Long-term benefits of DOW FILMTEC™ RO membranes

Abstract

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a widely accepted and applied process for the purification of a variety of raw water sources, especially when there is a need for removing the bulk of the dissolved salts and other impurities present in the feed streams. Since its first applications and references, the technology has progressively been refined and improved, up to the current mature status, where, even if innovations are still to come, a solid base frame exists already. This paper will review and analyze long-term operation data from medium and large-size projects, including two different seawater desalination plants examples. It will focus on the long-term stable and reliable performances of DOW FILMTEC™ RO elements, by comparing the expected performance to the current operation data, with special emphasis on the long life of elements, and thus low replacement rates. These two installations are of particular interest given the time they have been successfully producing the required amount of drinking water. The paper will also evaluate the existing plant designs and contrast them to plant design modifications that would have been applied if those installations were designed with current membrane element technology.

Keywords:

• Seawater
• Reverse osmosis
• Long-term operation
• Replacement
• Maintenance strategies

Acknowledgments

The authors are especially grateful to the following contributors: Leon Yohay, Alex Rossomakho and Shai Dreizin from Ashkelon Desalination Operation and Maintenance Ltd (ADOM) for their support to the study and collaboration in providing the access to the data reported.Daniel Corsen from Aqualectra, as well as Frank Boisseau, Sophie Bertrand and Gerardo Cremer from Degremont Iberia, for their collaboration in providing access to the data reported.

Notes

Presented at the International Conference on Desalination for the Environment, Clean Water and Energy, European Desalination Society, 23–26 April 2012, Barcelona, Spain