Water Treatment

Water treatment is a medium-complexity system that is responsible for taking filtered water from water filtration and treating it. The system produces potable water that is used for drinking, cooking, and hygiene. It is a crucial system for the survival of the crew, as without it they would have to rely on limited supplies of potable water or risk drinking untreated water.

You can can simplify the flow of water to: water from the filtration system is evaporated (to remove salt and other impurities) and then condensed back into liquid form, which is then sent to a storage tank. In the second stage the water is then sent through a fine particulate filter, activated carbon filter, UV steriliser, and remineraliser before being stored in a large potable water tank. Stage 1 is called desalination, and stage 2 is called polishing. The result of desalination is considered product water and is NOT potable (not safe to drink), while the result of polishing is safe potable water.

The evaporator chamber does not produce its own heat, rather it takes heat from the vessel’s heat bus. The heat bus is a network of pipes that distribute heat from the ship’s nuclear reactor to various systems that require it, such as the water treatment system. The evaporator chamber uses this heat to evaporate the product water, which removes impurities and leaves behind salt and other contaminants. The salt and “brine” is send to the dirty water bilge sump using the brine ejector.

In order to get the most out of the evaporator chamber, it is equipped with a vacuum ejector that creates a vacuum inside the chamber, which lowers the boiling point of water and allows it to evaporate at lower temperatures. This is more energy efficient and allows the system to operate more effectively. The vacuum ejector uses a compressed air tank that must be periodically replenished by logistics and maintenance teams.

On the polishing side the remineraliser must have its mineral concentrate tank replenished by logistics and maintenance teams. The mineral concentrate is a mixture of various minerals that are added back into the water after it has been purified, to improve its taste and provide essential nutrients.