Water treatment equipment energy-saving renovation technology: the dual solution of cost reduction and efficiency and environmental protection

Introduction

 Under the rising energy prices and tightening environmental protection policies, the water treatment industry is facing the double pressure of operating costs and compliance. Energy-saving equipment transformation has become the core strategy for cost reduction and efficiency. This paper systematically analyzes the current situation of energy consumption of water treatment equipment, introduces cutting-edge energy-saving technologies, and provides a grounded transformation program.

Ⅰ. The current situation of energy consumption of water treatment equipment

1. The main equipment energy consumption ratio

 • Water pump: 40% -60% (traditional centrifugal pump inefficient operation)

 • Fan: 25% -35% (constant speed operation is a serious waste)

 • Reverse osmosis: 80% of the energy consumption of high-pressure pumps (65% of the energy recovery)

2. The reasons for the excessive energy consumption

 • Aging of equipment: more than 10 years of pumps and machines with a low efficiency of 15% -25%

 • Backward control: 78% of the plant using manual start-stop

 • System mismatch: 30% of the pump "big horse-drawn cart"

 • Lack of maintenance: impeller wear 5mm efficiency drop of 10% -18%

3. The cost of high energy consumption

 • Economy: a plant annual water treatment energy costs 12 million (accounting for 22% of the operation)

 • Environment: 10,000 tons of wastewater treatment plant more than the discharge of CO₂ 1,200 tons per year

Ⅱ. Core energy-saving technologies

1. Intelligent pump system

Technology: IE4 motor + frequency control

effect:

 • Efficiency of an electronics plant from 62% → 89%

 • Annual power saving of 1.45 million kWh, saving 980,000 yuan

2. Reverse osmosis residual pressure recovery

Device: PX-type ceramic rotor (recovery rate 92%-98%)

Cases:

 • Desalination plant energy consumption from 3.8→2.1kWh/m³

 • Payback period 14 months

3. Wind turbine intelligent regulation

Solution: magnetic levitation wind turbine + DO monitoring

Advantages:

 • 35%-50% energy saving compared to Roots fans

 • 42% reduction in aeration energy consumption in a wastewater plant

4. Full process optimization and control

Architecture: data collection → edge computing → decision control

Benefits:

 • Comprehensive energy saving of 25%-35%

 • Manual intervention reduced by 80%

III. Successful Retrofit Cases

Case 1: Upgrading of water system in a steel company

Before Retrofit:

 1. Annual power consumption 28 million kWh

 2. Unit water consumption 8.5m³/t

Measures:

 1. Replacing 32 high-efficiency frequency conversion pumps

 2. Installing residual pressure recovery in the RO system

 3. Deploying intelligent control

Results:

 • Annual power saving of 10.92 million kWh

 • RO energy consumption reduced by 41%

 • ROI 2.1 years

Case 2: Pharmaceutical company's pure water optimization

Pain point: multi-stage centrifugal pumps in series, concentrated water discharged directly

Solution:

1. Single-stage high-pressure pump + energy recovery

2. Add frequency conversion module

3. Optimize piping

Effectiveness:

 • 58% reduction in system energy consumption

 • 95% water utilization

 • 47% reduction in annual maintenance costs

Ⅳ. Conclusion: Opening a new era of energy saving in water treatment

 Driven by the goal of carbon neutrality, the energy-saving transformation of water treatment equipment is not only a technological upgrade, but also an inevitable choice for enterprises to fulfill their social responsibility. Through the systematic application of the combination of energy-saving technologies described in this paper, enterprises can realize:

 • 20%-40% reduction in operating costs

 • 35% reduction in carbon emission intensity

 • 5-8 years extension of equipment life span