1. Seawater and drinking water

1.1 Seawater quality

Seawater is the raw material of the desalination plant. Everyone can observe its changes in temperature and clarity from one place or day to the next; variations in salinity are less well known, but salinity, temperature and suspended solids are the major parameters in the operation of a desalination plant.

1.1.1 Salinity

Salinity measures the concentration of dissolved salts; it is most often expressed in mg or ppm. Note that the latter unit is not strictly equivalent,...