Hamriyah SWRO Desalination Plant – Largest Sea Water IMS Plant
Authors: Guido Codemo – Head of Process – Desalination, Aqua Engineering GmbH
Ali A. Rahim Awadalla – Hamriyah Station Manager - SEWA
Malcolm J. Parker – Manager – Technical Affairs - SEWA
John Banham – Manager UF Technology, Hydranautics – A Nitto Denko Company
Dr. Stefan Rybar – Consultant
Presenter: Rudolf Edlinger – Director Sales, Aqua Engineering GmbH - Austria
Abstract
Increasing water and power demand in the Middle East puts more pressure on countries in the region to
built new or extend existing water and power producing facilities. In February 2007, the Sharjah
Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA) issued a tender for design and construction of seawater RO
desalination plant on Hamriyah Power Station in Sharjah Emirate. Tender document has specified ultra
filtration as one of pretreatment steps to be used upstream of the seawater RO membranes. Evaluation of
technical and commercial offers from various bidders was finalized in July 2007 and SEWA awarded
the turn-key Contract of the 20 MIGD Hamriyah SWRO desalination plant to Aqua Engineering GmbH
who has already successfully designed and built a number of SWRO plants in the UAE since the late
Eighties.
Aqua Engineering has employed in the design Hydranautics Integrated Membrane Solutions (IMS®)
technology, which incorporates Hydranautics HydraCap60™ ultra filtration modules and Hydranautics
high rejection and energy saving SWC5 seawater RO membranes. The design is based on long
experience from operation of the recently largest IMS® SWRO installed in Kindasa Phase B1
desalination plant, which is treating very difficult Red Sea water in Jeddah Islamic Port of Saudi Arabia.
There are different views in desalination industry on use of membrane pre-treatment utilizing
microfiltration or ultra filtration upstream of sea water reverse osmosis systems. Not properly
approached design can worsen the situation and RO part may perform in a much worse level tha