Pilot Plant

About the experimental station

The Water Technology and Innovation Research Institute possesses a large-scale experimental infrastructure for researching various water treatment and desalination technologies. It has extensive experience in leading and testing these technologies to evaluate processes, simulations, optimization, and the development of innovative process schemes for desalination and brine extraction. The main experimental units available at the facility are dedicated to pre-treatment of seawater, reverse osmosis, thermal desalination, renewable energy, and zero liquid discharge applications.
The Water Technology and Innovation Research Institute has a large-scale experimental infrastructure for researching various water treatment and desalination technologies. It has extensive experience in leading and testing these technologies to evaluate processes, simulations, optimization, and the development of innovative process schemes for desalination and brine extraction. The main experimental units available at the facility are dedicated to seawater pre-treatment, reverse osmosis, thermal desalination, renewable energy, and zero liquid discharge applications.
The experimental plant includes an effective operation and maintenance team capable of operating, modifying, and redesigning units according to research testing requirements. The experimental plant acts as a supporting arm for the Water Technology and Innovation Research Institute to implement its innovative research work. Furthermore, the experimental plant has the authority to test, evaluate, and certify industrial products such as chemicals, membranes, materials, and new equipment and technologies for use in more than 32 seawater desalination plants operated by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) across Saudi Arabia.
The main units of the experimental station

Dual Media Filter (DMF) Pretreatment Unit

The main purpose of Dual Media Filters (DMFs) is to reduce the SDI (Silt Density Index) level before seawater proceeds to the Reverse Osmosis (RO) unit. Seawater typically contains Total Suspended Solids (TSS) that can negatively impact the reverse osmosis process. Suspended solids include small particles such as silt, clay, gravel, organic matter, algae, and other microorganisms. By removing suspended solids, we can reduce high-pressure drops and ensure the effectiveness of filtration equipment such as microfilters and reverse osmosis membranes.

  • Year of Operation 2023 - Capacity 100 m³/hour
Related Sector Image

Reverse osmosis membrane unit 1

RO stands for Reverse Osmosis, which means reverse filtration against osmotic pressure. A reverse osmosis membrane acts as a molecular sieve, removing up to 99.5% of solids, microbes, small particles, and organic compounds with molecular weights greater than 300 microns or particles larger than 0.001 microns. A semipermeable membrane is used to separate water molecules from suspended and dissolved materials by applying pressure to overcome osmotic pressure.

  • Year of Operation: 2011 - Capacity: 10 m³/hour
Related Sector Image

Did you benefit from the information provided on this page?

0 Visitors liked the content of the page out of 0