Aquatech Helps Indonesia's Pertamina Reduce Freshwater Consumption with 100 MLD of Desalinated Water

Pertamina, is Indonesia’s largest State-Owned Enterprise (SOE), with operations ranging from oil and gas refining to petrochemical production alongside a strong focus on developing renewable energy sources.  

As part of its ambitious Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) project in Balikpapan, Pertamina is upgrading its 260,000 barrels per day (BPD) refinery, increasing its capacity to 390,000 BPD. This upgrade also includes constructing a desalination plant with a capacity of 100 million Liters per day (MLD), aimed at reducing the refinery’s dependence on local freshwater resources. 

Challenge

A critical component of this project is ensuring a reliable supply of process water essential for refinery operations, including downstream processes, cooling towers, and boiler feed. Given the region’s limited freshwater availability, Pertamina has chosen to utilize seawater desalination to meet its water needs. 

However, the available seawater presents challenges for desalination, primarily due to its elevated total suspended solids (TSS) levels, which can reach up to 100 ppm, along with traces of oil and grease up to 5 ppm and colloidal impurities.

Solution

To overcome the challenges posed by high levels of TSS, oil, grease, and colloidal impurities in the seawater, Aquatech has developed an engineered pretreatment strategy for the desalination plant.  

The solution includes using dissolved air flotation (DAF) technology during the pretreatment phase, designed to eliminate the TSS, oil, and grease present in the seawater. Following the DAF, ultrafiltration (UF) will be used to remove residual suspended solids and colloidal materials, ensuring that the pretreatment scheme controls TSS and oil levels and maintains a Silt Density Index (SDI) below the acceptable limit of 3. 

The desalination plant is expected to produce water with total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations below 25 ppm at the output stage, meeting the refinery’s high standard for process water quality. 

To achieve the necessary remineralization of desalinated water, the design includes lime filters in conjunction with a carbon dioxide (CO2) dosing system, followed by a mixed bed system for demineralization. This customized engineered approach guarantees that the generation of desalinated water will adhere to the project's stringent quality specifications. 

Result

Aquatech's desalination plant, backed by over six decades of expertise dating back to the 1950s, is engineered to deliver vital process, remineralized, and demineralized water, serving as the backbone of the refinery’s operations. The plant’s design emphasizes optimal energy efficiency, ensuring sustained performance throughout its prolonged operational life.  

Aquatech supports Indonesia’s energy transition and net-zero emission goals by reducing energy and water footprints. As one of the few companies leading in membrane, thermal, and hybrid desalination technologies, Aquatech helps support industries in the fight against water scarcity while delivering the lowest total cost of water.