The development of a computer-based assessment tool for industrial water reuse

A principal impediment to internal industrial water reuse is the lack of an orderly and timely process for the systematic evaluation of possible water reuse schemes and their comparative economic benefit. For this reason, an interactive computer-based evaluation tool was developed. The POWR (Potential Opportunities for Water Reuse) computer program performs a systematic evaluation of possible water reuse schemes for one or two water-utilizing processes within a facility with a minimum amount of user-supplied information. The Microsoft Visual Basic programming utility was used due to its ability to perform the mass balance calculations necessary to determine technical and economic feasibility in a user-friendly environment. An industrial application is presented to demonstrate the use and utility of the developed POWR program. To facilitate use of the program, a guidance manual that provides instructions and additional water reuse information and references was also developed. This product can be used as a design tool to quickly evaluate potential internal water reuse opportunities within industrial manufacturing facilities.