Pretreatment for high-purity boiler feedwater is to be supplied to three refineries on the Gulf of Mexico in the USA by Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies.
After supplying a system incorporating its patented Actiflo® Turbo clarification technology for the Valero refinery in Norco, Louisiana, Veolia was asked to supply two other refineries on the Gulf coast.
The plant at the St Charles refinery on the Mississippi river in Norco uses the treated water for cooling‑tower makeup, service water and the new high‑purity boiler feedwater treatment system. The boiler treatment process includes multimedia filtration and sodium zeolite ion‑exchange softening followed by reverse‑osmosis membrane filtration to polish the water to a high level.
As a result, San Antonio-based Valero will be able to produce over 1,300 GPM (82 L/s) of high‑purity water used for makeup to steam boilers and the steam methane reformer, which produces hydrogen for refinery operations.
The Actiflo Turbo microsand ballasted clarifier is a packaged unit designed to treat up to 4,000 GPM (252 L/s) to reduce suspended solids, colloidal solids and turbidity.