As the world’s freshwater supplies dwindle and the population increases, desalination plants will experience tremendous growth. Many areas, and not all just arid, are already trying to reduce dependence on groundwater stores. Already, desalination provides fresh water for nearly 400 million people each year, and that number is growing. CEI is the world’s valve, actuator, and controls supplier for the desalination market.

There are many methods to desalinate seawater, but the two primary methods are vacuum distillation and reverse osmosis. The latter is the preeminent process, for which CEI high performance valves are ideally suited. Typically, cogeneration of power and desalinated water is the most economical option since it takes energy to produce desalinated water.

Desalination plants are typically constructed near or in conjunction with power plants, using excess heat generated by the power plant for the desalination process. Large military vessels, such as aircraft carriers, use nuclear power to desalinate water for crew consumption. Since CEI valves are equally ideal for power plant purposes, this creates a win-win situation for the CEI customer.

Fluids used in Desalination can be corrosive. That makes it necessary to often choose metals that are corrosion resistant; something other than the standard cast iron or carbon steel. CEI offers a full line of valve materials to combat this problem. Resilient seated butterfly valves utilizing Nylon 11 coated discs for seawater have routinely been in service over 20 years with little or no corrosion. High performance valves may be had utilizing stainless steel or nickel aluminum bronze bodies. Stems for all types of CEI valves come standard in stainless steel.

Regardless of the particular process, CEI provides the solution. Superior technology and materials of construction make CEI the obvious choice for the Desalination process. The need for fresh water supplies will continue to grow over the coming years, and CEI will grow with it as new products and processes are developed to supply the world with its most precious commodity.