ma'e &etween the water
+ualit$ of cooling-water makeup when &len'e' with R1
re2ect water an' &oiler &low'own .7ase ," an' cooling
water without &len'ing .7ase !".
Ta&le !. Replacing part of Fresh /ater for 7ooling /ater .7/" makeup with other water sources
8ax limit to &e
maintaine' in tower%
mg9:
T$pical 7/
makeup +ualit$%
mg9:
7$cles of
conc. .717" T$pical R1
re2ect% mg9:
T$pical 30 &oiler
&low'own% mg9:
;< R1 re2ect
717
!=<
#oiler
&low'own
>;< Freshwater 6.? ?
.a" .&" .c" .'" .e" .f" .g"
Total suspen'e'
soli's .TSS"
!;= 6; !?= - , 6= !=,
Total alkalinit$ as
7a716
!== ?== - !;= !== 6?=
Total 'issolve'
soli's
,%;== ;== ,%=== ?%;== @;= @,; ,%?6;
Total har'ness as
7a716
;== !!= ??= ,= =.! A; 6,!
7hlori'es 6== @= ,>= 6;= - @@ ,6,
Sulfates ;= ,== !;= - ;= !@=
Silica as Si1, !;= 6= !,= ,= ; ,@ A,
Iron .Fe" =.! =.=, =.=> - =.=, =.=!A =.=6?6
0hosphates !; , > ;= ?., !?
Ta&le ,. /ater 7onsumption &ase' on Ta&le !B
T$pe of makeup water
!==< raw water 7ase ! #len'e' 7ase ,
#low'own% m
6
9h ?! ;6
8akeup% m
6
9h !>; !A@
Freshwater usage% m
6
9h !>; !6@
/astewater loa'% m
6
9h @! ;6
R1 re2ect reuse% m
6
9h = !=
#oiler &low'own reuse% m
6
9h = ,=
B 7irculating water ;=== m
6
9hr% Crift =.!<% DT !;E7
Ta&le 6. /ater Savings
/ater save'% m
6
9h !> !=<
/ater save' per $ear% m
6
!;?%A;6
/astewater re'uction% m
6
9h !> ,;<
/astewater re'uction per $ear% m
6
!;?%A;6
Ta&le ?. Suita&ilit$ of various filtration technologies
Technolog$ Suita&ilit$
8e'ia filtration Suspen'e' soli's removal. Use for firewater or utilit$ water make up
Ultrafiltration an' microfiltration Stricter suspen'e' soli's removal from ! to =.=! Fm% &ut nee's oil removal upfront. Firewater or utilit$ water makeup
Reverse osmosis Removes 'issolve' soli's% &ut re+uires suspen'e' soli's an' oil removal upfront. #oiler water an' cooling water makeup
Ganofiltration Removes 'issolve' soli's in 'own to =.==! Fm. In com&ination with ultra- or microfiltration
7olumn * provi'es the maximum permissi&le water-+ualit$ limits for a cooling tower. 7olumns # an' 7
provi'e the cooling-water makeup +ualit$ an' c$cles of concentration .717". 7olumns C an' E provi'e the
R1 re2ect water an' &oiler-&low'own water +ualit$ to &e use' for &len'ing. 7olumns F an' G provi'e the
water +ualit$ after &len'ing an' after 717 is achieve'.
Following on Ta&le !% Ta&le , compares the various water consumption levels for &oth cases. Ta&le 6
highlights the savings achieve' &$ &len'ing cooling-water makeup with R1 re2ect an' &oiler &low'own water.
* less o&vious a'vantage is the result that less wastewater must &e treate'% an' the potentiall$ re'uce' siHe
of the wastewater plant an' volume of li+ui' effluents.
7urrent mem&rane technolog$ has a'vance' enough to &e use' with confi'ence% an' is use' as a final step
for 'eep-treating wastewater. Using ultrafiltration upstream of R1 e+uipment for use in cooling water is now
stan'ar'. 0olishing of the R1-treate' water &$ ion exchange or electro-'eioniHation for the makeup of &oiler
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Copyright 2014 A!ss Int!llig!n!, ""C# All rights r!s!rv!d# R!prodution in $hol! or in part in any %orm or m!dium $ithout !&pr!ss $ritt!n p!rmission o% A!ss Int!llig!n!, ""C is prohi'it!d# For mor! d!tails
pl!as! s!! (!rms and Conditions#
,I".2E 6+ An effective water5management #rogram
includes several elements, including wastewater
monitoring, water audits and freshwater analysis
feedwater can now %e done with confidence+ ,inally, the use of mem%rane %ioreactors 7)B2s8 as a direct
#retreatment for 24 is e-#ected to %e used more fre9uently in the future+
Water management
Esta%lishing an overall water5management system is one of the
most im#ortant ste#s in reducing a #lant:s water foot#rint+ 'his can
%e achieved %y increasing efficiencies and minimi*ing losses+ 'his
includes develo#ing a water %alance, conducting facility
ins#ections and water audits, sam#ling wastewater sources,
monitoring usage and detecting leas+
'he ma;or water consumers in many #lants are the cooling towers+
Hence, if tight control is a##lied to cooling5water usage, it is
#ossi%le to save a significant amount of water+ It is always a good
idea to now a #lant:s theoretical minimum freshwater use level+
$ater cascade analysis <=> is one way of determining this value+
Employee engagement
Each em#loyee nows his or her area of the #lant %etter than anyone else, so they are ca#a%le of identifying
water saving o##ortunities within those areas+ Ins#iring and sensiti*ing em#loyees to the im#ortance of
intelligent water management can result in significant water savings+ 4ne way to ins#ire em#loyees can %e to
esta%lish an award #rogram that recogni*es em#loyees who #ro#ose or e-ecute an action that significantly
saves water or reduces water loss+
$ater is a valua%le resource in areas of high water stress or shortage+ ?arious strategies, such as reducing
water consum#tion, resourcing from alternate sources or reusing wastewater generated in the facility, can
influence the amount of freshwater needed to run a #rocess facility+ Again, there is no single universal solution
to this #ro%lem, so com%inations of various strategies will need to %e used+ ,inally, the tool of water
management and em#loyee engagement can %e effective in reducing fresh water withdrawal+
Edited by Scott Jenkins
References
@+ www+growing%lue+com
A+ Pucorius, Paul 2+, Pucorius & Associates Inc++ Consider 2ecycled $ater for your cooling
water maeu#+ CEP )aga*ine 7AB@=8
=+ ,oo, !ominic Chawan 3eeC )anan, Dainuddin A%dulC 'an, 3in Eing, .niversiti 'enologi
)alaysia+ .se Cascade Analysis to 4#timi*e $ater Networs+ CEP )aga*ine 7ABBF8
G+ www+sustaina%le#lant+com
Authors
Rajiv Narang is a #rinci#al #rocess engineer at ,luor !aniel India Pvt+ Etd+ 7!E, Cy%er City,
Phase II, Building @B, 'ower A, =rd floor, "urgaon, Haryana, IndiaC EmailH
ra;iv+narangIfluor+comC PhoneH JK@ @AG GL6 B6BB 8+ He has over AL years of e-#erience in
o#eration and design of #etroleum and natural gas and EN" #lants, as well as #etroleum
refinery units, #i#elines, and #ower #lants+ He graduated from I+I+' !elhi in chemical engineering
and holds an )BA degree+ He is a ,ellow of IChemE, a mem%er of Indian Institute of Chemical
Engineers 7IIChE8 and American Institute of Chemical Engineers+
Rashmi Jain is a #rocess s#ecialist at ,luor !aniel India Pvt+ Etd+ 7same address and #honeC
EmailH rashmi+;ainIfluor+com8+ She has more than @B years of e-#erience in #rocess5system
design of refinery units, and utilities and offsites+ She has significant e-#erience in designing
wastewater treatment #lants+ She graduated from the !elhi College of Engineering with a degree
in environmental engineering+
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