An offshore watermaker, also known as a Freshwater generator, utilizes reverse osmosis (RO) technology to remove salts and impurities from seawater. Here’s a breakdown of the process:
 

• Pre-treatment: Seawater is first pre-treated to remove larger particles like sand and debris that could damage the RO membranes. A feed pump may draw raw water from the raw water tank/pipeline to pass through prefiltration. This may involve Multimedia Filtration, Bag or cartridge filtration in various micron ratings. An antiscalant dosing system also may use to protect membranes from scaling.

 

• High-pressure pump: The pre-treated seawater is then pressurized by a high-pressure pump into the membranes. This increased pressure is essential for forcing the water through the semi-permeable membrane.

 

• Semi-permeable membrane: The heart of the RO system is the semi-permeable membrane. This membrane allows water molecules to pass through while rejecting dissolved salts and other contaminants. Also, the permeate, which is the purified freshwater, is collected on one side of the membrane and stored in the freshwater tank.

 

• Brine reject: The remaining concentrated salt solution, known as brine reject, is discharged overboard.