The Incrediwell process. Seawater intakes. Feed-source water quality improvement and economics for numerous applications
Authors: Daniel Ron 
Published: April 2015

The growing population of Qatar (the Gulf region generally) is critically dependent, for both Power generation and Water production, on the seawater of the Gulf.Knowledge of the continuing deterioration of the Gulf waters results in the unequivocal conclusion that very soon, the Gulf waters acquired with open-intake abstraction methods will no longer deliver the qualities essential to produce the Power and water requirements of the region. Almost all seawater in the Gulf is acquired, as a feed-source for processes such as power generation and desalination, using open-intake abstraction methods. However, this method of obtaining seawater cannot be considered secure and sustainable for the following reasons.• Year upon year, open-intake systems are operationally shut-down due to intake issues with higher numbers of occasions than the year before.• The challenge of delivering a reliable and secure potable water source is unresolved despite significant investment in re-charging Aquifers (Abu Dhabi) or building 7-day capacity reservoirs (Qatar). • The water abstracted is saltier than in previous years.• The abstracted waters are showing year-on-year temperature increases, often considerably higher than the maximum temperature required to cool Electrical Power generation turbines.• To prevent shut-down due the clogging effect of bio-fouling, open intake system are heavily dosed with toxic biocides.Seawater desalination is an energy-intensive and costly means of treating water to potable standards and can have quite extreme environmental impacts. Complex and expensive pre-treatment processes are commonly required to reduce the rate of bio-fouling and the frequency of operational close-down.Environmental impacts are associated with conventional open-intakes. Impingement and entrainment of marine biota is the first impact followed by the discharge of Toxic and carcinogenic brine, resulting from the use of chemicals to keep the intakes and associated piping clean of organic growth. Another issue to contend with is the disposal of macro-organic debris that accumulates on the traveling screens (seaweed, fish, jellyfish, etc.) and other parts of the pre-treatment train.Natural seawater contains a variety of macro- and micro-organic components that affect the treatment process. Open-ocean intakes are seasonally clogged in some regions by seaweed and some pre-treatment systems are periodically fouled by influx of jellyfish or large shoals of small fish (Zouri). Also, natural environmental events, such as harmful algal blooms and red tides, can overwhelm pre-treatment systems and cause temporary shut-downs of IWPP and SWRO plants. Improvements in the raw water quality will lead to reduction in the complexity of pre-treatment systems. There is the constant threat of nearby oil-leaks that require the abstraction system to close and finally, there is the susceptibility to sabotage.This paper looks at sub-seabed abstraction methods resulting in the conclusion that the innovative Incrediwell Process installed by the utilisation of Horizontal Directional Drilling appears to offer the solutions to the above array of problems. This paper will also demonstrate numerous advantages including the reduction of Qatar’s carbon footprint and the significant cost savings to be gained when choosing the Incrediwell Process in favour of the prevalent open-intake method of seawater abstraction