Volume1 - Aventura

Technical Tips
Cleaning And Disinfection Of RO Membranes
Fouling of RO membrane is more or less a normal phenomenon of most RO Systems. The pre-treatment
of the feed water prior to the RO membrane is basically designed to reduce fouling substances as
much as possible, but technically it cannot remove all of them. Fortunately, with correct
cleaning procedure, most foulants can be removed from the membrane. The
cleaning frequency could be minimized as long as the pre-treatment is
well maintained without conditions such as an uncontrolled
change in feed water composition and uncontrolled
biological contamination. Sometimes mistakes
in the system operation such as too high
recovery and failure of chemical
dosing systems could
end up fouling the
membrane.
The
fouling of
membrane surfaces
results in lower permeate
fl ow rate and/or lower salt
rejection. Increased pressure drop
between the feed and concentrate side can
also occur from the fouling. Cleaning the fouled
membranes can be accomplished by suitable cleaning
agents at alkaline (Up to pH12) and acidic (pH2) conditions
because RO membranes are stable at the pH conditions and at an
elevated temperature (45LC).
Many foulants such as clay-type soils and metal hydroxides can compact with time as
the foulant layer increases in thickness. As the foulants compact, it will become more
diffi cult to remove them
during cleaning. Thus, the time of cleaning must not be delayed too long. Timing for
Cleaning Elements should be cleaned immediately when one of the following symptoms
is detected:
Loss of 10 to 15% in normalised permeate fl ow rate.
Decrease of 0.5% in salt rejection.
The differential pressure (Feed pressure- concentrate pressure) P increases by 15% from the
reference conditions (initial performance established during the fi rst 24 to 48 hours of operation).
It should be noted that it is important to normalize flow and salt content of the permeate according to
the normalization procedure.
Cleaning Tank and other Equipment
The mixing tank for cleaning agents should be made of polypropylene 04 FRP which is resistant to pH in the range
of 1 to 12. The cleaning agents work better at an elevated temperature. (e.g. 35-4LC). The cleaning temperature should not
be below 15LC at which the cleaning rate is very slow. Cooling may also be required to avoid overheating. So heating and cooling
equipment may be necessary to control the temperature of the cleaning solution.
The size of the tank needs to be large enough to contain the volume of the cleaning solution approximately equal to the volume to the
pressure vessel plus the volume of the feed and return pipes. If it is diffi cult to calculate the exact volume of the pipes, it can be assumed
to be about 20% of the vessel volume. Appropriate pump, valves, fl ow meters, and pressure gauge should be installedto control the flow.
North
Deepak Sharma
Water Treatment Expert
Water Treatment
expert, is a
Renowned name
in Noida for water
treatment the firm
specializes in RO &
DM plants
South
Speak
Narender Nath
Shubratha Technologies
Shubratha
Technologies, has
been in the Water
Sector since the last
4 years specializing in
Mixed Bed Softeners
and RO’s.
Aventura
Q According to you, what are the
challenges for ’s in the coming
future
There has been a spectacular change in
the Water industry in the last few years.
Remaining price competitive is the
foremost challenge for the ’s as the
markets have become very competitive
in terms of price.
Q What are the kind of projects you
specialize in and what are your
strengths
We mainly specialize in RO plants
and it forms to be our major revenue
contributor. In addition to this , we
have our competence in trading of
components and DM plants.
Q What are the challenges you face
everyday as an in the Water
sector
The water sector is growing at a very
fast pace. Due to a large number
of players coming in this market,
the customer demands high level
of service and trouble shooting.
Therefore having a good service team
in place to satisfy the customer needs
is the biggest challenge.
Q How do you maintain your
distinction in the most competitive
Market
Being in the industry for more than
17 Years, we have understood the
importance of After Sale Service,
which is our core strength. Apart
from the Service, we strongly believe
in using the best of the quality spares
which are most important to have the
deliverables ready.
We are a part of the
Partnership program, Are you
West
East
Ashwin Gupta
Apoorva Water
management Systems
Apoorva Water
management
Systems, is a Water
business Corporation,
headquartered
in Ahmedabad
which has been into
Water treatment
for Beverages,
Pharmaceuticals
and other industrial
applications.
Jayanto Ghosh
Kemtak India
Kemtak India has been
in Water treatment
business since the
last ten years and has
specialized in areas
of RO Plants and DM
Plants.
Q How do you foresee the
opportunities in the Water sector
The Water treatment business
is emerging as one of the top
five businesses in the industrial
segment as the quality of water is
deteriorating day by day. The trend
has been continuously changing
from Ion Exchange, to RO and
now MBR, Macro Filtration and
UF in the present decade. So, the
opportunities are immense provided
we walk with new technology and
optimization.
Q How has been your business
journey all through the years since
your start up
I started as a small entrepreneur
with a servicing setup. Today, I
am also involved in manufacturing
of Water treatment plants which
includes RO, STP based on MBR.
To sum up, my business journey
so far has been good and beyond
expectation.
QHow do you cope up with the
changes in the Water market
We believe innovation is the key to
remaining competitive in an evolving
market. Adding new products to the
product line as per the changing
needs helps us in going a long way.
Q How do you keep yourself
updated with the technological
advancements in the Water sector
We believe, Knowledge empowers.
So we try and augment our
knowledge from all possible sources
viz. books, magazines, publications,
Practical experiences and now we
will be reading OEM Accelerator by
Aventura Components.
Components Are Everything
Components Are Everything
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