Determining optimal operating pressure for AaltoRO - A novel wave powered desalination system

The wave powered desalination system named AaltoRO is presented in this paper and the optimum pressure level for its operation is determined. AaltoRO consists of a WaveRoller Wave Energy Converter (WEC), unique Adaptive Pressure Generator (APG), standard Reverse Osmosis (RO) membranes and a hydraulic turbocharger for energy recovery. Due to its unique features, standard operating and design methods for RO systems cannot be wholly applied. Especially the chosen pretreatment system differs greatly from standard systems. The optimum operating pressure was determined to be 45 bar, a much lower value than the standard 60-65 bar. Operating with 45 bar pressure level enables economical operation while allowing the recovery rate to be kept low, thus ensuring safe operation for the entire system.