In the Name of ALLAH The Most

Beneficent, The Most Merciful

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Operating parameters

By
Shah Muhammad Tanweer (Ex-PGM SQIWPP)

Two day Course on

“Membrane Desalination - Drinking and Industrial Water Treatment”
(5th and 6th September 2016)
Organized By
Center for Continuing Engineering Education (CCEE)
NED University of Engineering & Technology
 Executive Summary
 In this presentation the following articles is discussed

 World Ocean & sea Water (Slide # 3 to 5)

 Principles of Osmosis and Reverse Osmosis (slide # 6)
 Salinity Impact on Treatment (slide # 7 to 9)
 RO Membrane Spiral Wound Construction (Slide # 10 to 13)
 Spiral Wound Flow pattern (Slide # 14 to 18)
 Operational parameters (Slide # 20 to 26)
 Operational Limits (Slide # 27 to 39)

2
 World Oceans & Sea Water
Salinity & Energy
 Amount of energy and Osmotic separation
 More energy is required with higher concentrations and lower
Temperatures

3
 World Oceans & Sea Water
Major Constituents
Chemical Ion Valence Coc (ppm) Salinity % Mwt mmol/kg
Chloride Cl -1 19345 55.03 35.453 546
Sodium Na +1 10752 30.59 22.990 468
Sulfate SO4 -2 2701 7.68 96.062 28.1
Magnesium Mg +2 1295 3.68 24.305 53.3
Calcium Ca +2 416 1.18 40.078 10.4
Potassium K +1 390 1.11 39.098 9.97
Bicarbonate HCO3 -1 145 0.41 61.061 2.34
Bromide Br -1 66 0.19 79.904 0.83
Borate BO3 -3 27 0.08 58.808 0.46
Carbonate CO3 -2 16 0.05 60.008 0.25
Strontium Sr +2 13 0.04 87.620 0.091
Silicon dioxide SiO2 0 4 0.01 60.090 0.063
Flouride F -1 1 0.003 18.998 0.068
4
Barium Ba +2 .05 0.0001 137.34 0.005
 World Oceans & Sea Water
Major Dissolved Gases
Gas Molecule % in % in PPM in Molecular mmol/kg
Atmosphere Surface sea Weight
sea water water
Nitrogen (N2) 78% 47.5% 12.5 28.014 0.446
Oxygen (O2) 21% 36.0% 7.0 31.998 0.219
Carbon Di-Oxide 0.03% 15.1% 80 - 42.009 2.142
(CO2) 90
Argon (Ar) 1% 1.4% 0.4 39.948 0.01

One Kg of fresh water contains 55.6 mol H2O ???

Principle of Osmosis & Reverse Osmosis

6
 Salinity Impacts on Treatment
Osmotic Pressure
 At equilibrium, the pressure difference between the two sides
of the RO membranes equals the osmotic pressure
difference. In low solute concentration, the osmotic pressure
(π) of a solution is given by the following equation:
π = CsRT
where:
π = Osmotic pressure, psi
Cs = Concentration of solutes in
solution, moles/cm3 or moles/ft3
R = Ideal gas constant, ft-lb/mole K
T = Absolute temperature, oK
 When dilute and concentrated solutions are separated by a
membrane, the liquid tends to flow through the membrane
from the dilute to the concentrated side until equilibrium reach
sides of the Membrane. 7
 Salinity Impacts on Treatment
Osmotic Pressure
 Osmotic Pressure of NaCl  Osmotic Pressure of NaCl
(Sea Water) (Brackish Water)

 The RO process requires that a high pressure be exerted on

the high concentration side of the membrane, usually 2 - 14
bar (30 - 200 psi) for fresh and brackish water, and 40 - 80
bar (600 - 1200 psi) for seawater.
 Salinity Impacts on Treatment
Operational limits

9
 Spiral wound Construction
Membrane
 This material prevents salt passage Membrane
while allowing water to permeate.
Extremely thin (approx 200 nm)
typically made from polyamide Permeate
 Membrane is supported on a porous Carrier
poly-sulphone backing layer which
gives the membrane layer some
strength (approx 45 micron thick)
 The poly-sulphone is itself
supported on a non-woven
polyester backing fabric
(approx 100 μm) thick)
Permeate Carrier (Tricot)
 Sandwiched between layers of membrane, this material
carries permeate water to the permeate tube. 10
 Spiral wound Construction
Anti-telescoping Device
(ATD)
 This device is fitted over the
feed and concentrate end of the
membrane.
 It is designed to prevent the
membrane from elongating
("telescoping") due to pressure
differential from feed to
concentrate. It also holds the
brine seal.

 The permeate carrier material is sealed to the 2 layers of

membrane on 3 sides (both ends, plus the outer edge). The
inner edge of the permeate carrier material is adjacent to the
central product tube (permeate center pipe)
11
 Spiral wound Construction
Permeate Tube
 A perforated tube which collects permeate and, upon which,
the membrane leaves are attached. The ends of the permeate
connector are profiled to hold interconnectors. These allow
permeate to travel from element to element, and finally to the
take-off point on the pressure vessel.
Feed Spacer (Vexar)
 Fitted between membrane leaves, the
vexar , forms a flow channel for the
feed water to pass over.
 It is designed to generate turbulence,
breaking down boundary layers close
to the membrane and helping to
reduce scaling and fouling potential.
 The pressurized feed water flows in
axial direction through Vexar 12
SWRO Membrane – Construction

13
 Spiral wound Flow pattern
Permeate and Brine Flows
 The pressure forces some of the feed water through the
membrane layer, leaving the majority of the dissolved salts on
the feed side of the membrane. The water crossing the
membrane is called permeate. The water concentrated with
salt flows over the membrane surface as brine
 The permeate is collected
in the permeate spacer
material which is located
between 2 sheets of
membrane. The 2 sheets
of membrane plus the
permeate spacer is
collectively called a leaf
14
 Spiral wound Flow pattern
Permeate and Brine Flows

 Permeate entering the product carrier material travels down

the leaf to the central product tube.
 An 8” diameter element will have multiple leaves, each
terminating at the central product tube. Shorter leaves are
preferable to improve the efficiency of operation of the
element 15
 Spiral wound Flow pattern
Net Driving Pressure Effect in Pressure Vessel

16
 Spiral wound Flow pattern
Permeate and Brine Flows

 An array is a set of RO elements consisting of banks of

vessels connected in parallel. If there is more than one bank,
the banks are concentrate staged

Single/ Multiple Bank Design 17

 Spiral wound Flow pattern
Permeate and Brine Flows
 Interbank Booster pumps are used to equalize flow/ flux
between banks with a throttling valve

18
 Operation Parameters
System Flux
 The terms water flux and salt flux are the quantities of water
and salt that can pass through the membrane per unit area
per unit time.
 Average system flux and highest single element flux are one
of the most important factor for good RO system operation.
 Different average system flux are recommended for each raw
water source and pretreatment system.

 The design permeate flux rate predicted at a particular

recovery affects the number of pressure vessels, manifold
connections, and size of membrane skid, as well as the size
19
of the feed water supply systems and pretreatment equipment
 Operation Parameters
System Recovery
 The percent of feed water recovered, or converted to product
is called recovery
 Permeate flow rate / Feed flow rate
 Example
 Permeate flow rate Qp = 75 gpm
 Feed flow rate Qf= 100 gpm
 Recovery Ratio = (75/100) x 100 = 75%
Salt Passage
 Salt passage is the ratio of concentration in the permeate of a
particular dissolve ion or compound to salt concentration in
the Feed
 Example
 Permeate TDS (Prod Conc.) = 20 ppm
 Feed water concentration TDS = 1000 ppm
 Salt Passage = [(20/1000)] x 100 = 2% 20
 Operation Parameters
Salt Rejection
 Salt rejection is the measure of, how well a particular
dissolved ion or compound is retained on the feed side of the
membrane.
 Typical Salt rejection calculations are made for: Conductivity,
Chloride ion, Hardness, Sulphate, TOC, Silica

 Example
 Permeate TDS (Prod Conc.) = 20 ppm
 Feed water concentration TDS = 1000 ppm
 Salt Rejection = [1-(20/1000)] x 100 = 98%
21
 Operation Parameters
Concentration Factor
 Recovery based concentration factor
 This is defined as : 1/ (1- recovery)
 Example
 Recovery Ratio previously calculated =75%
 Therefore Concentration factor = 1/(1-0.75) = 4
 Conductivity based concentration factor
 This is defined as: (Cc – Pc) / (Fc – Pc) where
Cc = Concentrate Conductivity
Pc = Permeate Conductivity
Fc = Feed Conductivity
 Example
 Cc =4000 μS , Pc = 3 μS , Fc = 1000 μS
 Therefore Conductivity based concentration factor =
(4000 – 3) / (1000 -3) = 4
22
 Operation Parameters
Recovery rate & Concentration Factor
 With high rejection membrane, concentration factor gives us a
good feel for how highly salts will be concentrated in the Brine
stream
 Example
Recovery Concentration Factor
50% 2
75% 4
87.5% 8
90% 10

23
 Operation Parameters
Chemical Injection rate
 Chemical injection rate in GPM = Feed GPM * Chemical ppm * 8.34
Chemical density * 1,000,000
 Example
 Feed = 200 GPM
 Chemical density = 10.48 lbs/gallon
 Chemical Dosage = 2.0 ppm
 Injection rate = (200 * 2 * 8.34)/(10.48 * 1,000,000)
= 3.183 X 10-4 GPM or = 3.183 X 10-4 * 3785 = 1.2 ml/min
Chemical Dilution Volume
 This is defined as: Vn = (Vd * Cd * 8.34) / (Dn * 100) where
Vn = Volume of neat chemical required (gallons)
Vd = Dilution volume (Gallons), Cd = Percent dilution by wt.
Dn = Neat solution density (lbs/gallon)
 Example
 Vd = 200 gallons, Cd = 5%, Dn = 10.48 lbs/gallon
 Vn = (200 * 5 * 8.34) / (10.48 * 100^) = 7.96 gallons
 Operation Parameters
Concentration Polarization
 Concentration polarization is the build-up of salt near the
surface of the membrane due to incomplete mixing of the
surface boundary layer fluid with the bulk solution,
 This is a phenomenon accentuated by high pressure fluid
passing through the membrane material.
 The osmotic pressure of saline solutions such as brackish
water and seawater can be significant. Moreover, since the
osmotic pressure is determined by the salt concentration
directly at the membrane surface, it can be affected by
concentration polarization

25
 Operational Limits
pH
 This is the log of the inverse of the hydrogen ion (H-)
concentration. The acidity or basicity of water is determined
by the amount of H- present.
 Importance  Measurement
 Drinking water  Litmus paper
 Coagulation  Neutralization
 Boron Removal  pH Meters
 Chemical Cleaning
 Membrane Safety
 Distribution Network
Range for Ferric Coagulation

0 5 6 7 7.5 8.5 14

Acid Neutral Base

Rain Water
Drinking Water 26
 Operational Limits
pH
 Effect on Boron rejection
 Several ions change its ionized or non-ionized condition by pH.
 Rejection at non-Ionized condition is not higher than at ionized
condition
 Boron (TM700) :Borate B(OH)3: 70-75%, Boric B(OH)4: 99.5%

27
 Operational Limits
pH
 Effect on Salt rejection and Water Permeability

28
 Operational Limits
Langelier Saturation Index (LSI)
 This is another commonly used parameter to predict sea
water potential to form mineral scale of
 Importance
 If LSI is negative: No potential to scale, the water will dissolve
CaCO3
 If LSI is positive: Scale can form and CaCO3 precipitation
may occur
 If LSI is close to zero: Borderline scale potential. Water quality
or changes in temperature, or evaporation could change the
index.
 Example for calculating LSI
 As an example, suppose the drinking water supplied to
animals has the following analysis. The LSI index is
calculated at two temperatures: 25oC and 82oC
 Operational Limits
Langelier Saturation Index (LSI)
 Water Analysis
 pH = 7.5 Calculation at 25oC:
 TDS = 320 mg/L pHs = (9.3 + 0.15 + 2.09) - (1.78 + 1.53) = 8.2
LSI = 7.5 - 8.2 = - 0.7
 Calcium = 150 mg/L (or ppm) Hence No Tendency to Scale
as CaCO3 Calculation at 82oC:
 Alkalinity = 34 mg/L (or ppm) pHs = (9.3 + 0.15 + 1.09) - (1.78 + 1.53) = 7.2
as CaCO3 LSI = 7.5 - 7.2 = + 0.3
Hence Slight Tendency to Scale
 LSI Formula
 LSI = pH - pHs
 pHs = (9.3 + A + B) - (C + D) where:
A = (Log10[TDS] - 1)/10 = 0.15
B = -13.12 x Log10(oC + 273) + 34.55
= 2.09 at 25°C and 1.09 at 82°C
C = Log10[Ca2+ as CaCO3] - 0.4 = 1.78
D = Log10[alkalinity as CaCO3] = 1.53 30
 Operational Limits
Silt Density Index (SDI)
 Silt Density Index, or SDI, test is considered to be an industry
standard for measuring the colloidal fouling potential of spiral
wound membranes Although the values do not directly
correlate to the fouling potential of a specific water
 For SDI test results to be accurate,
the feed line to the kit must be
connected to the raw water line
representative of the feed water to
the RO system.
 Ensure that all of the air is purged
from the apparatus and that the feed
Typical SDI apparatus
pressure is adjusted to 30 psig.

31
 Operational Limits
Silt Density Index (SDI)
 SDI Test Procedure
 The initial time required to fill a 500 ml graduated cylinder is
measured and recorded as t0.
 A measure of the time required to collect 500 ml volumes is
noted again at 5, 10 and 15 minutes after the initial start.
These times are recorded as t5, t10 and t15 respectively.
 It commonly uses disc membranes rated at 0.45 μm
 Calculation of SDI
 The SDI value is then calculated using the following equation
SDI=( 1 - t0 / t15 ) 100T
t0 = Initial time in seconds required to collect a 500 ml
sample.
t15 = Time in seconds required to collect a 500 ml sample
after fifteen min.
T = Total test time in minutes 32
 Operational Limits
Turbidity
 Definition
 Suspended solids obstruct the transmittance of light through a
water sample and impart a qualitative characteristic, known as
turbidity
 Turbidity is an important water quality indicator for almost any
treatment application.
 Importance
 It represents the presence of dispersed, suspended solids-
particles not in true solution and often includes silt, clay, algae
and other microorganisms, organic matter and minute
particles.
 Turbidity is not a direct measure of suspended particles in
water. Instead, it is a measure of the scattering effect such
particles have on light.
33
 Operational Limits
Turbidity

 Determination procedure / Measurement

 Turbidity is determined electronically by the apparatus shown in
Figure. Light from a tungsten filament (usually) passes through
the sample to be measured. Light scattered at an angle of 90
degrees is measured. Ninety degrees is chosen because it is
very sensitive to light scatter.
 Very small particles (0.2 microns) scatter light equally in the
forward and backward direction. Larger particles (1 micron)
scatter light primarily in the forward direction. Forward scattering
is intensified as the concentration of suspended solids
increases.
 Colored solutions adsorb light and can affect turbidity. Dividing
scattered light intensity by that transmitted in a forward direction
compensates for the affect of sample color. An instrument of this
type is known as a ratio turbidity meter. 34
 Operational Limits
Effect of Temperature

35
 Operational Limits
Effect of Brine flow rate / Recovery

36
 Back Pressure Damage to Membrane
Causes
 Restrictions in the line such as valves,
resin beds, or elevated piping.
 Improper relief of product pressure in a
product staged (double pass) RO Pattern is clearly visible
system.

Paves way for De-lamination

 This is separation of the membrane
from the backing material. Backpressure Bubbling of Membrane
from the permeate side is the cause and
results in a loss of rejection.
 It allows easy separation of the
membrane material from the backing
material. This separation would not be
Two sheets of Membrane
possible on an undamaged element. and one sheet of Tricot
37
Any Question ?

smt@sitechinternational.com

38