Not every reverse osmosis plant uses a pressure exchanger. Many recover energy with a hydraulic turbocharger. Meliora sources rebuild kits, thrust bearing assemblies and volute inserts for Energy Recovery AT and HALO turbochargers, ordered by part number and confirmed with the manufacturer.
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In short: An Energy Recovery turbocharger uses the pressure of the reject brine to boost the feed pressure, through a turbine and a pump impeller on one shaft. The current range is the AT series, from AT-95 to AT-11000. Meliora sources rebuild kits and bearing assemblies for AT turbochargers and for the older HALO series.
The reject brine leaves the membranes at high pressure. In a turbocharger it passes through a turbine impeller, which turns a shaft. A pump impeller on the same shaft adds pressure to the feed water on its way to the membranes. The high-pressure pump therefore has less work to do. Energy Recovery states that its turbochargers reduce energy consumption in reverse osmosis by 20 to 30%.
The design is simple. Energy Recovery describes the AT as a single-stage turbine impeller connected to a single-stage pump impeller by a common shaft, with no shaft seals, housed in pump and turbine volutes with a turbine nozzle and a pump-side diffuser. It needs no electrical power and no ancillary equipment.
A pressure exchanger transfers pressure directly from brine to feed and is more efficient, which is why large seawater plants use them. A turbocharger costs less, has a small footprint and is simple to install, so it is common in smaller seawater plants, in brackish water plants and in older installations. A plant’s spares are specific to whichever it has. For pressure exchangers see Energy Recovery PX parts.
| Item | AT turbocharger |
|---|---|
| Models | AT-95, AT-250, AT-350, AT-425, AT-550, AT-875, AT-1100, AT-1500, AT-2150, AT-3250, AT-4150, AT-6000, AT-7800, AT-11000 |
| Flow range | 11 to more than 2,272 m³/h (48 to more than 10,000 gpm) |
| Pressure range | 27–83 bar (400–1,200 psi) |
| Casing material | 2205 duplex stainless steel |
| Hydraulic passages | Replaceable volute inserts |
Source: Energy Recovery water products catalogue and AT turbocharger white paper. Energy Recovery also offers the LPT turbocharger for low-pressure, multi-stage brackish systems.
The model number indicates the size. A plant ordering parts needs the model from the nameplate, and for kits the material as well: the kit description includes it, for example 2205 duplex.
Thrust bearing. The rotor is pushed along its axis by the pressure difference between the turbine and pump sides, and the thrust bearing carries that load. It is available on its own as an assembly. Energy Recovery redesigned the AT thrust bearing in a material that it describes as stable under pressure and resistant to chipping, in place of the carbon graphite used before.
Volute inserts. The AT’s fluid passages are formed by removable polymer inserts. Energy Recovery states they can be changed in hours. This is how a turbocharger is re-matched when a plant’s flow or pressure changes: new inserts, not a new machine. Plants that expect changing conditions keep more than one set.
Rebuild kits. Energy Recovery supplies rebuild kits by model, containing the parts replaced when the unit is opened for overhaul. The kit part number is specific to the model and material.
| ERI part number | Description |
|---|---|
| 95291-03 | Kit, rebuild, AT-350, 2205 |
| 96921-02 | Bearing assembly, thrust, with sleeve, AT-350 |
| 96092-01 | Rebuild kit, HALO-300 turbocharger |
These are examples. We confirm every part number with Energy Recovery against the turbocharger’s serial number before quoting. More numbers are listed in the ERI part number reference.
HALO is an earlier Energy Recovery turbocharger series. It is not in the current product catalogue, but HALO units are still running in plants in the Gulf, and operators still need rebuild kits for them. Rebuild kits for the HALO-300 are a regular request.
For a HALO enquiry the part number matters more than usual, because the unit is no longer a catalogue item. Send the kit part number from your maintenance records or from a previous purchase order, with the model and serial number from the nameplate. We ask Energy Recovery to confirm availability and whether the kit has been superseded.
Need a turbocharger rebuild kit or thrust bearing? Send the model and part number. Plant-down enquiries get a reply within 4 hours, standard quotations within 48 hours.
Page reviewed October 2026 · Meliora FZCO, Dubai Silicon Oasis, UAE
It is a hydraulic turbocharger for reverse osmosis. A single-stage turbine impeller driven by the high-pressure reject brine turns a single-stage pump impeller on the same shaft, which boosts the feed pressure. Energy Recovery states it reduces energy consumption in reverse osmosis by 20 to 30%.
Energy Recovery lists fourteen: AT-95, AT-250, AT-350, AT-425, AT-550, AT-875, AT-1100, AT-1500, AT-2150, AT-3250, AT-4150, AT-6000, AT-7800 and AT-11000. The range covers flows from 11 to more than 2,272 cubic metres per hour at 27 to 83 bar.
Energy Recovery supplies a rebuild kit for each model, and the thrust bearing assembly is also available on its own. Volute inserts are replaced when the hydraulic passages are worn or when the unit is re-matched to new operating conditions.
We source HALO rebuild kits through Energy Recovery. HALO is an older series that is not in the current catalogue, so availability and any superseding part number are confirmed with the manufacturer for each enquiry.
A turbocharger converts brine pressure to shaft power and back to feed pressure through a turbine and pump impeller. A PX pressure exchanger transfers pressure directly from brine to feed water inside a ceramic rotor and is more efficient. Turbochargers are simpler and are common in smaller and brackish plants.