Membrane Fouling and Chemical Cleaning in Three Full-Scale Reverse Osmosis Plants Producing Demineralized Water
Table 1
Specification and operational history of the membrane elements used in this study.
Location
Location I Sas van Gent, Netherlands
Location II Dordrecht, Netherlands
Location III Veendam, Netherlands
Feed water
Secondary waste water effluent
River water
Surface water
Membrane element
DOW FILMTEC BW30XFR-400/34i
DOW FILMTEC LE-440i
DOW FILMTEC LE-440i
Membrane configuration & type
Spiral wound thin-film composite
Spiral wound thin-film composite
Spiral wound thin-film composite
Spacer thickness [mil/µm]
34/864
28/711
28/711
Active membrane area [m2]
37
41
41
CIP frequency [per year]
~17 per year
~17 per year
~7 per year
Days of operation [elements]
1056
1057
Days since last CIP
15
20
1 mil = 0.001 inch = 25.4 µm. From this installation, two membrane elements were autopsied, one before last full-scale CIP and one after last full-scale CIP.
