Component Development for Advanced Shipboard Desalination Systems

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Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination has become the Navy standard for the shipboard production of freshwater since its introduction into the Navy in the early 1990s. RO plants have provided significant operational and cost benefits over conventional distillers which have been used on Navy ships since before the introduction of steam propulsion. These benefits include reduced monitoring and manpower requirements and significant reductions in operational costs including: reduced power requirements, independence from ship steam systems, reduction in the use of chemical additives, and large improvements in reliability and maintainability. Over the past two decades, there has been a large increase in the use of membrane based separations for both liquid and gas streams, much of this due to technical advancements such as improved membranes and pumps, novel membrane topologies and operational approaches, and staged separation processes. The Office of Naval Research has encouraged such technology development through the Expeditionary Unit Water Purification (EUWP) research program. It is the goal of this solicitation to further develop promising water purification and desalination technologies, on a component and not a complete system level, over a two year period to a readiness level that would be appropriate for consideration for use in a robust shipboard desalination system (technical readiness level 4 or 5). It is anticipated that there will be a second program to build complete shipboard desalination systems to a Technical Readiness Level 6, possibly using technologies matured during this program. (A description of Technical Readiness Levels is available at: http://www.onr.navy.mil/ctto/naval_needs.asp)Please see the attached full announcement for ONR BAA 09-013.

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