Alfa Laval has introduced  Aqua, its most efficient fresh water generator yet developed for the offshore oil and gas industries.

Aqua uses vacuum distillation to convert seawater into high quality fresh water for potable and process utilisation, including Water for Injection (WFI). According to Alfa Laval, Aqua is the just the latest and most efficient in a long line of fresh water generators that stretches back over 50 years.

Aqua is designed for automatic operation on rigs as well as in remote onshore locations. Energy for the distillation process is provided from jacket water or a hot water loop. Aqua makes use of 3-in-1 plate technology, which enables desalination in a single plate pack with a single titanium plate. Since the plate pack also contains the process vacuum, Aqua has no outer shell and is consequently smaller than other freshwater generators. The plate pack slides open for easy access to the interior without an additional service area. The use of corrosion- and erosion-resistant titanium, combined with an optimised process that inhibits natural scaling, ensures that Aqua needs little maintenance, Alfa Laval said.

Innovative
“This innovative 3-in-1 plate design not only delivers high-quality fresh water but, thanks to reductions in size, weight and the volume of sea-water required, offers lower operating costs and easier maintenance. Not only does it produce the purest water imaginable from sea and brackish water, it also helps save energy and reduces emissions in the process,” an Alfa Lalval statement said.

The company claims that the water produced by Aqua is purer than many expensive bottled mineral waters. These mineral waters, typically, contain about 100 parts per million of salt. Sea water processed by the Aqua method, however, results in water with a salinity level of less than 2 ppm.

Alfa Laval pioneered on-board desalination utilising recovered waste heat.