Filmtec™ Reverse Osmosis Membranes Technical Manual
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Water Solutions FilmTec™ Reverse Osmosis Membranes Technical Manual Version 8 September 2021 NOTICE: The information provided in this literature is given in good faith for informational purposes only. (Undefined variable: General.Company_ Name_Short) assumes no obligation or liability for the information presented herein. NO WARRANTIES ARE GIVEN; ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED. Table of contents 1 Basics of Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration 9 1.1 Historical Background 9 1.2 Desalination Technologies and Filtration Processes 9 1.3 Principle of Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration 12 1.4 Membrane Description 16 1.5 Membrane Performance 17 1.6 FilmTec™ Membrane Safe for Use in Food Processing 18 1.7 Element Construction 19 1.8 Element Characteristics 20 2 Water Chemistry and Pretreatment 23 2.1 Introduction 23 2.2 Feedwater Type and Analysis 24 2.3 Scale Control 30 2.3.1 Introduction 30 2.3.2 Acid Addition 31 2.3.3 Scale Inhibitor Addition 31 2.3.4 Softening with a Strong Acid Cation Exchange Resin 32 2.3.5 Dealkalization with a Weak Acid Cation Exchange Resin 32 2.3.6 Lime Softening 33 2.3.7 Preventive Cleaning 34 2.3.8 Adjustment of Operating Variables 34 2.4 Scaling Calculations 34 2.4.1 General 34 2.4.2 Calcium Carbonate Scale Prevention 36 2.4.2.1 Brackish Water 36 2.4.2.2 Seawater 41 2.4.3 Calcium Sulfate Scale Prevention 45 2.4.4 Barium Sulfate Scale Prevention /8/ 47 2.4.5 Strontium Sulfate Scale Prevention 47 2.4.6 Calcium Fluoride Scale Prevention 48 2.4.7 Silica Scale Prevention 51 2.4.8 Calcium Phosphate Scale Prevention 56 2.5 Colloidal and Particulate Fouling Prevention 58 2.5.1 Assessment of the Colloidal Fouling Potential 58 2.5.2 Media Filtration 60 2.5.3 Oxidation–Filtration 61 2.5.4 In-Line Filtration 61 2.5.5 Coagulation-Flocculation 62 2.5.6 Microfiltration/Ultrafiltration 62 2.5.7 Cartridge Microfiltration 62 2.5.8 Other Methods 63 2.5.9 Design and Operational Considerations 63 2.6 Biological Fouling Prevention 64 2.6.1 Introduction 64 2.6.2 Assessment of the Biological Fouling Potential 64 2.6.2.1 Culture Techniques 65 2.6.2.2 Total Bacteria Count 65 2.6.2.3 Assimilable Organic Carbon (AOC) 66 2.6.2.4 Biofilm Formation Rate (BFR) 66 2.6.3 Chlorination / Dechlorination 66 2.6.4 Sodium Bisulfite 69 2.6.5 DBNPA 69 2.6.6 Combined Chlorine 70 2.6.7 Other Sanitization Agents 70 2.6.8 Biofiltration 71 2.6.9 Microfiltration/Ultrafiltration 71 2.6.10 Ultraviolet Irradiation 71 Form No. 45-D01504-en, Rev. 8 Page 2 of 212 September 2021 2.6.11 Use of Fouling-Resistant Membranes 71 2.7 Prevention of Fouling by Organics 71 2.8 Prevention of Membrane Degradation 72 2.9 Prevention of Iron and Manganese Fouling 72 2.10 Prevention of Aluminum Fouling 73 2.11 Treatment of Feedwater Containing Hydrogen Sulfide 74 2.12 Guidelines for Feedwater Quality 76 2.13 Summary of Pretreatment Options 77 3 System Design 80 3.1 Introduction 80 3.2 Batch vs. Continuous Process 85 3.3 Single-Module System 87 3.4 Single-Stage System 88 3.5 Multi-Stage System 89 3.6 Plug Flow vs. Concentrate Recirculation 90 3.7 Permeate-Staged (or Double-Pass) System 93 3.8 Special Design Possibilities 95 3.9 Membrane System Design Guidelines 97 3.9.1 Membrane System Design Guidelines for 8-inch FilmTec™ Elements 99 3.9.2 Membrane System Design Guidelines for Midsize FilmTec™ Elements 101 3.10 Temperature and Pressure Limits for 8-inch FilmTec™ Seawater RO Elements 103 3.10.1 Elements with Standard Endcaps 103 3.10.2 Elements with iLEC™ Interlocking Endcaps 104 3.11 The Steps to Design a Membrane System 104 3.12 System Performance Projection 108 3.12.1 System Operating Characteristics 108 3.12.2 Design Equations and Parameters 110 3.13 Testing 114 3.13.1 Screening Test 114 3.13.2 Application Test 114 3.13.3 Pilot Tests 115 3.14 System Components 115 3.14.1 High-Pressure Pump 115 3.14.2 Pressure Vessels 116 3.14.3 Shut-down Switches 116 3.14.4 Valves 117 3.14.5 Control Instruments 117 3.14.6 Tanks 117 3.15 Materials of Construction, Corrosion Control 119 3.16 System Design Considerations to Control Microbiological Activity 120 3.17 System Design Suggestions for Troubleshooting Success 121 4 Loading of Pressure Vessels 123 4.1 Preparation 123 4.2 Element Loading 123 4.3 Shimming Elements 125 4.4 Element Removal 127 4.5 Interconnector Technology for 8-inch Diameter FilmTec™ Elements 128 4.5.1 New Interconnector Advantages 128 4.5.2 Summary of Large Element Interconnectors 129 4.6 Installing an Element Spacer 130 5 System Operation 131 5.1 Introduction 131 5.2 Initial Start-Up 131 5.2.1 Equipment 131 5.2.2 Pre-Start-Up Check and Commissioning Audit 132 5.2.3 Start-Up Sequence. 133 5.2.4 Membrane Start-Up Performance and Stabilization 135 5.2.5 Special Systems: Double-Pass RO 135 5.2.6 Special Systems: Heat-Sanitizable RO 135 5.3 Operation Start-Up 136 5.4 RO and NF Systems Shut-down 136 Form No. 45-D01504-en, Rev. 8 Page 3 of 212 September 2021 5.5 Adjustment of Operation Parameters 137 5.5.1 Introduction 137 5.5.2 Brackish Water 137 5.5.3 Seawater 137 5.6 Record Keeping 138 5.6.1 Introduction 138 5.6.2 Start-Up Report 138 5.6.3 RO Operating Data 138 5.6.4 Pretreatment Operating Data 141 5.6.5 Maintenance Log 141 5.6.6 Plant Performance Normalization 141 6 Cleaning and Sanitization 146 6.1 Introduction 146 6.2 Safety Precautions 147 6.3 Cleaning Requirements 147 6.4 Cleaning Equipment 148 6.5 Cleaning Steps 149 6.6 Cleaning Tips 150 6.7 Effect of pH on Foulant Removal 151 6.8 Cleaning Chemicals 152 6.9 Cleaning Procedure for Specific Situations 152 6.9.1 General Considerations 152 6.9.2 Sulfate Scale 152 6.9.3 Carbonate Scale 153 6.9.4 Iron Fouling 154 6.9.5 Organic Fouling 155 6.9.6 Biofouling 156 6.9.7 Emergency Cleaning 156 6.10 Sanitizing RO/NF Membrane Systems 157 6.10.1 Introduction 157 6.10.2 Hydrogen Peroxide and Peracetic Acid 157 6.10.3 Chlorinated and Other Biocidal Products 158 6.10.4 Heat Sanitization 158 7 Handling, Preservation and Storage 160 7.1 General 160 7.2 Storage and Shipping of New FilmTec™ Elements 160 7.3 Used FilmTec™ Elements 161 7.3.1 Preservation and Storage 161 7.3.2 Re-wetting of Dried Out Elements 161 7.3.3 Shipping 162 7.3.4 Disposal 162 7.4 Preservation of RO and NF Systems 162 8 Troubleshooting 163 8.1 Introduction 163 8.2 Evaluation of System Performance and Operation 164 8.3 System Tests 166 8.3.1 Visual Inspection 166 8.3.2 Type of Foulant and Most Effective Cleaning 166 8.3.3 Localization of High Solute Passage 166 8.3.3.1 Profiling 166 8.3.3.2 Probing 167 8.4 Membrane Element Evaluation 169 8.4.1 Sample Selection 169 8.4.2 System Optimization Services℠ (SOS) 169 8.4.3 Visual Inspection and Weighing 169 8.4.4 Vacuum Decay Test 169 8.4.5 Performance Test 170 8.4.6 Cleaning Evaluation 171 8.4.7 Autopsy 171 8.4.8 Membrane Analysis 172 8.5 Symptoms of Trouble, Causes, and Corrective Measures 172 Form No. 45-D01504-en, Rev. 8 Page 4 of 212 September 2021 8.5.1 Low Flow 172 8.5.1.1 Low Flow and Normal Solute Passage 173 8.5.1.2 Low Flow and High Solute Passage 174 8.5.1.3 Low Flow and Low Solute Passage 177 8.5.2 High Solute Passage 178 8.5.2.1 High Solute Passage and Normal Permeate Flow 178 8.5.2.2 High Solute Passage and High Permeate Flow 179 8.5.3 High Pressure Drop 179 8.5.4 Troubleshooting Grid 182 9 Addendum 183 9.1 Terminology 183 9.2 Conductivity of Ions 196 9.3 Conductivity of Solutions 197 9.4 Conversion of Concentration Units of Ionic Species 199 9.5 Conversion of U.S. Units into Metric Units 201 9.6 Ionization of Carbon Dioxide Solutions 201 9.7 Osmotic Pressure of Sodium Chloride 202 9.8 Osmotic Pressure of Solutions 202 9.9 Testing Chemical Compatibilities with FilmTec™ Membranes† 203 9.9.1 Summary 203 9.9.2 Test Equipment 204 9.9.2.1 Flat Cell Unit 204 9.9.2.2 Element Test Units 206 9.9.3 Antiscalants 206 9.9.3.1 Microbiological Growth Test. 206 9.9.3.2 Membrane Compatibility Test. 207 9.9.4 Coagulants and Flocculants 207 9.9.5 Cleaning Chemicals 207 9.9.5.1 Two-Hour Cleaning Test 208 9.9.5.2 Two-Week Soak in Cleaning Solution 208 9.9.6 Biocides 208 9.9.6.1 Option 1 – One-Week Continuous Operation Test 209 9.9.6.2 Option 2 – 1,000-Hour Continuous Operation Test 209 9.9.7 Membrane Preservatives 210 9.10 Accelerated Start-Up Technique for Dry Membranes 211 9.10.1 Summary 211 9.10.2 Step 1: Pre-Flushing 211 9.10.3 Step 2: Soaking 211 9.10.4 Step 3: Post-Flushing 211 Form No.