Glossary
A dictionary of desalination terms.
Engineer-At-Risk
In thermal desalination, the ratio of kilograms of distilled water produced per 2326 kJ of energy input.
See “electrodialyis”.
See “electrodeionization”.
See “electrodialysis reversal”.
European Desalination Society.
One of several units of an evaporator, each of which operates at successively lower pressures.
See “thermocompressor”.
(ED) The separation of a solution’s ionic components through the use of semipermeable, ionselective membranes operating in a DC electric field.
(EDR) A variation of the electrodialysis process using electrode polarity reversal to automatically clean membrane surfaces.
(EDI) A water treatment process combining an electrodialysis membrane process with an ion exchange resin process to produce high purity, demineralized water.
The passage of electric current through an electrolyte resulting in chemical changes caused by migration of positive ions towards the cathode, and negative ions to the anode.
Water used in the production of microelectronic devices which meets ASTM D-19 standards for resistivity, silica concentration, particle count and other criteria.
1) One of the fundamental substances that consist of atoms of only one kind and that constitute all matter.
2) A common term for an individual flat sheet RO membrane rolled into a cylindrical shape around a permeate tube.
An extension in an evaporator vapour body to thicken the solids slurry to minimize the loss of liquor.
The retrieval of waste energy for some beneficial use.
(ERT) A device used to recover pressure energy from reverse osmosis brine streams.
The total heat content of a liquid, vapour, or body.
(1) The incorporation of small organisms, including the eggs and larvae of fish and shellfish, into an intake system.
(2) The carryover of droplets of water with vapour produced during evaporation.
Engineer-Procure-Construct
Energy recovery.
Energy recovery device.
See “energy recovery turbine”.
The process in which water is converted to a vapour that can be condensed.
The mass quantity of water evaporated from a specified water surface per unit of time.
A device used to heat water to create a phase change from the liquid to the vapour phase.
exchange capacity An ion exchanger unit’s limited capacity
for storage of ions.
That condition that results when activated carbon, ion exchange resin, or other absorbents have depleted their capacity by using all available sites.
A condensing turbine which has been designed to allow some steam to be removed for other uses after expansion to an intermediate pressure. Steam is removed at extraction points which are controlled at predetermined pressures.