In 2015, Bill Gates was recorded\ndrinking water produced from a machine that converts human fecal matter into\nuseful components including clean drinking water. The stunt helped bring\nattention to the problem of water scarcity and its growing impact in the\nfuture. That machine, the Omni Processor, is an ingenious solution but its\ntechnology is still in its infancy. Instead, most of us will likely rely on\ndesalinated water, which is seawater that has been processed for human\nconsumption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although there are more than 20,000\ndesalination plants around the world, only about 1% of the world\u2019s population\ncurrently relies on desalinated water for their daily needs. But changing\nweather patterns will continue to cause water scarcity especially in densely\npopulated areas and is predicted to increase the number of people reliant on\ndesalinated water to more than 14%. As we become more dependent on desalinated\nwater, so too will our need for desalination plants with greater placement\nflexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we will discuss how\nyou can use a pipeline system to construct a desalination plant beyond coastal\nregions. Additionally, we will examine how to create a desalination pipeline\nsystem and why high-density polyethylene is the material of choice for such an\napplication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One impetus for the Omni Processor is\nits easy-access \u201cfuel\u201d in the form of human sewage. With human sewage in\nabundance everywhere humans gather, the converter has proven especially very\nuseful in dry, landlocked regions. A desalination plant, on the other hand,\nrelies on close access to seawater. And most desalination plants function using\nreverse osmosis, which requires facilities that take up an excess of 20 acres.\nThese factors have likely blocked the creation of many desalination facilities.\nFortunately, improvements in material design and pipeline technology has\nenabled the construction of pipeline systems specially designed to safely\ntransport pumped seawater inland to facilities built in more convenient\nlocations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ability to build the\ndesalination plant away from the coast opens up more construction options that\ncan cut costs and improve space usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first component of a desalination\nplant is its intake system, which is responsible for transporting seawater to\nthe plant. The intake system comprises three parts: the intake structure\nlocated offshore, an intake pump station located at the treatment plant, and\nthe pipeline that connects the two structures. The pipeline system requires\nspecial attention as its integrity is essential for preventing leaks that could\nincrease operational costs and harm the local ecology. At the same time, the\npipe must be built out of the way to prevent obstruction of roads and\nbuildings. For these reasons, the majority of the pipeline of the intake system\nshould be buried. <\/p>\n\n\n\n