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Ras Al Khair Seawater Cooling System

A system for pumping and piping 475 mgd of seawater across a large site notorious for blowing sand and excessive heat

  • 475

    Million Gallons

  • 28

    Miles

  • 11

    Foot Diameter

  • Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia

    Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia

An industrial city for mineral and metal processing

The Saudi Arabian government is creating a new 30,000 acre (120 square kilometers) industrial city for mineral and metal processing at Ras Al Khair in their Eastern Province. Stantec’s expertise was critical to the development of the citywide seawater cooling system needed by these large industries. Over a fast-track 14 month period, we designed a comprehensive system for pumping and piping 475 millions of gallons per day (1,800 million liters) of seawater across a large site in a desert environment notorious for blowing sand and excessive heat.

The scale of the project is staggering. Seven pumps each with 2,500 kilowatt medium voltage motors draw seawater from a new intake and pump it over 28 miles (45 kilometers) across the city. Pipes with diameters up to 11 feet (3,300 millimeters) use specialized fiber reinforcement due to the corrosive nature of the seawater and desert soils. An open channel 65 feet (20 meters) wide by five miles (eight kilometers) long is used to return the seawater back to the gulf. Up to 450 pounds per day (200 kilograms) of chlorine is produced onsite from the seawater and used to limit marine growth in the system. More than 75 miles (120 kilometers) of fiber optic network is used for communication and control.

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Meet Our Team

Tracy Anderson, Senior Principal

I work with the best team in the industry, supporting our clients to maintain their water systems with increasingly scarce resources.

Gary Brady, Senior Associate, Water

In the office and with clients, being a team is a significant part of my approach to projects, and I believe it’s critical to doing a good job.

Fangbiao Lin, Vice President, Global Practice Leader for Environmental Hydraulics

CFD modeling is my passion, solving flow problems is my satisfaction!
Fangbiao Lin Vice President, Global Practice Leader for Environmental Hydraulics Read More

John Take, Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer

Protecting entire cities from flooding or helping industries keep their processes running—for me, it’s all about moving water.
John Take Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer Read More

Tracy Anderson

Senior Principal

Gary Brady

Senior Associate, Water

Fangbiao Lin

Vice President, Global Practice Leader for Environmental Hydraulics

John Take

Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer

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