NAWI’s projects are accelerating promising early-stage research and development to achieve pipe parity and a circular water economy. All projects are competitively selected and funded through requests for proposals (RFPs).
Topic Area 1: Process Innovation and Intensification
Project 5.02Platform Process for Electrified Pretreatment Lead: David Jassby, University of California at Los Angeles
This project team developed an experimental methodology that combines probing electrochemical reactions and surfaces at the atomic, nano, and micron scale using an array of characterization tools, and uses these observations/insights to better understand macro-scale (i.e., system-wide) electrochemical characterization methods.
Partners: Georgia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Project 5.03Foundational Control Methods For Water Treatment Systems Lead: Kris Villez, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This project focuses on developing approaches and methods for online model identification that enable autonomous monitoring, control, and optimization of decentralized, remote, and unstaffed water/wastewater treatment systems. The project is focused on demonstration of the fundamental capacity to perform process optimization with generic, empirical models.
Partners: Baylor, Colorado School of Mines, Rockwell
Project 5.04Computational Test Bed for Predictive Fouling Control Lead: Dan Miller, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This project is developing computational models simulating feed flows and inorganic scaling in spiral-wound RO elements. The models seek to understand the formation and growth of scale and unsteady flow effects in the membrane module feed channel.
Partners: Colorado School of Mines, University of Texas at Austin
Project 5.05CFD modeling and operando measurements of multiscale heat and mass transfer for membrane module customization Lead: Meagan Mauter, Stanford University
This project will use X-ray techniques to directly measure velocity and concentration gradients in complex membrane module flow channels. These measurements will be used to validate advanced CFD models of RO, Osmotically Assisted Reverse Osmosis (OARO), and Membrane Distillation. The validated CFD models will inform the design of tailored 3D printed spacers geometries that maximize mass and heat transport rates throughout the module for specific feed chemistries and operating conditions (including non-steady state operation).
Partners: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Aqua membranes, Inc., Cascade Technologies, Inc
Project 5.06 Novel Electro-dialytic Crystallizer (EDC) for Energy Efficient Zero-liquid Discharge Lead: Shihong Lin, Vanderbilt
This project aims to develop a modular brine concentration/ crystallization process that is substantially more energy efficient than the current state-of-the-art thermal processes. The team aims to investigate a new brine crystallization process called electro-dialytic crystallization (EDC), which integrates electrodialysis and crystallization into a single system to enable crystallization without evaporation or large temperature swings, thereby potentially improving the energy efficiency and reducing the cost of crystallization.
Partners: Black & Veatch, Colorado State University
Project 5.07 Solvent-Driven Zero Liquid Discharge for Production of Synthetic Gypsum Lead: Aaron Wilson, Idaho National Laboratory
This project pioneers the use of dimethyl ether (DME)-Driven Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) desalination potentially reducing ZLD costs 50% relative to state-of-the-art crystallizers.
Partners: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Trevi Systems, USG Corporation
Project 5.08 Advanced Process Controls – Autonomous Control and Optimization Lead: Kris Villez, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This project will develop novel process control methods for water treatment facilities that enable operators to predict and adapt to impending process upsets and equipment failures to enable safe and reliable operations of desalination and water reuse facilities.
Partners: Baylor University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Springs Utilities, inCTRL Solutions, IntelliFlux Controls, Inc., Rockwell Automation
Project 5.09 Process Twins for Decision-Support and Dynamic Energy/Cost Prediction in Water Reuse Processes Lead: Diego Rosso, University of California at Irvine
This project will develop physical and digital twins of desalination and related treatment processes operating in several water plants to enable operators to better understand the consequences of large deviations from normal operation.
Partners: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Orange County Water District, Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Glacier Technologies International, Inc., Brown and Caldwell, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
Project 5.10 Analytics for Causal Analysis and Decision Support Models for Autonomous and Smart Water Treatment Lead: Prakash Rao, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This project will push the frontier of artificial intelligence in water treatment operations by developing autonomous, adaptive, and co-learning water treatment and desalination systems enabled by fundamental process operation building blocks that predict the operational performance of such systems.
Partners: University of California at Los Angeles, California State University, San Bernardino
Project 5.11 Additive Manufacturing for Customized Membranes Lead: Jeff McCutcheon, University of Connecticut
This project advances a breakthrough method for manufacturing thin-film composite membranes using Nano-scale 3D printing that will enable membranes to be created for specific separations needs at low cost.
Partners: The University of Texas at Austin, Argonne National Laboratory, NALA Systems, Inc., ZwitterCo, Inc., Vortex Engineering LLC
Project 5.12 Electromagnetic Field for Membrane Scaling Control Lead: Pei Xu, New Mexico State University
This project will rigorously and systematically investigate electromagnetic fields (EMF) that have been shown to suppress the nucleation of “scale-forming” minerals in desalination systems.
Partners: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium, Flow-Tech Systems, LLC, EVUS, Inc., El Paso Water, Aqua Membranes Inc., NGL Energy Partners, LP
Project 5.13 Tailored Reductants for Selenium Removal in Iron Electrocoagulation Lead: Dan Giammar, Washington University in St. Louis
This project will target selenium, a problematic naturally-occurring element that is not easily removed by reverse osmosis (RO), and can contaminate wastewater in many industrial applications, with a novel electrochemical method of particle removal called electrocoagulation.
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, WaterTectonics, Inc.
Project 5.14 Enabling Minimal Liquid Discharge Through a Modular, Flexible, and Electrified Pretreatment System Lead: David Jassby, University of California at Los Angeles
This project will develop a combination electrochemical reactor based on electrocoagulation with an immersed filtration system to react and separate problematic contaminants in water in a single modular step prior to desalination.
Partners: Georgia Institute of Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, Knoxville Utilities Board, WaterTectonics, Inc., Southern Company
Project 5.15 Electrocoagulation/electrooxidation to accelerate cost-effective potable water reuse Lead: Shankar Chellam, Texas A&M University
This project will develop hybrid iron-iron and iron-carbon electrocoagulation/electro oxidation (EC/EO) systems for pretreating secondary wastewater effluent prior to microfiltration and desalination and improve log10 virus reduction and remove suspended particles in a single step.
Partners: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, WaterTectonics, Inc., KIT Professionals, Inc., Orange County Water District, CAP Water & Power International, Inc.
Project 5.16 Energy-efficient selective removal of metal ions from mining influenced waters (MIW) using H-bonded Organic-Inorganic Frameworks (HOIFs) Lead: Nick Gurieff, Rio Tinto Services Inc.
The H-Bonded Organic-Inorganic Frameworks technology will bring tremendous value into the treatment of nonconventional waters with reduced energy consumption, system complexity, and waste management costs while providing unmatched brine valorization and profit recovery. The precision separation and recovery of metals in acid mine drainage (AMD) waters may also expand the availability of critical materials and help alleviate dependency on metal supply chains for the U.S.
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of Oklahoma, California Department of Water Resources (funding partner).
Project 5.17 Data-Driven Fault Detection and Process Control for Potable Reuse with Reverse Osmosis Lead: Andy Salveson, Carollo Engineers, Inc.
This project will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to reduce energy and chemical use, improve operational support, increase treatment system uptime, and improve confidence in purified water quality.
Partners: Yokogawa Corporation of America, National Water Research Institute, U.S. Military Academy West Point, tntAnalysis, Las Vegas Municipal Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, West Basin Municipal Water District, Orange County Water District, Baylor University, California Department of Water Resources (funding partner)
Project 5.18 Multifunctional Membrane for Oxyanion Removal Lead: Baoxia Mi, University of California, Berkeley
This project will generate a technology that enables the selective removal and recovery of metals/oxyanions from water, enabling the use of a non-traditional water source, significantly reducing the cost and energy of treatment, and valorizing compounds that would typically be considered waste.
Partners: Greeley and Hansen LLC, NTS Innovations Inc., California Department of Water Resources (funding partner).
Project 5.20 Wastewater Pretreatment for Potable Reuse Lead: Judy Riffle, NALA Membranes
The goal of this project is to understand how the use of a strong, more effective oxidant through the entire advanced wastewater treatment train could decrease biological and organic fouling to reduce cost and simplify the whole process. The new, patented RO membranes under continuous development are highly ionic, and as such, are expected to reject different types of contaminants.
Partners: Trussell Technologies, Orange County Water District
Project 5.21 222nm KrCl* Driven Advanced Oxidation for Reverse OsmosisPretreatment: Fouling Control and Chemical/Pathogen Abatement Lead: Karl Linden, University of Colorado, Boulder
This project aims to determine the extent of RO fouling mitigation possible in real wastewaters using practical UV treatment scenarios benchmarked to LP-UV 254 nm, and the mechanism by which the observed fouling mitigation is achieved. The project will determine the extent to which organic contaminants and viruses can be degraded using UV 222 nm technology in water matrices to meet potable water reuse goals.
Partners: University of Southern California
Project 5.24RRFQuick Clarification and Quantification of the Benefit of Adding a Feed Reversal and Retentate Recycle (FRRR) Stage in a Typical Two-Stage RO Plant Lead: Mingheng Li, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
This project team will use WaterTAP to develop a detailed model of the 1.8MGD RO train in Chino I Desalter. The team will calibrate the model with plant performance data previously collected by the research team, compare the model to other differential algebraic equation models the team has developed, and then use the WaterTAP model to estimate the cost of adding a VCRO to the Chino plant operated at 90%.
Partners: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Topic Area 2: Materials and Manufacturing
Project 6.02Machine Learning Platform for Catalyst Design Lead: Anubhav Jain, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This project will develop a high-throughput computational platform for identifying novel electrode materials using state-of-the-art user facilities at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab that integrates machine learning, high fidelity simulation, and combinatorial experimental screening.
Partners: Electric Power Research Institute, CMU
Project 6.03Omics Platform for in-operando Biological Characterization Systems DesignLead: Pedro Alvarez, Rice University
This project will build a comprehensive omics platform to empower the research community to fundamentally understand biofilm formation and mitigate biofouling in water treatment and distribution systems.
Partners: University of Texas at Arlington, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, DuPont, IDE Technologies
Project 6.04Development of HPRO Membrane Platform for the Desalination of High Salinity Waters Lead: Jeffrey McCutcheon, University of Connecticut
The main objective of this project is to create platform approaches to understanding how membranes behave when exposed to high pressures and salinities.
Partners: Yale, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Project 6:05Kinetic Modeling and Experimental Validation of Mineralization in High Salinity Brine Solutions with and without Scale InhibitorsLead: Sharon Bone, Stanford University
This team will create a software program to better predict kinetic induction times which may improve capabilities of brine concentrators to operate at the edge of scale formation.
Partners: National Energy Technology Laboratory, Veolia Water Technologies, OLI Systems, Inc.
Project 6.06Engineering Super Antiscalants for High Recovery Brine ConcentratorsLead: Menachem Elimelech, Yale University
This team aims to develop new and improved antiscalants to prevent equipment scaling and improve the efficiency of brine concentrators.
Partners: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, Saltworks Technologies
Project 6.07WaterPy: Open-Source Modeling and Optimization Library for Water Treatment ProcessesLead: George Bollas, University of Connecticut
This team will develop a new software toolset for the design and optimization of brine treatment processes.
Partners: Sandia National Laboratories, Modelon, Inc.
Project 6.08Direct electrochemical reduction of selenium to achieve A-PRIME water treatment Lead: Anubhav Jain, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This project utilizes breakthrough computational techniques to design novel electro-reactive materials that could directly chemically reduce and remove selenium from non-traditional water sources as a pre-treatment step prior to desalination.
Partners: William Marsh Rice University, Auburn University, Stanford University, and Electric Power Research Institute
Project 6.09Selective Separation of Selenium Oxyanions By Chelating Hydrogen-Bonding Ligands Lead: Radu Custelcean, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This project explores a promising family of chemical compounds that could directly bond to selenium atoms prior to RO for efficient removal of this challenging contaminant.
Partners: Georgia Institute of Technology University, ReactWell, LLC, Tennessee Valley Authority
Project 6.10Porous Polymer Networks and Membranes for PFAS and Selenium Removal from WaterLead: Jeffrey Long, University of California at Berkeley
This project will design novel cage-like molecules that can be modified to selectively bond to specific contaminants in water, focusing on removal of selenium and PFAS, which are problematic constituents in desalination and water reuse systems.
Partners: Electric Power Research Institute, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Higher Education Competitive Research Authority, and ZOMA Foundation
Project 6.11UHPRO Membrane and Module Design & Optimization Innovations to Enable & Optimize Ultra-High Pressure Reverse Osmosis Membranes Lead: Eric Hoek, University of California at Los Angeles
This project will develop new RO membranes that can withstand the ultra-high osmotic pressures created when desalinating concentrated brines.
Partners: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Yale University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Connecticut
Project 6.12Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation Lead: David Sedlak, University of California at Berkeley
This project will create a novel, low-cost electrochemical process for oxidizing and removing organic contaminants from water suitable for pre-treatment prior to RO in distributed treatment and water reuse environments.
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Project 6.13Copper Recovery from Mining Process Waters with Ion-Selective ElectrodialysisLead: Rafael Verduzco, Rice University
Copper recovery will help to achieve pipe parity with conventional treatment of mining process waters and/or reuse at copper mines and refineries while simultaneously improving environmental sustainability. The project will also provide platform technology that can be used to develop additional ion-selective cation exchange membranes, targeting other ionic contaminants of interest, such as lead and cadmium.
Partners: The University of Texas El Paso, Magna Imperio Systems Corp.
Project 6.14Novel Bipolar Membrane Assisted Electrosorption Process for the Selective Removal of Boron Lead: Menachem (Meny) Elimelech, Yale University
This project will overcome the persisting inefficiencies in the current state-of-the art boron removal strategies. The research will also provide a demonstration of an effective method for electrosorption of weak acid/base species and selective removal of trace contaminants.
Partners: University of Michigan, Magna Imperio Systems Corp
Project 6.16Redox-Mediated Electrodes for Precision Separation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus OxyanionsLead: Xiao Su, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Selective electrosorption technologies for the separation and concentration of charged nutrients could enable a sustainable water treatment paradigm, particularly for small communities that struggle to operate centralized facilities and highly sensitive biological removal systems.
Partners: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Voltea Inc.
Project 6.17Selective Electrocatalytic Destruction of PFAS using a Reactive Electrochemical Membrane SystemLead: Brian Chaplin, University of Illinois Chicago
This project will overcome technical limitations of existing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) destruction technologies by improving selectivity for PFAS destruction, minimizing toxic byproduct formation, and limiting short-chain PFAS formation.
Partners: Purdue University, Argonne National Laboratory, M. Davis & Sons Inc., Trimeric Corporation, CDM Federal Programs Corporation, Orange County Water District
Project 6.19Hybrid electrochemical-ion exchange process for selective phosphate recovery as struviteLead: Will Tarpeh Stanford University
This project will use innovation in a new process combining electrochemistry and ion exchange (EC-IX) to address three unresolved challenges faced by state-of-art phosphate recovery technologies: (1) low product yield (e.g., struvite) limited by low phosphate concentration in wastewater; (2) low product purity limited by imprecise separation; and (3) low product uniformity limited by uncontrolled struvite precipitation in wastewater.
Project 6.20Precise Electrochemical Dehalogenation of PFAS in Desalination Concentrates by High Entropy CatalystsLead: Christopher Muhich, Arizona State University
This project will exploit computational approaches to ascertain selective combinations, thus accelerating HEC development and couple it with reactor design construction, both directed by TEA to achieve low-cost, effective halogen removal. To promote commercialization, the project team aims to prove that the Pd-based HEC catalytic system developed in this project is not cost-prohibitive. The investigation of material costs of optimized electrodes, energy consumption, and service life will be the groundwork of techno-economic analysis.
Partners: Clarkson, CDM Smith, Square One, Tetra Tech, Trussell Tech.
Project 6.21Controlling the Effects of Antiscalants on the Nucleation of Highly Soluble Salts in Reverse Osmosis ConcentrateLead: Young-Shin Jun, Washington University in St. Louis
This project team will systematically examine how antiscalants regulate the nucleation and crystallization of highly soluble salts. Based on the obtained fundamental knowledge, the team will develop a predictive model of ROC treatment systems. To promote salt nucleation in brine crystallizers, the team will also design a new electrochemical approach that controls local pH and degrades antiscalants.
Partners: Argonne National Laboratory, Colorado State University, Clarkson University, OLI Systems, Element Six, Public Utilities, City of Clearwater, FL, Bureau of Reclamation, Swenson Technology, National Energy Technology Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Project 6.24Development of a Flow-through Intensified ELectroDialysis (FIELD) system to manage inland reverse osmosis concentrateLead: Shiqiang Zou, Auburn University
This project brings together theoretical material scientists, electrochemical scientists and engineers, environmental engineers, energy research organizations, and at-stake inland municipalities to develop a Flow-through Intensified ELectro-Dialysis (FIELD) System. Such a FIELD system strategically combines flow-through electrochemical redox processes with a commercial electrodialysis to degrade recalcitrant organics, capture diluted heavy metals, extract non-hazardous dissolved salts into a clean concentrate for potential environmental discharge, and produce freshwater for beneficial reuse.
Partners: Electric Power Research Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Rice University, Water Tower
Topic Area 3: Data Modeling and Analysis
Project 3.02 Development, Deployment, and Refinement of the Water Technology Data and Analysis Management Platform (Water-DAMS) Lead: Jon Weers, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The Water Technology Data and Analysis Management System (Water-DAMS) provides the water treatment research community a secure central repository for technology and treatment train data that is accessible to researchers, decision-makers (e.g., water managers), DOE, and the public while also providing sufficient data security to protect water utilities.
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Project 3.03Develop the Water Technology Techno-Economic Assessment Pipe Parity Platform Lead: Ariel Miara, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The Water Technoeconomic Assessment Pipe-Parity Platform (WaterTAP3) was developed under the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) to facilitate consistent technoeconomic assessments of desalination treatment trains. The WaterTAP3 is an analytically robust modeling tool that can be used to evaluate water technology cost, energy, and environmental tradeoffs across different water sources, sectors, and scales.
Partners: OSU, Stanford, EPRI, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Project 3.04Roadmap to R&D Cycle: Technology Baselines, NAWI Performance Tracking, and Technology Roadmapping Lead: Parthiv Kurup, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Partners: EPRI, NMSU, Colorado State, CU Boulder, UCinci, USC, WUSTL, TAMU, UTA, CSM, UCB, UCI, Yale, BlueTech Research, LBNL, NREL, ORNL.
Project 3.05Integrated Data and Analysis Research Projects Lead: Jordan Macknick, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Partners: Stanford University, NREL
Project 3.06NAWI Water Treatment Model Development Lead: Timothy Bartholomew, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Partners: EPRI, OLI, LBNL, NETL, NREL, ORNL.
Project 3.07NAWI Analysis Lead: Alex Dudchenko, Stanford Linear Accelerator C
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Project 3.08Next-Generation Desalination for for Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Wastewater Lead: David Sedlak, University of California at Berkeley
This project will complete the first ever study of how distributed desalination and water reuse could secure new water supplies for California’s Central Valley while potentially creating new economic opportunity through the manufacturing of valuable products from brine waste streams from desalination.
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Davis, Meridian Institute
Project 3.09Assessing the Impact of APRIME on Industrial Sector Supply Portfolios: Chemical Industry and Data Center/Large Campus Case Studies Lead: TBC, The University of Texas at Austin
This project will develop a circular water systems analysis (CWSA) software tool to enable industrial water users to better quantify the total value of implementing novel water treatment, desalination, and reuse systems at their facilities.
Partners: Carollo Engineers, Georgia Institute of Technology, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), BlueTech Research, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Eastman Chemical Company (North Ghent and Indian Orchard Sites.)
Project 3.10Robust Technology and Policy Pathways for Municipal Water Security Lead: Meagan Mauter, Stanford University
This project will develop a new decision support software tool to enable urban water planners and operators to identify cost- and energy-optimal non-traditional source water augmentation pathways, including desalination, that enhance municipal resilience against current and future water shortages.
Project 3.11Demonstration and Validation of Low Salt Rejection RO (LSSRO) for High Recovery Desalination of Saline Water Lead: Tzahi Cath, CSM
Partners: Fluid Technology Solutions, Inc.
Project 3.12Field Pilot Testing of Electrically Conductive Reverse Osmosis (Active) Membranes for High Mineral Content Brackish Groundwater Lead: Arian Edalat, Active Membranes LLC
This project team plans to field test the performance of anti-scaling electrically conducting reverse osmosis (Active) membranes against a commercial reverse osmosis (RO) membrane in a high TDS brackish water source in a plant in Sand City, CA, operated by California American Water. The team plans to design and build a 10-20 gallons per minute pilot unit consisting of a train of Active membranes (Train A) parallel to an identical train of conventional brackish water RO (Passive) membranes (Train B).
Project 3.15 Concentrate treatment and chemical production using innovative electrodialysis processes for near zero-waste dischargeLead: Pei Xu, New Mexico State University
Based on our previous pilot-scale testing of selective electrodialysis (ED) treating RO concentrate and the new state-of-the-art ED membranes and stack design, we propose a near zero-waste discharge and cost-effective treatment train of treating RO concentrate for enhanced water recovery and chemical production. This project is built upon the existing collaboration with El Paso Water to solve the concentrate management challenges faced by many inland desalination facilities. We propose to conduct a pilot project at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Desalination Plant (KBHDP) to treat RO concentrate from the facility using a combination of conventional and emerging pre-treatment technologies coupled with several innovative ED processes, including selective ED, brine ED, and bipolar ED.
Partners: New Mexico State University
Project 3.18Salt-Free Electrodialysis Metathesis (EDM) For High Recovery Concentrate Management Lead: Shane Walker, Texas Tech University
This project will evaluate Fujifilm's salt-free electrodialysis Metathesis (EDM) process, a continuous-flow high-recovery process that does not exploit kinetics but instead exploits the thermodynamics of highly soluble concentrates: by separating divalent cations and divalent anions into two separate concentrate streams. Salt-free EDM will be used to desalt the RO concentrate to produce a diluate product that can be blended with RO permeate. Salt-free EDM uses approximately half of the energy required by conventional EDM.
Partners: Texas Tech University, University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico State University
Project 3.22 Reciprocating Piston Batch Reverse Osmosis: Pushing the Limits of Efficiency and Fouling ResistanceLead: David Warsinger, Purdue University
The team will work on a detailed design of a batch RO system capable of integrating both a reciprocating piston and bladder design for alternative tests. The involvement of industry team members throughout the project will provide valuable input to develop an innovative solution that is responsive to market demand.
Partners: Colorado School of Mines, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Olin College of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harmony Desalting, Dupont, Brix Berg, NGL
Project 3.23 Evaluating the Value of Grid-Responsive Flexible DesalinationLead: Brian Tarroja, University of California, Irvine
This project will first develop a dynamic process model for a desalination treatment train, using the real-time data monitoring and analytical infrastructure of a brackish water desalination plant operated by the Chino Desalter Authority (CDA) that can capture the transient dynamics of a desalination facility. The project will also conduct a techno-economic analysis of the effect of flexible operation on potential revenue streams and cost savings for the facility, weighed against any additional operation and maintenance costs from such operation, and a comparison to the alternative of exporting dynamic capability to battery storage. Finally, the project will include an evaluation of potential emissions reductions associated with flexible desalination. The treatment train Digital Twin (DT) will receive inputs from regional electric grid dispatch modeling to assess how operating desalination facilities in response to grid conditions affects greenhouse gas emissions associated with facility operation.
Partners: Hazen and Sawyer, Chino Desalter Authority
Project 3.24 Open-Source Platform for Assessing the Cost and Carbon Benefits of Flexible DesalinationLead: Meagan Mauter, Stanford University
This project will extend process modeling capabilities beyond Water Technoeconomic Analysis Platform (WaterTAP) to analyze production scheduling at desalination plants. We will examine three synergistic mechanisms for load flexibility and energy services: 1) energy storage in MW-scale on-site batteries; 2) variable water recovery; and 3) intermittent plant shut-down. Each mechanism implies unique ramping characteristics and is constrained by component dynamics and interactions, which impact the levelized cost and carbon intensity of product water. Using measurements from the Santa Barbara CEMDP, we will demonstrate a physics-informed digital twin model of the facility and net present value (NPV) optimization workflow.
Partners: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, National Energy Technology Laboratory, City of Santa Barbara
Project 3.26 Technoeconomic Assessment of Brine Valorization from Brackish Water DesalinationLead: Alison Fritz, National Energy Technology Laboratory
The project will consist of two objectives. The first objective is to develop a geospatially resolved market assessment that identifies existing and potential markets for bulk constituents by pairing brine composition and expected volumes with market data on building materials, fertilizer, road salts, and chemicals, including caustic soda and hydrochloric acid. This objective will be deeply integrated with industry needs and perspectives through a stakeholder board. The second objective will be to conceptualize and develop process models for brackish groundwater treatment and valorization and perform an economic and life cycle assessment of the proposed treatment trains (WaterTAP with PHREEQC or other electrolyte modeling software).
Partners: Yale University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University
Project 4.02ProteusLib – Integrated Computational Capability for Optimizing Advanced Water Treatment Systems Lead: David Miller, National Energy Technology Laboratory
This project is developing ProteusLib, a modeling and simulation capability for the design and optimization of water treatment systems. ProteusLib is a modular water
treatment model library that can be used on the IDAES Platform, an advanced process systems engineering tool developed by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Project 4.03High-Fidelity Modeling Lead: Ramanan Sankaran, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Partners: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Stanford University