IET Singapore Network had an unusual Members’ Nite on Wednesday 20th November in that the talk presented was not about an existing technology, process or installation.  Instead, Dr Charles Su of Newcastle University presented a very interesting proposal to harvest rainwater and store it under the sea: “Rainwater Harvesting on the Sea – A Solution for the Global Water Crisis”.  Dr Su showed just how small a percentage of our planet’s water is available for consumption. He also showed how Singapore could be an ideal country to benefit through the harvesting of rainwater. Members were then invited to provide helpful feedback to support or modify the proposal.  The talk was well-received and the lively post-talk discussion highlighted challenges that would need to be dealt with should the project be adopted in Singapore.

 

Prof. Su received his MEng in 1981 and PhD in 1990 (University of New South Wales, Australia). He was a tests and operations engineer from 1971-1978 and an honorary research associate at the University of Western Australia in 1985. From 1991 until 2001 he was senior lecturer, associate professor and head of the HVICM Group at Monash University, Australia. Commencing in 2002, he worked as the chief technologist at Singapore Power (SPPG) for 5 years. From 2007 to 2011 he was a professor and the chair of the Research Committee at the Petroleum Institute, UAE. He is a guest professor at the Electrical Power University, Beijing in 2012-2013. Prof. Su has published two books and over 150 journal and conference papers. He received the Vice-Chancellor’s Special Commendation for Teaching Excellence at Monash University in 2001 and an IEEE Standards Award for contribution to the standard “Guide on the Measurement of Partial Discharg¬es in Rotating Machines” in 2002. He has also provided consulting services to many utilities in the world and has conducted a number of training courses for the industry in Australia, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia. He is a Fellow of the IET (former IEE), a member of CIGRE A2, and a Senior Member of IEEE since 1991.



Synopsis



Many countries in the world are facing the problem of water shortage. There are a few methods to produce potable water from seawater or sewage water, but the cost is high and the water quality may be less than satisfactory. Much energy is required using these methods, however, collecting rainwater has numerous benefits, ranging from improved water quality to reduced energy demand.

Rainwater harvesting is one of the most important sources of water. All water starts as pure rainwater. Once it falls from the sky, rainwater percolates through the earth and drainage pipes, where it picks up minerals and salts and maybe other contaminants such as industrial chemicals, pesticides and bacteria. Harvesting rainwater, captured before it hits the ground saves energy and the later use of chemicals.

In this seminar, an innovative technique for rainwater harvesting on the sea and storing in submarine water tanks will be presented. This technique is environmentally friendly and energy sustainable. It costs very little and consumes less than 5% of the electrical energy needed by a desalination plant. In a new design, the rainwater harvesting system can even generate electricity. Rainwater harvesting on the sea may be a solution for the global water crisis.