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PAVAN MANDAPAKA
ASST. PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF CIVIL & ENVT. ENGG.
UPES, DEHRADUN
Water Treatment Glossary of Terms
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Reverse Osmosis Glossary of Terms
Dissolved Solids – Also referred to as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), it is the
amount of nonvolatile matter dissolved in a water sample, and is usually
expressed in parts-per-million by weight.
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Contd….
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Contd…
Mho – Unit of measurement for conductance; the reciprocal of ohm (resistance).
PPM – Parts per million. The most common measure of dissolved ionized impurities
in water. The same as milligrams per liter.
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Contd…
Psig – Pounds per square inch of gauge pressure, or pressure above atmospheric
pressure.
Reject – In reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration, those impurities not able to permeate
the membrane are said to be rejected (removed). They are flushed away in the reject
(waste) stream.
Reverse Osmosis – The reversal of osmosis to purify water. In osmosis, water
diffuses through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution to a
more concentrated solution. The flow of water can be reversed with an opposing
pressure that exceeds osmotic pressure. With Reverse Osmosis, water is forced out
of a concentrated solution, leaving the solute (impurities) behind.
Salt – Any of numerous compounds that result from replacement of part or all of the
hydrogen of an acid by a metal or a radical acting like a metal; an ionic or
electrovalent crystalline compound.
Scale – The mineral deposits that can coat the insides of boiler or the surfaces of RO
membranes. It consists mainly of calcium carbonate, which precipitates out of
solution under certain conditions of pH, alkalinity and hardness.
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Contd…
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How Reverse Osmosis Works
A semi permeable membrane, like the membrane of a cell wall or a bladder,
is selective about what it allows to pass through, and what it prevents from
passing. These membranes in general pass water very easily because of its
small molecular size; but also prevent many other contaminants from
passing by trapping them. Water will typically be present on both sides of
the membrane, with each side having a different concentration of dissolved
minerals. Since the water with the less concentrated solution seeks to dilute
the more concentrated solution, water will pass through the membrane from
the lower concentration side to the greater concentration side. Eventually,
osmotic pressure (seen in the diagram below as the pressure created by the
difference in water levels) will counter the diffusion process exactly, and an
equilibrium will form.
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The process of reverse osmosis forces water with a greater concentration of
contaminants (the source water) into a tank containing water with an
extremely low concentration of contaminants (the processed water). High
water pressure on the source side is used to "reverse" the natural osmotic
process, with the semi-permeable membrane still permitting the passage of
water while rejecting most of the other contaminants. The specific process
through which this occurs is called ion exclusion, in which a concentration
of ions at the membrane surface from a barrier that allows other water
molecules to pass through while excluding other substances.
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Inside A RO Membrane
RO Membrane
Product
Water
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Spiral Wound Membrane Element
Several layers of membrane material are sandwiched between spacer
material to form leaves with a feed / reject channel and a product
channel. These leaves are then rolled around a central product
collection tube. This assembly is referred to as a spiral wound
membrane element.
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The spiral wound membrane element is installed in a pressure vessel. A seal
between the outside of the membrane and the inside of the pressure vessel
prevents the feed water from flowing between the membrane and pressure
vessel. This is called a brine seal. Membranes should always be installed with
the brine seal on the feed end of the vessel.
Brine Seal
Reject
Feed
RO Membrane
Water Product
Element
Pressure Vessel
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Basic RO Process Flow Diagram
RO
Membrane(s) Product
Feed Water
Water
Pump
Control Valve
Reject to Drain
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Factors That Effect the Operation of RO Systems
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Reverse Osmosis System Operation
This depends on the number of membranes and the array they are
installed in.
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RO Pretreatment
The RO feed water must be pretreated in order to prevent membrane damage
and/or fouling. Proper pretreatment is essential for the reliable operation of
any RO system. Pretreatment requirements vary depending on the nature of
the feed water. The most common forms of pretreatment are:
• Media Filter - Used to remove large suspended solids (sediment) from the feed
water. Backwashing the media removes the trapped particles. Backwash can
be initiated by time or differential pressure.
• Water Softener - Used to remove calcium and magnesium from the feed water
in order to prevent hardness scaling. The potential for hardness scaling is
predicted by the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI). The LSI should be zero or
negative throughout the unit unless approved antiscalants are used. Softening
is the preferred method of controlling hardness scale.
• Carbon Filter - Used to remove chlorine and organics from the feed water. Free
chlorine will cause rapid irreversible damage to most membranes.
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RO Pretreatment
• Prefilter Cartridge - Used to remove smaller suspended solids and trap any
particles that may be generated by the other pretreatment. The cartridge(s)
should be replaced when the pressure drop across the housing increases 5 - 10
psig over the clean cartridge pressure drop. The effect of suspended solids is
measured by the silt density index (SDI) test. An SDI of five (5) or less is
specified by membrane manufacturers and three (3) or less is recommended.
• Iron & Manganese - These foulants should be completely removed (less than
0.1 ppm). Special media filters and/or chemical treatment is commonly used.
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RO Pretreatment
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RO Membrane Fouling
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RO Membrane Scaling
Membrane scaling occurs when the dissolved solids in the feed water are
concentrated beyond their solubility. The symptoms of scaling are the same
as fouling, low product flow and /or higher than normal feed pressure.
The primary causes of membrane scaling are:
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Other Membrane Problems
Bad product o-ring – Allows feed water to bypass the membrane which results
in a loss of percent rejection.
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