Marine Vessel Doubles Water Production Capacity With PX and HP Booster Pump Combo Retrofit

Introduction

Fresh water is non-negotiable on a livestock carrier. Cattle can drink 25 to 90 liters per head per day at sea depending on conditions, and animal welfare and survival depend on a continuous, reliable supply. When the Saphira vessel needed a new onboard desalination system before returning to service, the operators faced a clear mandate: produce more water, use no more power, and fit it all inside the same engine room footprint. Al Mawarid Pumps Assembly Water Solution designed a 450 m³/day SWRO system built around Energy Recovery’s PX® Pressure Exchanger® and high-pressure booster pump combo, and delivered it during the vessel’s brief transit window in UAE waters.

The Challenge

More Capacity, Same Footprint

Onboard desalination is one of the most demanding environments for SWRO equipment. Space is fixed, power is finite, and the system has to run reliably in a moving, salt-air environment with no easy access to service technicians. On livestock carriers, the stakes are especially high: water isn’t a comfort amenity, it’s a direct animal welfare requirement.

The Saphira was operating a 200 m³/day SWRO system with no energy recovery device, which meant high specific energy consumption on every cubic meter of water produced. As the vessel prepared for redeployment, the operator needed to more than double capacity to 450 m³/day while staying inside the same physical footprint in the engine room and the same total power envelope. There was no flexibility on either constraint. Installation and commissioning also had to be completed within the vessel’s limited layover at Rashid Port in Dubai.

The Solution

A Purpose-Built Retrofit for a Confined Space

Al Mawarid selected Energy Recovery’s PX Q180 paired with the HP1254 high-pressure booster pump combination. Together, the two components helped the system deliver a low specific energy consumption of 2.51 kWh/m³, a level that would not be achievable without energy recovery.

To address the tight engine room constraints, the booster pump was mounted above the high-pressure pump, optimizing vertical space. The compact, skid-integrated configuration made installation feasible within the planned schedule, and commissioning was completed on time with no disruption to the vessel’s departure.

The Result

SWRO capacity increased from 200 m³/day to 450 m³/day within the existing engine room footprint
Estimated annual energy savings of 518,000 kWh/year.
Estimated annual cost savings: $51,823 USD

Why It Matters

Livestock carriers are a demanding and underserved segment for marine SWRO. The combination of strict animal welfare water requirements, confined mechanical spaces, and limited shipboard power makes energy-efficient, compact ERD technology not just beneficial but essential. The Saphira retrofit shows that the PX with HP booster pump combination can deliver reliable performance in demanding environments.

Looking Ahead

The Saphira project shows what Energy Recovery’s ERD and pumps solutions can do for marine and offshore SWRO when constraints are tightest. Vessel operators rebuilding or upgrading onboard water systems can more than double capacity, while reducing energy consumption, and without the engine room redesign that would otherwise be required.

To explore PX solutions for marine or onboard SWRO, contact our team at sales@energyrecovery.com or configure your own solution using Power Model Pro.