What are the potential problems and challenges in operating an industrial RO plant?

There are numerous industrial applications that call for demineralized or deionized water, and reverse osmosis is a reliable and efficient method to generate water that is suited for these uses. The RO permeate’s quality may be improved with further post-treatment following the RO system, such as mixed bed deionization, making it appropriate for the most demanding applications. An RO system must be properly pre-treated and monitored in order to avoid expensive repairs and unforeseen upkeep. Your RO system should deliver high purity water for many years if it is designed properly, has a maintenance schedule, and is supported by knowledgeable service personnelwhich is possible only if the RO system is operated and maintained properly.

Here we are going to the potential problems and challenges in operating of an industrial RO plant. So, let’s get going…

Regardless of the application, however, the underlying issues with membrane processes that may be seen remain, namely:

Drop-dead rejection

Decreased performance (reduced flow or higher pressure).

If such issues arise, the first thing to determine is whether the water’s quality or temperature has changed. It is crucial to record fundamental data including temperature, pressure, flow, yield, and conductivity in order to make it simpler to localise issues. Measurement of the pressure loss, ideally between the concentration levels, is also useful.

Reverse osmosis membranes are widely used in both large-scale industrial operations and smaller-scale residential facilities.

It is important to normalise these data, i.e., to represent them in terms of a typical condition, in order to determine if a performance change is a result of the system or modified inflow parameters. Manufacturers of membranes offer calculation tables for this purpose without charge. In addition, it’s crucial to make sure that other facility parts including measurement apparatus, antiscalant dispensers, and ion exchange systems are functioning properly.

It is important to normalise these data, i.e., to represent them in terms of a typical condition, in order to determine if a performance change is a result of the system or modified inflow parameters. Manufacturers of membranes offer calculation tables for this purpose without charge. In addition, it’s crucial to make sure that other facility parts including measurement apparatus, antiscalant dispensers, and ion exchange systems are functioning properly.

The cause of the deviation should be looked into further if the data deviates in the manner shown below after normalisation.

20% more salt passage (salt passage is defined as 100% rejection [%])

10% decrease in flow

Pressure loss of more than 20% along a pressure pipe.

Small facilities frequently only record a handful of measurement data, and these are frequently not normalised. In this situation, it is important to consider the impact of temperature changes as well as fluctuations in the water’s salt content. The general rule of thumb in this situation is that flow is reduced by around 3% for every degree Celsius that the temperature falls.

looking into the issue

It should go without saying that the investigative procedure is based on the issue identified. If the rejection has deteriorated and the salt passage has increased, this may be a sign of chemical or mechanical damage to the membrane or element. On the other side, decreased flow is often caused by biological, organic, or inorganic fouling. To identify and then address the system’s troublesome point is challenging, though.The conductivity of the permeate in all pressure pipes is examined in case any readings are noticeably raised when there is increased flow and a decrease in salt rejection.

Decreased flow

There is soiling if the flow is decreased or if more pressure is needed (fouling). This may also result in less salt rejection, depending on how severe it is. Due to obstructed flow channels, fouling frequently results in increased pressure loss across the whole pressure pipe.

While inorganic fouling, also known as scaling, is more likely to occur on the downstream side due to the increased salt load, organic fouling largely causes obstructions on the upstream side. Because it can spread throughout the entire system, biological fouling can be found in various places.

Conclusion:

Always consider a considerable increase in flow and a concurrent decrease in rejection to be serious since these changes may be caused by broken components or leaky seals. In most cases, it is required to replace the broken pieces.

The main reason of decreased flow is fouling. To choose the best cleaning method in this situation, it is crucial to ascertain the extent and kind of the fouling.

This entails both an element test and a surface examination, and it may be done at the proper facilities like Netsol water solutions.In order to establish a steady process, it is crucial to verify whether the reason for the performance decline can be removed. For more information drop an email at enquiry@netsolwater.comor call+91-9650608473