WEEK ACTIVITIES DONE RECOMMENTATIONS

16 – 20 JAN FAMILIARIZTION WITH CLARIFIER OPERATION Observation

2017 Clarification is the first step in the water treatment for the No stand-by pumps for
removal of suspended solids in water, suspended solids clarifier chemical dosing.
consist of:

1) large solids capable of settling alone by gravity

without any external aid Level measurement for
2) Non settling material colloidal in nature. clarifier caustic handling tank
Removal of these solids is accomplished by: not indicating.

1) Coagulation; the destabilisation of colloids and

charge neutralisation, aluminium sulphate and ferric
chloride is used as a coagulant
2) Flocculation; joining of smaller flocs which form Recommendations
large agglomerates to form a blanket which settle by
Procurement of chemical
gravity. Polyelectrolyte is used as a flocculant. The
dosing stand-by pumps.
blanket settles using stokes law of settling given by
𝑔𝐷2 (𝜌𝑆 − 𝜌𝑊 )
𝑣=
18µ
3) Sedimentation; settling of large agglomerates by
gravity utilising stokes law
4) PH conditioning; raw water is dosed by acid/alkali
for ph conditioning to maintain the optimum ph. for
operation of the coagulant.
NB Clarification process is alkalinity consuming
process.
Clarified water on the upper level of the clarifier leaves the
clarifier via small outlets into launders then flow by gravity
into the rapid gravity filters.

Sludge settles at the bottom of the clarifier and is removed

from the clarifier by during a regular clarifier blow down.
Clarification is affected by flow rate, ph, temperature,
residence time, turbulence.

Engineering Design Aspects

Clarifier capacity = 402m3 flow rate at 300 ≤ F ≤ 350 m3/hr.

Agitator speed = 20rpm, jar tests determine the optimum

clarifier chemical dose rates.

23 – 27 JAN FAMILIARISATION WITH THE RAPID GRAVITY Observations

FILTERS AND BACKWASH Decreased sand bed height
2017
Rapid Gravity Filters are sand filters which consist of a depth Recommendation
of sand of granular form and when lying down have minute Top up sand to the sand bed
gaps between them.
If the clarified water pas through this bed of sand. The solid
particles that are too large to pass through this gap are retained
on the sand bed.
The filtered water from the filters flow by gravity to the
backwash sump below via a control valve which maintains a
constant head above filter.
 ACTIVITIES DONE

The backwash sump overflows first and overflows into the OBSERVATIONS
filtered water sump, this ensures that the water for backwash No penstock valves to stop
is always available. water flow in RGF during
ENGINEERING DESIGN ASPECTS backwash, large quantities of
RGF quantity; 3(2W/1S). due to aging 3W treated water are being lost per
RGF capacity = 226m3/hr each. day and no initiative have
Depth of sand = 1m been done so far to realise its
value.
BACKWASH OF RGF
Backwash is the process of cleaning the sand profile using RECOMMENDATION
pressurised water from the backwash water sump via the Procurement of pen stoke
bottom of the filter discharging the water into the effluent valves.
water sump via backwash outlet valves
ENGINEERING DESIGN ASPECTS
Backwash p/p quantity; 2nos( 1W/1S) due to age 2W
Backwash time; 15mins

30 JAN – 03 FAMILIALIZATION WITH THE WATER ULTRA OBSERVATIONS

FEB 2017 FLITRATION PROCESS The manufacturer specs of
cartridge filters states that the
The process of ultrafiltration follows the sand filtration cartridges can be changes
process, this process is achieved by cartridge filters. The once in every 3 months if
scheme as two cartridge filters, each houses 65 disposal filter proper treatment is done but
elements of 5 micron size. have been changed almost 3
The inlet of the cartridge filters is connected with discharge times in Jan 2017.
of the RO feed pumps and outlet is connected with suction of
high pressure pumps. RECOMMENDATION
The operation of these filters is monitored with differential Use ferric chloride in the
pressure across the filters, the replacement of the filters is clarifier instead of Alum.
recommended at 5 bars pressure difference.
Dose anti-scaling agent to
For taking cartridge filters in line vent out air by opening air reduce the amount of salts
release valves and start the RO feed pumps, once water start which reaches the cartridge
flowing out of air release valves open cartridge filters outlet filters.
and start high pressure pumps.
ENGINEERING DESIGN ASPECTS
C.F quantity; 2nos (1W/1S)
C.F capacity; 226m3/hr
Service; RO inlet
Pore size; 5 mocrons
Design pressure; 5 bars
Duty; continuous

06 – 10 FEB FAMILIARISATION WITH THE OPERATION OF OBSERVATION

THE REVERSE OSMOSIS PLANT Too many leaks on the R.O
2017 Reverse osmosis is the application of external pressure pressure tubes
greater than the osmotic pressure of the solution that contains
the higher concentration of dissolved ions thus forcing water RECOMMENDATIONS
through the semi permeable membrane in the suspended Address all leaks on the R.O
solids. membrane banks particularly
The water that passes through the membranes is the permeate those on the discharge side of
or product water. the pressure vessels
The water that remain behind the membranes along with
dissolved and suspended solids is the concentrate or reject
water.
Water from the filtered water sump is pumped to the reverse
WEEK ACTIVITIES DONE OBSERVATIONS

Osmosis plant via R.O feed pumps. The flow of water is Ensure a leak proof system to
dosed with antiscalant which prevents the fouling of the minimise corrosion of metallic
membranes by the compounds in water, the water is also components ( bolts nuts valves
dosed with sodium meta bisulphate which reduces the redox and fittings)
potential of water for optimum performance of the R.O plant.
Train personnel on PVC
There are two reverse osmosis streams and only one is used adhesive joining to improve
at a time. Each stream consist of 38 pressure vessels arranged workman ship
in 3 stages. Water enters the R.O pressure vessel in stage A
through a common header pipe at 12MPa. Replace all rusting joints,
bolts and nuts with corrosion
Each pressure vessel is made up of 5 spiral bound membrane resistant material preferably
modules joined together axially in a polymer casing. Each stainless steel
casing has an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe which join
respective header pipes that lead to the main respective pipes Consider punting the rusting
section of the R.O pressure
The water is pumped to the first stage of the membrane tubes vessel to limit corrosion
and the permeate flows into the permeate header, The reject
of A of the membrane tubes is fed to the second stage B, the Schedule of R.O regular
reject of B is fed to C where the final reject flows to waste. maintenance

R.O permeate has a conductivity limit of 10 µs/cm and TDS

values ranges from 150200ppm

The permeate flow rate decreases as the running hours of the

plant increases due to deposits of salts on the R.O membranes.
ENGINEERING DESIGN ASPECTS
R.O quantities; 2 nos (1W/1S)
Inlet flow rate = 226m3/hr
Permeate flow rate = 181m3/hr
Concentrate flow rate = 45m3/hr
R.O unit turnover = 80%

13 – 17 FEB FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE CLEANING OF THE OBSERVATIONS

R.O PLANT.
2017 Excessive loss of cleaning
During normal operation over a period of time, RO membrane chemicals.
elements are subject to fouling by suspended or sparingly
soluble material that may be present in the feed water eg Less volume of cleaning
Calcium Carbonate scale, Calcium Sulphate scale, metal chemicals is circulated due to
oxide scale, Silica coating and organic and biological deposit. losses from leaks
The nature and rapidity of fouling depends on the condition
of feed water. Fouling is progressive, and if not controlled
early, will impair the RO membrane element performance in
a relatively short time

RO performance indicators
Foulants removal is controlled by cleaning and flushing.
Foulants removal is required when:
 Permeate flow has dropped to 10-15 % below rated
flow at normal pressure.
 Product water quality has decreased 10-15% : Salt
passage has increased 10-15%
 Applied pressure has increased 10-15%.
 The differential pressure of RO stage has increased
noticeable.
 ACTIVITIES DONE

RO cleaning procedure RECOMMENDATION

Acid cleaning Leaks need to be addressed

 Removal of inorganic deposits like calcium and immediately.
magnesium salts.
 De- scaling
 dissolving greases, proteins and carbohydrate-
containing substances
Biocide cleaning
 Killing and removal of living microorganisms like
fungi and algae in water.
Alkaline cleaning
Also dissolves grease, oils, fats, and protein-based deposits
Dispersing agents to prevent redeposition of dissolved dirt
and/or chelants to attack rust on metal parts.

20 – 24 FEB FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE DEMIN PLANT OBSERVATIONS

2017 The demineralization plant acts as a standby plant for the Poor drainage system, water
Reverse Osmosis plant and also in some cases as a second and contaminated water
plant to increase flow rate in cases where Reverse Osmosis accumulates under the demin
Plant throughput is low. The demineralization plant is plant which causes corrosion
subdivided into three different sections that is the Cat ion to the support structure.
resin bed ion exchange unit, Anion resin bed ion exchange
unit and Mixed Bed ion exchange unit which acts as a Stiff valves, when operated by
polisher. The degasser is also used in the a human may not shut
Demineralization plant for removal of carbon dioxide. completely.

Cation Resin Bed ion exchange reactor

The feed boiler water is to be removed of cat ions like Ca2+
and Mg2+ since these ions form scale carbonates in the boiler
tubes and reduce efficiency. The cation unit is the unit that
removes these cations and other cat ions in the water by the
use of a cation resin. The flowrate of water is 180m3/hr.

This resin replaces the cations in the solution by hydrogen

ions. The impurity ions are taken up by the resin, which must
be periodically regenerated to restore it to the original ionic
form when it is exhausted.

Degasser unit
A degasser unit consists of a degasser tower and a degassed
water sump that lies beneath it. Incoming water from the
Cation unit is sprayed into the tower filled with packing
material. The drops of water that flow down through the tower
strike the packing material and form a thin film on the packing
material surface, encouraging the release of excess carbon
dioxide.
A centrifugal fan creates an updraft of air through the tower
to carry away the released carbon dioxide gas. The carbon
dioxide gas exits through a vent at the top of the unit.

Factors that influence the creation of carbon dioxide and its

removal from the service water:
 the amount of carbon dioxide in the surrounding
atmosphere;
 the local pressure;
WEEK ACTIVITIES DONE OBSERVATIONS
 the pH of the water;
 The presence of bicarbonate ions. RECOMMENDATION

Anion Resin Bed ion exchange reactor Address the issue of drainage
The anion exchanger removes the anions that are in the water systems.
that also contribute to the formation of scale, and also
corrosion of the boiler water tubes. The common anions in Procurement of effective
raw water are; Bicarbonate, Nitrate, Carbonate. effluent pumps

To complete the demineralization process, water from the cat Procurement of pneumatic
ion unit is passed through a strong base anion exchange resin valves
in the hydroxide form. The resin exchanges hydrogen ions for
both highly ionized mineral ions and the more weakly ionized
carbonic and silicic acids. With time the anion resin gets
exhausted as well as these active sites become depleted after
which the bed is regenerated using caustic soda to replenish
the resins with OH- ions.

Mixed Bed ion exchange unit

The mixed bed exchanger is a unit that contains both anion
and cation resin. This acts as a polisher to remove any trace
amounts of cat ions and anions from the water. The reactions
that take place in this exchanger are the same as the ones in
the cat ion and anion units.

27 FEB – 03 REGENERATION OF THE RESINS OBSERVATION

MAR 2017 The regeneration is the reintroduction of the H+ ions in case
of cation resin and OH -ions in case of anion resin at high Dangerous method of
concentrations thereby shifting the equilibrium towards the transferring sulphuric acid
reverse reaction of ion exchange. from containers into the
dilution tank.
Regeneration requirement indicators
Corrosive and chocking fumes
discharged directly into air
during dilution.

Cation unit regeneration

The regeneration of the cat ion unit is done by a solution of
1.5% - 2% Sulphuric acid solution.
The stages of cation unit regeneration are:
1) Drain down; this is the draining down of any water
in the system to waste this involves opening the acid
outlet and backwash outlet valves to drain down. RECOMMENDATION
2) Backwash; this involves reversing the flow of the
water in the unit to separate the particles of the resin Use of better method instead
for maximum contact with acid. This involves of transfer pumps
opening the backwash bypass valve, backwash inlet
and backwash outlet and starting the filtered water Procurement of the fume hood
pump to supply the motive water. above the dilution tank or a
3) Pre injection and Injection; this is the injection of suction fan which discharges
the acid into the unit, this involves opening the acid out of the WTP building.
inlet valve, acid outlet valve, acid suction valve and
closing of backwash bypass valve.
4) Displacement; this is the displacement of the acid
solution from the resin to waste
WEEK ACTIVITIES DONE OBSERVATIONS
5) Fast rinse; this is the rinsing of the system with fresh
water until the conductivity is within spec this is done OBSERVATION
by opening the backwash bypass ,acid inlet and acid
outlet valves whilst testing the conductivity Hazardous method of
continuously. dissolving the caustic flakes.
Involves putting the flakes
Anion unit regeneration into plastic drums, dilution
The regeneration of the anion unit is done by a solution of 1%- with water and then a person
1.5% Sodium Hydroxide Solution. stirs with a wooden stick till
the flakes are completely
The stages of anion regeneration are: dissolved.
1) Drain down; this is the draining down of any water in
the system to waste this involves opening the caustic RECCOMMENDATION
outlet and backwash outlet valves to drain down
2) Backwash; this involves reversing the flow of the Substitution of the flakes with
water in the unit to separate the particles of the resin lime
for maximum contact with caustic. This involves
opening the backwash bypass valve, backwash inlet Use of rotor and impeller to
and backwash outlet and starting the degassed water dissolve the flakes.
pump to supply the motive water.
3) Pre injection and Injection; this is the injection of the
caustic solution into the unit, this involves opening the
caustic inlet valve, caustic outlet valve, caustic suction
valve and closing of backwash bypass valve and
backwash inlet and outlet valves.
4) Displacement; this is the displacement of the acid
solution from the resin to waste
5) Fast rinse; this is the rinsing of the system with fresh
water until the conductivity is within spec this is done
by opening the backwash bypass ,acid inlet and acid
outlet valves whilst testing the conductivity
continuously.

SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS:
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SIGNATURE………………………………… SUPERVISORS SIGNATURE……………………………