MWWD & IEMES 2016 - BULGARIA

SEAWATER INTAKE DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION

CASE STUDY: AL JUBAIL SWI
Mario Valente (1 ), Hugo Costa (2 )
Summary
This paper will present the methodology adopted from the concept stage of the hydraulic design of Al Jubail seawater intake, until
detailed design stage, which can be applied to the design and optimization of similar seawater intakes. This study followed the standard
practices for design, and was completed with validation by CFD and physical modelling.

Keywords
Seawater Intake, Pumping Station, Desalination, CFD Modelling, Physical Modelling
Introduction
Al Jubail seawater intake is located near the common seawater intake for Al Jubail Industrial City in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(KSA)(Figure 1). Consisting of 5 pumps (4 duty + 1 standby), the nominal intake flow rate for this system is 29,950 m/hr (8.32 m/s). The
intake is developed by Al-Fatah Water and Power.
Figure 1 - Project location (Source: Google Earth)

Conceptual and Preliminary Designs of the SWI were previously carried out by the client for civil and geotechnical works. ARTELIA
undertook a value engineering study to minimize the site footprint, optimize the intake layout, identify adverse hydraulic conditions and
ensure uniform approach flow to the pump inlets. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modelling was used as a design tool early in the
project to identify problematic flow patterns such as short-cutting and recirculation zones.
Modelling results were used to develop of a number of alternative intake configurations to resolve the problematic flow patterns. The
final configuration was confirmed by subsequent CFD modelling then submitted to a hydraulics laboratory for physical modelling
(Laboratory Clemson Engineering Hydraulics, Inc. (CEH) performed these studies on behalf of the pump supplier FLOWSERVE). The
laboratory report confirmed that the optimized configuration performance was satisfactory and that the CFD results were well aligned
with findings of physical modelling.

1
2

Mario Valente (Mr) (Project Director) (Sogreah Gulf ARTELIA Group), Dubai, UAE mario.valente@ae.arteliagroup.com
Hugo Costa (Mr) (Hydraulic Engineer) (Sogreah Gulf ARTELIA Group), Dubai, UAE hugo.costa@ae.arteliagroup.com

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Hydraulic Design
A preliminary design of the SWI pumping station was developed at early stages of the project. The hydraulic design philosophy has been
developed to:

Accommodate available screening equipment, and

Comply with site limitations resulting from existing civil works.

ARTELIA has followed the criteria and recommendations outlined in ANSI/HI 9.8-2012, the American National Standard for Rotodynamic
Pumps for Pump Intake Design (Hydraulic Institute, 2012). According to this Standard, a physical hydraulic model is required for pump
intakes where:

Flow per pump is greater than 2,520l/s, or total pumping station flow is greater than 6,310 l/s; and

Proper pump operation is critical and the total costs of pump repair, remediation of a poor design, and the impacts of
inadequate performance or pump failure would be more than ten times the cost of a model study.

ARTELIA performed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis to confirm hydraulic performance of the proposed SWI layout at
concept stage. Based on results from the CFD modelling, ARTELIA proposed modifications on the pumping station, and these changes
were confirmed by physical model.
The SWI is a critical structure for the successful operation of the RO Plant and has therefore been designed with due consideration of the
requirements for redundancy and availability. The seawater intake channels and screening equipment incorporate 100% standby
capacity. Under normal operating mode, each screening channel will pass 50% of the required flow. During degraded operating mode,
when one screening channel is taken offline due to equipment failure or maintenance, 100% of the required intake flow can pass
through the remaining channel while maintaining suitable hydraulic conditions at the pumps.
Figure 2 - Al-Jubail pumping station 3D view

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CFD Modelling
CFD modelling was used to investigate the preliminary seawater intake configuration. The following points summarise the key findings
from the CFD modelling and the subsequent design optimizations.

Non-uniform flow distribution within the forebay propagated downstream into the individual pump bays which resulted in
both dead zones and areas of high velocity. To improve flow conditions, one row of baffle blocks was added at the upstream
end of the forebay.

Figure 3 - Flow streamlines across the station

To improve the flow distribution within the pump bays, six baffles were added at the upstream end of each bay. Modelling
outputs showed that the resulting flow distribution was uniform and the pump approach velocity was less than 0.5 m/s, in
compliance with the ANSI/HI 9.8 standard.

Figure 4 - Velocity profile at level -3.50m.

Surface and submerged vortices of Type II and greater were observed. These vortices are deemed unacceptable according to
the ANSI/HI 9.8 standard. Vortices were addressed by adding geometry features such as wall fillets and flow splitters.

Based on previous experience with physical modeling studies, these particular double inlet pumps are prone to surface and
submerged vortices. As such, the CFD report recommended that physical modelling be used to further investigate vortex
formation and to develop suitable anti-vortex devices (AVDs).

Figure 5 shows the preliminary as well as the final geometry which was developed using CFD modeling.

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Figure 5 - Al-Jubail pumping station - preliminary layout and final proposed layout

Physical Modelling
After the CFD analysis was completed, the final configuration of the pump intake structure was submitted to a hydraulics laboratory for
physical modeling (Figure 6).
Figure 6 Physical model of Al-Jubail pumping station

The physical modeling study was conducted at a scale of 1:5.3. The overall physical model results confirmed that the intake was welldesigned with no major problems regarding the pump approach flow conditions. The testing also showed that flow conditions upstream
of the screen chambers were stable and uniform as shown in below figures.
Figure 7 - Uniform Flow in Screen Chamber (left) and mild Recirculation Downstream of Screen Exit (right)

Flow into the forebay was concentrated near the center with mild recirculation at the sides; this pattern is a typical pattern of the
screens used in this intake system. However, these flow conditions stabilized before reaching the pump bays. The flow straightening
baffles proposed by CFD modelling were also installed in the physical model at the pump bay entrances. Once through the baffles, the
flow was still slightly non-uniform across each bay, but uniform and steady by the time it reached the pumps. The physical model
demonstrated that the baffles were effective at stabilizing and distributing flow across each bay.
As predicted by CFD modeling, the physical model showed strong floor and side-wall vortices near the entrance to the lower pump
suction bellmouths. In addition, consistent vortex formation was observed on the cross-over arms above the upper suction bellmouths
(which is typical for this type of pump). These vortices entered the upper bellmouth but generally dissipated quickly. Well-organized

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Type III surface vortices were observed entering the upper bellmouths. Pre-swirl at the plane of the pump impeller was generally low
and turbulence/velocity variations were only slightly outside of the ANSI/HI 9.8 criteria. The baffles at the upstream end of the forebay
were found to be very beneficial in re-distributing the concentrated flow caused by discharge through the screens.
Figure 8 Sidewall vortex

The wall fillets and flow splitters were also found to be effective at dissipating floor and side-wall vortices from entering the lower
bellmouth. However, they did not prevent surface vortices from entering the upper bellmouth. A modified vortex suppression basket
was installed in the physical model to stabilize flows and dissipate vortices propagating towards the upper bellmouth.
Figure 9 Double inlet pump (left), Vortex Suppression Baskets (centre), proposed fillets/splitters (right)

From design to reality

The construction works of the pumping station are currently progressing on site. The hydraulic features to improve the approach flow to
the pumps, as the baffles walls are made of reinforced concrete as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10 Progress of works on site. General view and forebay baffles.

Conclusions
A combined design approach using both CFD and physical modelling was adopted to develop and optimize the configuration of the AlJubail seawater intake. CFD modelling enabled the design team to quickly investigate various geometries with the objective to minimize
the intake footprint and reduce construction costs. Physical modelling validated the final configuration and was used to fine tune the
flow conditions and further reduce the risk of vortex propagation.

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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Al Fatah Water and Power Company, Laboratory Clemson Engineering Hydraulics, Inc. (CEH) and Flowserve.

References
[1] American National Standards Institute, Intake Design for Rotodynamic Pumps (ANSI/HI 9.8-2012), 2012
[2] Clemson Engineering Hydraulics, Jubail SWRO Seawater Pump Intake Physical Model Study (2016)

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