In 2001, PB engineers Paul Willson and George Atkinson received the Sustainable Engineering award from the U.K. Engineering Council for their design of a retrofit process to improve the efficiency of thermal desalination plants. Willson and Atkinson are based in the U.K. PB Power, a subsidiary of the global PB, has recently been awarded a U.K. patent for the process.

The process involves a modification to the conventional arrangement of using a power plant to supply low-grade heat to a thermal distiller. It allows additional heat to be recovered from the power plant exhaust gases, and provides a new method for recycling heat back into the distiller. It significantly reduces steam consumption (up to 6%) and boosts energy efficiency.

The process is presently being applied on the $1.6 billion Shuweihat Independent Water and Power Project in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., where PB is acting as Owner’s Engineer. The project is expected to be operational in August 2004.