Seawater desalination technology

Corrosion-proof thermoplastic pumps for desalination plants

Engineered to withstand extreme salinity and aggressive chemical pretreatment, ensuring
reliable performance in the world’s most demanding seawater desalination environments.

Seawater conversion solutions

Pumping systems for extreme salinity environments

Seawater desalination is one of the most chemically aggressive environments for industrial equipment. The extreme chloride concentrations and high salinity found in reverse osmosis stages and brine management cause rapid pitting and catastrophic galvanic failure in traditional metallic pumps, even those made of expensive alloys.

Tecnium Pumps provides high-performance thermoplastic solutions specifically designed to thrive in these relentless marine conditions. By utilizing solid-block plastics such as PP and PVDF, our pumps offer absolute immunity to seawater corrosion, ensuring continuous, safe, and highly efficient operation while protecting your desalination infrastructure from the high costs of metallic degradation.

Desalination plant
Desalination plants

Engineered for seawater

Key advantages for desalination facilities

  • Total immunity to chlorides: Solid thermoplastic construction completely eliminates the risk of galvanic corrosion and pitting caused by high-salinity seawater and concentrated brine.

  • Resistance to pretreatment chemicals: Effortlessly handles aggressive scale inhibitors, acids, and oxidative disinfection agents used throughout the water purification process.

  • Optimized brine management: Specifically engineered to manage high-density brine concentrates without the erosion-corrosion issues that typically plague metallic pump internals.

  • Durable coastal performance: Rugged external engineering and specialized protective coatings shield the equipment from the salt-laden atmospheric conditions of coastal processing plants.

High-performance marine equipment

Recommended pumping solutions for desalination plants

Explore our specialized range of solid thermoplastic pumps, specifically engineered to manage the extreme chloride levels and aggressive chemical pre-treatment stages of industrial seawater desalination.

Engineered for the most demanding chemical dosing and seawater transfer stages. These standardized units utilize ultra-thick solid thermoplastics to completely eliminate the risk of pitting and crevice corrosion caused by high-chloride environments and aggressive scale inhibitors.

The ideal choice for draining seawater collection pits and managing concentrated brine residuals. Their cantilevered shaft design removes all sensitive bearings from the fluid path, allowing for reliable operation and safe dry running in harsh marine sump conditions.

A space-saving and highly efficient solution for auxiliary chemical handling and smaller desalination skids. This monobloc configuration provides exceptional chemical resistance in a compact footprint, requiring minimal maintenance and no complex mechanical alignment.

Frequently asked questions about our pumps for desalination plants

While high-grade alloys like duplex or super-duplex stainless steel are often used in desalination, they are still susceptible to localized pitting and crevice corrosion over time. The high concentration of chlorides in seawater constantly attacks the protective oxide layer of metals, leading to eventual structural failure.

Tecnium solid thermoplastic pumps eliminate the possibility of galvanic corrosion entirely. Since our machined PP and PVDF materials are non-metallic, they simply cannot oxidize or react with chlorides, regardless of the salinity level or fluid temperature.

This inherent chemical immunity provides a more cost-effective and permanent solution compared to expensive exotic metals. It ensures that the pump internals remain perfectly smooth and efficient throughout their entire operational life, without the risk of metallic contamination.

The reject stream, or brine, produced during the desalination process is a highly concentrated saline solution that is significantly more aggressive than raw seawater. This dense fluid can cause rapid erosion-corrosion on metallic impellers and casings, leading to a quick loss of hydraulic performance.

Our pumps are engineered to handle high-density brine without any material degradation. The solid, non-porous surface of our virgin plastics resists the abrasive nature of salt aggregates that often form in concentrated reject streams.

By maintaining their original hydraulic profile under these harsh conditions, our units prevent the frequent and costly parts replacements that plague metallic pumps in brine management stages, ensuring your facility maintains its energy efficiency and output targets.

Before seawater enters the sensitive reverse osmosis membranes, it must be treated with various chemicals, including antiscalants, sulfuric acid, and oxidative biocides. These reagents are essential for membrane health but are devastatingly corrosive to standard pumping infrastructure.

Our standardized process pumps are designed to be 100% compatible with the full range of desalination chemicals. Whether you are dosing concentrated acids or highly oxidative disinfectants, our thermoplastic construction ensures zero chemical reaction.

This total reliability is vital for protecting your high-value reverse osmosis membranes, as it guarantees that the chemical pre-treatment remains precise, consistent, and uninterrupted, preventing any accidental damage to the filtration system.

Desalination facilities are typically located in extreme coastal environments where the ambient air is saturated with corrosive salt spray. This atmospheric salinity can destroy the external components and motor supports of industrial equipment long before the internal parts wear out.

To combat this, our pumps feature rugged external engineering combined with specialized protective coatings. We ensure that every component, from the baseplate to the bearing frame, is shielded against the relentless maritime air found in seaside processing zones.

This comprehensive approach to corrosion protection results in a low-maintenance solution for harsh coastal sites, significantly reducing the need for external repairs or structural repainting caused by the aggressive salt-laden environment of the plant’s location.

Many aging desalination plants face rising maintenance costs due to the failure of original metallic equipment. Replacing these units with plastic alternatives is often seen as a complex task that might require altering foundations or piping.

To facilitate easy upgrades, our BN series is manufactured in strict compliance with international standards, specifically ISO 2858 and EN 22858. This means our corrosion-proof pumps share the exact same dimensions as standard industrial metallic pumps.

This standardization allows for seamless drop-in replacements during facility retrofits, enabling you to upgrade to a more durable, non-corrosive technology without the need for expensive modifications to concrete pads or existing pipe frameworks.

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