Having established the importance of the seawater supply utility analysis lack of information regarding the pressures at which the supply utility will be provided will also be a design factor the Electrochlorination Package supplier.
The mass balance through the ECP is generally dependent on a consistent stable seawater supply pressure which in most instances it is not possible to provide as a utility. Generally seawater utilities are bled from the high volume variable low pressure sources and as such will require seawater booster pumps to achieve the required operating pressure for the ECP.
The ECP supplier will be faced with two difficulties in this area as the supply utility will also probably have been subject only to coarse screening. This is inadequate for electrolyser installations wherein flow paths will be narrow multiple channels necessitating prior screening to <1000µm.
Ideally automatic backwashing strainers will be utilised upstream of seawater booster pumps and pressure control equipment, should the minimum utility supply pressure be inadequate for this purpose then the strainers will be installed down stream of this equipment for which a change to the supply specification may not be ideal and the booster pumps up rated to accommodate the back flush volumetric requirement.
