An Innovative Solution to Oily Wastewater Challenges at Thermal Power Plants
The oily wastewater generated by thermal power plant operations is a double challenge for both environmental protection and operational stability. If mishandled, such wastewater not only harms the environment but may also interfere with the plant's own stable operation. The search for efficient oil-water separation technology has therefore always been a focal point for the industry.
A Heavy Fuel Oil Power Station in Pakistan
An innovative oily wastewater treatment solution has recently attracted widespread attention. It integrates CDFUCDFU (Cyclonic Dissolved Gas Flotation Unit) cyclonic dissolved gas flotation and other core technologies, and is designed around the specific characteristics of wastewater from different power plants, offering customised treatment technology particularly for heavy fuel oil plants.
Schematic of the power plant oily wastewater treatment process
Case study: heavy fuel oil power station in Sierra Leone
A mature, stable wastewater treatment system was successfully deployed at a newly built heavy fuel oil power station in the Tonkolili region of Sierra Leone, Africa. The station is equipped with five heavy fuel oil generating units with a total installed capacity of 43.65 MW. Its wastewater is characterised by high heavy-oil density, high viscosity, complex composition and deep emulsification, making it difficult to treat. To ensure the effluent meets strict discharge standards, the project adopted SINOKLE's patented core equipment — a two-stage CDFUcyclonic dissolved gas flotation oil-water separation system. The system efficiently separates oil and suspended solids, ensuring that wastewater from the main powerhouse and the oil pump house is treated to compliance before discharge.
Oily wastewater treatment equipment at a fuel power station in Bangladesh
Core advantages of the new solution:
Outstanding separation efficiency: leveraging advanced flotation separation technology, the solution substantially improves oil removal and ensures effluent quality more reliably than conventional methods.
Stable and reliable operation: the system offers excellent resistance to load shocks and adapts to changing operating conditions, ensuring long-term stable operation with effluent that consistently meets stringent environmental regulations.
Green and low-carbon: a purely physical process requiring no chemical dosing throughout, reducing secondary environmental impact. Energy consumption is also low, in line with the principles of energy saving and emission reduction.
Simple intelligent operation: the highly automated design greatly reduces manual intervention, lowering operational complexity and workload, and making equipment management easier and more convenient.
Significant overall benefits: the compact equipment footprint saves space, while economical operating and maintenance costs deliver sound economic returns for the power plant.
In summary, this innovative oily wastewater treatment solution combines efficiency, stability, environmental performance, energy saving, ease of operation and economy, offering thermal power plants a new preferred pathway for tackling oily wastewater challenges.
