OPG WTP Performance / Trends in High

Purity Water Treatment

Presented at IAPWS Workshop

May 11, 2009

By
Gabriel Nicolaides
Outline

• Darlington WTP - Background

• Pickering WTP - Background
• Demin Water Quality: DND vs. PND
• Demin Water Quality Survey
• Trends in High Purity Water Treatment
• New WTP Design Considerations
• RO for Primary Demineralization
• UF for Pretreatment
• Different Options for Polishing Deionization
 Darlington WTP - Background

 WTP design finalized in 1985, WTP in service 1986

 Fourth in a series of WTPs designed by “old” Ontario
Hydro: 1. PNGS, 2. BNGS-A, 3. BNGS-B, 4. DNGS
 “conventional” WTP design consisting of clarification /
sand filtration / activated carbon / ion exchange
 Key features incorporated into the design of the WTP:
• Deep water intake 1 km off-shore, 10 m below the water surface
• Dual clarifiers
• External regeneration of mixed beds
Darlington WTP Process
Pickering WTP - Background

• OPG’s 1st outsourced WTP

• 10 year operating contract awarded to
Nalco in Feb. 2001; a local company, Eco-
Tec, supplied the equipment and assists
with WTP operation and key maintenance
activities
• WTP in-service since Oct. 2001
Site Selection/Raw Water Source

• WTP located outside of protected area;

allows vendor ready access and permits
equipment retrofits as commercial
modifications
• CCWR outfall structure used for raw water
supply pumps, warm raw water for
improved RO efficiency and reduced foot-
print
Pickering WTP – External View

OPG owns the building housing the WTP;

Nalco owns and operates the equipment
PND WTP Process
Pickering WTP – Internal View
Demin Water Quality: DND vs. PND

WTP Demineralized Water Quality at PND and DND vs. OPG Specifications and WANO Guidelines

Parameters Units Pickering WTP Darlington WTP1 Darlington WTP2 Demin Water Chemistry Control Limits WANO Achievable PWR
(Mean: 2004 - 2006) (2003 Quality Data) (Mean: 2006 - 2007) Pickering OPG / Darlington3 Make-up Water Guidelines4
Temperature ( ºC) 20.6 NA NA NA NA NA
Resistivity at 25 ºC Mohm-cm 18.28 17.2 16.9 > 16.7 > 12.5 > 12.5
Calculated Conductivity at 25 ºC mS/m 0.0055 0.0058 0.0059 < 0.006 ≤ 0.008 < 0.008
Sodium µg/kg 0.074 0.14 0.08 < 0.2 ≤ 1.0 < 1.0
Reactive Silica µg/kg 0.33 2.33 5.38 < 2.0 ≤ 10 < 10
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) µg/kg 6.1 125 NA < 10.0 NS < 20

"NA" - Not Available;

"NS" - Not Specified
1 Darlington WTP Plant Performance Review, Report No. N-REP-74000-10000 R00, 2003
2 Darlington WTP Plant Performance & Operating Cost Review, Report No. N-REP-74000-10003 R00, July 2008
3 OPG Chemistry Specifications, N-STH-01807-10000, Section B16, Rev. 00, June 19, 2003
4 Guidelines for Chemistry at Nuclear Power Stations, WANO GL 2001-08, August 2002
Demin Water Quality Survey

• DND WTP was ranked against 24 other

Nuclear Stations. DND WTP ranked 10th
out of 25 stations, placing it in the 2nd
quartile
• PND WTP ranked 6th out of the 25
stations, placing it in the 1st quartile
Trends in High Purity Water Treatment

• Outsourcing of WTP Operation

• Extensive Use of Membrane-Based
Technologies (e.g. UF, RO)
• Improved demin water quality especially
lower Na & TOC levels
• Reduction / elimination of hazardous
chemicals (acid, caustic)
• Automatic operation / remote monitoring
reduces labour cost
New WTP Design Considerations

• What are you starting with? - Feed water Quality

& Characteristics
– Source – surface water, well water, other
– Seasonal Variations & Effects
– Dissolved & Suspended Solids

• What quality do you need? - Finished water

Quality & Characteristics
– Benchmark Chemistry
– Dissolved Solids (TDS, specific ions, etc.)
– TOC
“Heart” of the Water Treatment System is RO

EDI
UF RO
or
IX polishing
RO Membrane Feed Specs

• RO feedwater requirements are:

 SDI: < 3.0
 Chlorine (free): < 0.01 ppm
 Iron: < 0.1 ppm
 Turbidity: < 0.2 NTU
Filtration Spectrum
Hollow-fibre Ultrafiltration

Permeate to Treated
Water Storage

Permeate/
Inlet Water
Bakcpulse
Pump
Storage
1 mm Screen Tank
Screen

Backpulse
Tank

NaOCl Citric Acid

Membrane Tank
ZW1000V3

Air Scour
Blower
Reject / neutralized
Drain/
waste to drain
Recirculation
Pump
Reject Neutralized
Waste to Drain/Sewer

NaOH Sodium
Bisulphite
Optional for Neutralization
Comparison of UF vs. MMF
Pretreatment UF Conventional
Description • ZW 1000 IHF UF, Out/In • MMF
• 0.02 m nominal pore size • 5 m cartridge filter
Treated Water • Consistent, reliable quality • Fluctuating quality
Quality • SDI < 2.5, 100% of the time, • SDI < 4 ~90% of the time
usually < 1.5
• Turbidity: < 0.1 NTU • Turbidity: < 1.0 NTU
• Positive barrier to particles • MMF not a positive
and pathogens - no barrier to colloidal and
breakthrough suspended particles.
• Bacteria: > 5 log removal Quality of water produced
• GiardiaCyst: > 4 log removal fluctuates significantly
• Virus: > 4 log removal with respect to
particulates.
RO Membrane Systems: < 2 MegOhm

• RO rejection range of 96 – 99+% on

dissolved solids
Deionization: 2 – 18 MegOhm

– Electrodeionization (EDI) – regenerated

continuously with electricity
– Traditional DI – resin is regenerated with acid and
caustic on-site
– Traditional DI – resin regenerated off-site
Acknowledgements

• GE Water & Process Technologies: Sandy

Schexnailder