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Advances in Desalination Technologies Tom Pankratz, Corporate Projects Director Vivendi Water Systems / USFilter, Houston, Texas Seawater desalination has been the cornerstone of the Middle East�s water supply strategy since the mid-1950s, and most of the installed desalination capacity is still provided� by Multistage Flash Evaporators. But, desalination is changing. In fact, the term �desalination� is no longer limited to seawater applications; desalination technologies are now routinely employed to purify brackish groundwater and municipal effluents. Recent advances in desalination technology have simultaneously reduced costs while dramatically improving performance and reliability to the point desalination technologies now compete with �conventional� treatment process in many applications. New commercial strategies and a realization of the economies-of-scale have led to further improvements in plant economics, and an increase in the size of plants now being considered. This presentation will review advances in membranes, membrane pretreatment systems, energy recovery devices, materials of construction, hybrid process configurations, increased unit capacities, materials of construction, and the use of public-private partnerships - all of which have led to a reduction of capital and operating costs, enabling desalination to be economically competitive with traditional treatment options.