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Abstract
Orange County (Calif.) Water District (OCWD) performed an economic analysis to determine the most effective cleaning interval for the reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in its Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), which consists of 26 microfiltration (MF) cells operating polypropylene membranes at 20 gfd (34 lmh) and more than 90 percent recovery. The MF system has a filtrate capacity of 86 mgd (325 MLD). Each cell houses 608 submodules. An RO system consists of 15 5-mgd (19 MLD) trains for a total of 70 mgd (265 MLD) RO permeate capacity. The RO trains operate at 85 percent recovery and maximum permeate flux of 12 gfd (20.4 lmh). Each train houses 1,050 8- × 40-in. high-productivity RO membrane elements in a 78:48:24 array. OCWD staff analyzed optimum operation intervals between cleanings based on the energy required to operate each train.