Prof. Shoji Kimuraʼscontribution to Desalination
around the world
12th July 2023

President of (NPO) Japan Desalination Association
Dr. Hideo Iwahashi

Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 History of seawater desalination plants
3 Prof. Kimuraʼs contribution to thedevelopment of RO desalination
4 Future Prospects of RO Desalination
Plants5 Last word2

1-1 Introduction (self-introduction)● Born in 1954, 69 years old tomorrow
1980 Completed master's degree at Kimura Laboratory, University of Tokyo(master's thesis: Separation of solutes by reverse osmosis membrane)● 1980 Joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Retired as Chief Desalination Engineer (2018)⇒ Consistently develop, plan, design, operate and troubleshoot of seawater desalination plants(evaporation method and membrane method)
Engaged in dealing with Ordered plant in charge All KSA AJ-2, MT-1, Jeddah RO-1 & 2, MY-2 RO,
Rabigh IWSPP Phase-1, Shuqaiq IWPP
● Mitsubishi Corporation for four years from October 2018, now Toyobo MC Co., Ltd.
⇒Senior advisor (technical advisor) in the ﬁeld of water treatment● Association activities⇒Board member of International Desalination Association (Past) andAsia Pacific Desalination Association (Past)⇒President of NPO Japan Desalination Association (Present)31-2 Introduction
Masterʼs thesis : Separation of solutes in reverse osmosis
The abstract is shown below (Japanese)

August 1979, Sado Island

November 1980, Yugate4

1-3 Introduction

Experiences of MHI / Seawater Desalination Plants

Yanbu
MSF
Start

Doha West: 110,000m3/d: Nov 1981

Medina Yanbu II
SWRO : 127,800m3/d
Start : Sep 1998

Power : 120MW x 5
SWRO : 192,000m3/d
Start : Oct 2007 (SWRO): 393,120m3/d: Mar 1985

MSF: 262,080m3/d& 109,104m3/d: Jun 1989& Oct 1998

Az Zour

KUWAITSAUDI ARABIABAHRAIN

Rabigh IWSPPMSF
Start

Medina Yanbu
II RABIGH, IWSPPJEDDAH
SWRO-I/II

Start

QATAR
RIYADH

Al-Jubail I/II

UAE

MSF
Start

OMAN

Jeddah SWRO I/IISHUQAIQ-II, IWPP

SWRO : 113,600m3/d
Start: May 1989 &Mar 1994

MSF
Start

: 223,000m3/d: Sep 1989

: 611,000m3/d: Apr 1982 &Aug 1983

YEMEN

Green : MSF (Multi Stage Flash)
Red : RO (Reverse Osmosis)

Shoaiba© 2017 MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Shuqaiq-II IWPP
Power : 340MW x 3SWRO : 216,000m3/d
Start : Dec 2009 (SWRO)QATAR Pilot Plant
SWRO : 200m3/d
Start: Jan 2005

OMAN Pilot Plant
SWRO : 200m3/d
Start : Oct 20035

1-3 Introduction
Al Jubail 2 Plant

MSF : 455,000m3/d
Start : Aug 19836

1-3 Introduction
Jeddah SWRO I&II / Saudi Arabia

Medina Yanbu II / Saudi Arabia

Pioneer of Large Scale SWROWorldʼs Largest SWRO in 20th Century

Capacity : 113,600 m3/day (56,800 m3/day x 2 phase)

Capacity : 127,800 m3/day (8,520 m3/day x 15 trains)

Plant Completion : May 1989 & March 1994Plant Completion : September 1998

Jeddah SWRO I Phase-1 / Saudi Arabia
1.

Capacity & number 1.5 MIGPD x 10 trains (56,800ｍ３/day)2.

Seawater salinity 43,000ppm as TDS

3.

Product water quality 625ppm as Cl−

4.

Conversion ratio 35%

5.

Design temp.

6.

RO modules Hollow fine fiber modules

7.

Plant completion May, 1989

Pilot Plant / Dukhan, Qatar
Challenge against Gulf water by SWRO
Capacity : 200 m3/day
Seawater Salinity : 59,400 ppm as TDS(approx. 9 ppm as Boron)
Product water quality : 5 ppm as Cl－ / 0.5 ppm as Boron
Plant Completion : January, 2005

24℃

7

5 三菱重工の海水淡水化プラント(RO膜法実績の一例)
1-3 Introduction
Rabigh IWSPP Project / Saudi Arabia

Shuqaiq IWPP Project / Saudi Arabia

Worldʼs First Full 3 Pass SWRO

Boron Removal by MHI Original Process

Power : ST 120MW x 5, Boiler 470t/h x 9
Capacity : 192,000 m3/day (12,000 m3/day x 16 trains)
Seawater salinity : 41,200 ppm as TDS
Product water quality : less than 5 ppm as Cl－
Plant Completion : June, 2008

Power : ST 340MW x 3, Boiler 1,080t/h x 3
Capacity : 216,000 m3/day (13,500 m3/day x 16 trains)
Seawater salinity : 44,080 ppm as TDS
Product water quality : 14 ppm as Cl－ / 0.5 ppm as Boron
Plant Completion : Feb, 20118

2-1 History of seawater desalination plants
Technology transition from distillation to membrane

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2-2 History of seawater desalination plants
Taweelah Independent Water Project, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Capacity: 909,000 m3/dArea is equivalent to50 soccer grounds

Copyright © 2023 TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.

WDR Volume 57, Number 44, 13 December 202110

2-2 History of seawater desalination plants
TAWEELAH IWP, ABU
DHABIThe world’s largest operational membranedriven
desalination plant, with an unprecedented capacity of
909,000m3/d, located in the emirate of Abu Dhabi andcapable of supplying potable water to more than
350,000 households. The seawater reverse osmosis (RO)plant features a 50MW onsite solar PV power generation
facility and was delivered as an independent waterproject (IWP) under the build-own-operate model.
The Taweelah IWP was delivered by a development
team comprising Taqa and Mubadala (60%) alongside
ACWA Power (40%), with an EPC team comprising
Abengoa (desal) and Sepco III and Power China (civilworks) for the client, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy.
Toray supplied the plant with RO membranes for theROPV pressure vessels, alongside Flowserve pumps,TALIS valves, ERI energy recovery devices, and aSiemens control system.

Global Water Intelligence Magazine, p70, Volume 24, Number 3,March2023
Copyright © 2023 TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.

11

2-3 History of seawater desalination plants
Latest Mega-SWRO Projects of over 400,000 m3/d as of April 2023
No Country

Project nameCapacity(m /d)AwardYearDeveloperPlant Supplier (Desal)

3Membrane Supplier (RO)1SA

Jubail 2 Replacement Plant

1,000,000

2022

~EPC~

Metito2UAE

Taweelah IWP

909,0002019

Mubadala Development & ACWA Power

Abengoa

Toray

3UAE

Umm al Quwain IWP

681,818

2019

ACWA Power

Veolia Sidem

Toray

4IsraelSoreq 2670,000

2020

IDE Technologies

IDE Technologies

DuPont W. S.

5

SAKhobar 2 replacement SWRO

630,000

2019

~EPC~

Acciona Agua

LG Chem

6IsraelSoreq

624,000

2010

IDE Technologies & Hutchison Water

IDE Technologies, Hutchison Water

Hydranautics / DuPont W. S.

7SARabigh 3 IWP

600,0002019

Saudi Brothers & ACWA Power

Abengoa

Toray

7SARabigh 4 IWP

600,000

2023

ACWA Power, HAACO & Almoayyed

7SAJubail 3a IWP

600,000

2020

Gulf Investment & ACWA Power

Abengoa, Lantania

Toray

7

SAShoaiba 5 (SWCC)

600,000

2020

~EPC~

Advanced Water Technology

Toray

7

SAShoaiba 3 Conversion Project

600,000

2022

ACWA Power

Doosan Heavy Industries

12

SA

Jubail 3b IWP

570,000

2021

ENGIE, Nesma Water & Ajlan Bros

Acciona Agua

Magtaa500,000

2009

Hyflux

Hyflux

TorayLG Chem13 Algeria
14SAShuqaiq 3 IWP

450,0002019

Marubeni, Acciona Agua & Almar Water

Acciona Agua

14SA

Yanbu 4 IWP

450,000

2021

ENGIE, Nesma Water & Mowah

Doosan Heavy Industries

16 Australia Victorian Desalination Plant

444,000

2009

Thiess Contractors, Suez & Macquarie

Degremont

Hydranautics

17

SA

Shoaiba 4 (ex Jeddah 4)

400,000

2017

~EPC~

Doosan Heavy Industries

Toray

17

SA

Jubail 1 replacement SWRO

400,000

2020

~EPC~

Metito17

SA

Shuqaiq 4 (SWCC)

400,000

2020

~EPC~

Al Rashid Trading & Acciona Agua

17

India

Chennai 4 (Perur)

400,000

2023

~EPC~

Metito & VA Tech Wabag

Copyright © 2023 TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.

Note: Created by Toray based on GWI/DesalData122-3 History of seawater desalination plants
Desalinated water price in Mega-SWRO and Desalination market forecast$0.39/m3

Source: GWI/18 September 2018
GWI/WDR, 3 Dec 2018
GWI/DesalData, 23 January 2019

Copyright © 2023 TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.

Source: GWI DesalData, Desalination market forecast,Desalination 2022 Q4 Market Update133-1 Prof. kimuraʼs contribution to the development of RO desalination
AIChE Journal Vol.13, No.3, 196714

3-2 Prof. kimuraʼs contribution to the development of RO desalination
Transport equations in microscopic parts ofmembrane (solution ‒ diflusion type)
Jw=A(△P - △π)
Js=B(△C)

A:Pure water permeability constant[mole･H2O/cm2･sec･at m]
B:solute permeability constant[cm/sec]

Jw and Js are calculated given the operatingpressure P, the predetermined concentration Cl
and the velocity u
A=function (T, t, Fouling factor, etc.)
B=function (T, t, Fouling factor, etc.）
Both A and B value determined for each membrane

Concentration polarization in boundary layer andthe membrane
JwJwC2U[cm/sec]

C3

Js

Boundary membranelayer

C2-C3=e(Jv/k)
C1-C3
Jv=Jw+Js≃Jwk∝ua

k:mass transfer coefficient [cm/sec]
u:velocity [cm/sec]a≃0.6〜0.8

Prof Kimuraʼs greatest achievement in ROplantʼs design was to organize themembrane transport equations in a simple
and easy-to-understand form which has
been very important thing for customers.
153-3 Prof. kimuraʼs contribution to the development of RO desalination
Advancedness of the Fukuoka Seawater Desalination Plant
1)

60% Recovery Ratio

2)

Infiltration seawater intake3)

UF + RO

1:Water intake pump
2:UF membrane unit
3:Filtered seawater pump
4:Cartridge Filter
5:High pressure RO pump
6:Power recovery device

7:Seawater RO membrane unit
8:CO2 removal unit
9:Permeate transfer pump
10:Low pressure RO pump
11:Brackish water RO membrane unit
12:Product water transfer pump16

4-1 Future Prospects of RO Desalination Plants
General Schematic of the Brine Mining Plant for NaCl and Br

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IDA GLOBAL CONNECTIONS, Fall, p21-24, 202117

4-2 Future Prospects of RO Desalination Plants
Smart City & Green Energy – NEOM in Saudi Arabia

Projected site of Neom development
BBC Feb.22, 2022

NEOM’s future city desal, “a new model for urbanization and sustainability”, which is related towater and green hydrogen for sustainable future.
GWI Magazine, 44, July 2020
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18

5 Last Word

March 1995 , Final lecture

July 2018 , Group photo at Prof. Kimuraʼs home visit
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Thank you very much for your kind listening

Contact : hideo.iwahashi@japandesalination.onmicrosoft.com

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