Are desalination plants vulnerable to oil spills?
Oil in seawater can foul the piping, reduce exchange surfaces performance and even pollute fresh water if part of it distils with seawater. For a thermal plant this damage can be corrected by circulation of adequate dispersing agents within the units: after a while normal cleanliness will be restored. Reverse osmosis membranes are not so tolerant and must be kept away from oil pollution. In the event of oil spill it is recommended to protect the sea water inlet system – with floating dams for example – and to reduce the load in accordance with the filtration capacity of such dams.
