Case Study: California's Magnolia Power Project Utilizes HERO/Crystallizer Process For ZLD System

The Magnolia Power Project is utilizing state-of-the-art combined-cycle electric generation technology and being built on four acres of Burbank Water and Power's (BWP) generation station complex adjacent to Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank. Aker Kvaerner is serving as the Magnolia Power Project engineering, equipment procurement and construction contractor, and has been conducting engineering tasks since September 2002. On June 10, 2003, the mayors and utility officials of the six participating cities joined together with SCPPA officials for a Magnolia Power Project ground breaking ceremony to commemorate the start of on-site work. As part of the ceremony, a dwarf magnolia tree was planted at the entrance to what will become the project's control and service building.

The 310-megawatt (MW) power plant will serve as locally operated generation for the cities of Burbank, Anaheim, Glendale, Pasadena, Cerritos and Colton.

The Problem
In order to expedite the CEC licensing process and ensure electrical generation availability by mid-2005, the Magnolia Power Project selected a "zero liquid discharge" option for the power plant's reclaimed cooling water system . The Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) equipment allows the city to recycle/reuse the wastewater and adopt a policy of water conservation.

The Solution
The Magnolia Power Project started their ZLD system evaluation process by looking at the traditional ZLD methods that use brine concentrators which consume electrical energy to evaporate the waste water. The evaporated wastewater is recovered and recycled back for power plant operation. The solids left behind in this process are converted to sludge and disposed offsite as landfill. The brine concentrators consume huge amounts of electrical energy, even while they are in standby mode, i.e. not generating any output.

After reviewing the available technologies, the City of Burbank's Magnolia project selected the HERO/Crystallizer process.

SOURCE: Aquatech International Corporation