CPVC Piping Systems in Desalination Applications

Session 4A
9:50

Tom Breiner, Lubrizol Advanced Materials Europe BVBA

Water is a scarce commodity and access to clean drinking water is a pressing need for much of the world’s population. Yet water comprises more than 70% of the surface area of our planet. National governments and water authorities are challenging their engineers and procurement officials to find technology that will ensure high-quality, reliable and low cost drinking water supply sources. The desalination of sea water is one such option.

CPVC piping systems in desalination applications offer a cost-effective solution for providing clean, potable water in harsh coastal & desert environments.

CPVC offers a number of advantages to the desalination sector and is quickly gaining inroads into progressive desalination plants. CPVC piping systems used in such plants must have the ability to resist the numerous chemicals that are used in them, be corrosion resistant to sea water and at the same time offer a cost effective and sustainable solution.

It will handle the chemical feeds for reverse osmosis processes, including strong acids and bases, salts and reducing agents that are used to rinse ion exchange resins or in post-treatment pH adjustment and re-hardening. Since CPVC is not susceptible to attack from high chloride levels, there is no need for pickling as it is the case with the metal piping systems and no need for expensive protection against corrosion. And with its ability to resist ozone treated water, high temperatures and UV radiation, CPVC Industrial Systems are a cost-effective solution for providing clean potable water to coastal areas with growing water shortages.

In addition to this, CPVC has excellent resistance to microbial growth which extends its use to fresh water discharge lines. It is therefore a cost-effective uniform solution throughout the desalination process.

This paper will discuss the chemical resistance of CPVC and its use in desalination applications, while improving reliability and confidence, reduced capital and life cycle costs.

Tom Breiner
Technical Manager EMEAI, TempRite® Engineered Polymers

Gulnara Omarbekova
Business Development Manager, Corzan™ Industrial Systems