Austria's Heliovis AG is gearing up to activate a solar-thermal desalination facility in Oman's Qarat al Milh region, as revealed in a recent social media update. This project, undertaken for Omani ARA Petroleum, marks a significant step in sustainable water treatment within the oil industry.

Heliovis was enlisted back in 2022 by ARA Petroleum to spearhead the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) efforts, utilizing its innovative technology to convert highly saline produced water into potable water. This type of water is typically extracted alongside hydrocarbons during the oil production process.

At the Qarat Al Milh site, two HELIOtubes—Heliovis's proprietary solar thermal units—have already been successfully installed, according to an announcement by ARA on Tuesday. These HELIOtubes employ forward osmosis for water treatment, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Describing the technology, ARA highlighted the use of recyclable inflatable tubes and mirror films to concentrate sunlight, thereby generating clean process heat in the mid-temperature range of 90°C to 400°C—a sector often challenging to decarbonize.

Headquartered in Vienna, Heliovis specializes in HELIOtube development, aiming to make solar thermal power economically viable and competitive. This versatile technology aims to provide clean process heat across various industries, including oil and gas, food and beverages, water desalination and treatment, mining, chemicals and plastics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, as well as solar cooling.