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Reverse Osmosis

PAVAN MANDAPAKA
ASST. PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF CIVIL & ENVT. ENGG.
UPES, DEHRADUN
Water Treatment Glossary of Terms

Anion – A negatively charged ion.


Auto flush – An automatic temporary increase in the reject flow. This helps prevent
membrane fouling.
Calcium – A metallic element often found in water, usually as dissolved calcium
carbonate (CaCO3). Soluble in water, it causes hardness and subsequent scaling.
Carbon – A nonmetallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic
compounds. Is capable of chemical self-bonding to form an enormous number of
important molecules.
Cation – A positively charged ion.

Chlorine – An element used to kill micro-organisms in water. At room temperature


and atmospheric pressure it is a greenish yellow gas.

Conductivity – The reciprocal of resistivity, it is a measure of the ability to conduct


an electric current. Since ionized impurities increase the conductivity of water, it is
also an accurate measure of ionic purity. Conductivity is normally expressed as
microsiemens/cm, or micromhos/cm.

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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.

Flux – The number of gallons of permeate produced per square foot of


membrane area per day (GFD). Generally, flux rates are determined by the
feed water SDI.

Fouling – When gelatinous coatings, colloidal masses or dense bacterial


growth form a compacted crust on membrane or filter surfaces which blocks
further flow.

Hardness – Concentration of calcium and magnesium salts in water.


Hardness is a term originally referring to the soap-consuming power of water.
As such it is sometimes also taken to include iron and manganese. High
hardness can cause boiler or pipe scale and failure of reverse osmosis
membranes.

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Contd….
4

 Ion – An atom or group of atoms with an electrical


charge that is positive (cation) or negative (anion) as a
result of having lost or gained electrons.
 Membrane – Filtration membranes are thin polymer
films that are permeable to water and other fluids.
Microporous membrane filters have measurable pore
structures which physically remove particles or
microorganisms larger than pore size. Ultrafiltration
membranes, (sometimes called molecular sieves), also
remove molecules larger than a specified molecular
weight. Reverse osmosis membranes are permeable
to water molecules, and very little else, rejecting even
dissolved ions in water.

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Contd…
Mho – Unit of measurement for conductance; the reciprocal of ohm (resistance).

Micromho – A measure of conductance equal to one millionth of a mho.


Osmosis – The diffusion of a solvent through a semipermeable membrane from a
less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution.
Percent Recovery – In reverse osmosis, the ratio of pure water output to feed water
input. The recovery that the membranes operate at is called internal or membrane
recovery. The recover that the RO machine operates at is called overall or machine
recovery.
Percent Rejection – In reverse osmosis, the ratio of impurities removed to total
impurities in the incoming feed water. The formula for calculating percent rejection is
100 X (feed – product)/feed
Permeate – In reverse osmosis, the water that diffuses through the membrane,
thereby becoming purified water.
pH – The negative log of the hydrogen-ion concentration. A solution with a pH lower
than 7 is acidic. If its pH is higher than 7 it is alkaline.

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…

Semipermeable – Membranes that do not have measurable pores, but through


which smaller molecules can pass.
Specific Conductance – The reciprocal of specific resistance, usually expressed
in microsiemens/cm, identical to micromhos/cm.
Specific Resistance – Resistance of a one-centimeter cube of water to the
passage of electricity under standard conditions, expressed in ohms-cm. It is a
measure of the Total Ionized Solids concentration.
Suspended Solids – Undissolved solids that can be removed by filtration.
Determined by a filter paper before and after filtration of a water sample.
Turbidity – A suspension of fine particles that obscures light rays but requires
many days for sedimentation because of small particle size.

Viscosity – The tendency of a fluid to resist flowing as a result of molecular


attraction (cohesion).

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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

Water enters the RO membrane under pressure and travels from


the feed end to the reject end. Some of this feed water passes
through the membrane and becomes purified. This water is called
the RO product water. The contaminants that were previously in
the product water exit the membrane in the reject water.

Feed Water Reject


Water

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

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of the feed water


• The natural osmotic pressure of the feed water is approximately 1 psi for every
100 ppm. This means that if the feed water TDS is 500 ppm it will take more
than 5 psi of pressure just to begin the reverse osmosis process.

Feed water temperature


• Reverse osmosis is temperature dependent. The RO process occurs slower
with cold water. All RO membranes are rated with a feed water temperature
of 77° F. Higher operating pressures can be used to compensate for colder
water temperatures. For feed water colder than 77° F, it will take
approximately 1.5% more pressure or the membrane will produce
approximately 1.5% less water for each degree F.

Feed water pressure


• Reverse osmosis is pressure dependent. Raising the feed pressure produces
more product water while lowering the pressure produces less product water.

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Reverse Osmosis System Operation

In order to order to operate a RO system correctly, you need to know


several things!

1. How much product water going to be produced?


This is based on the customers needs and the type of RO unit installed.

2. What overall recovery is the unit going to run at.


This is based on the customers expectations, feed water analysis, and
type of RO unit installed.

3. If the unit has a pump throttling valve, then what is the


correct internal (membrane) recovery?

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

• Chemical Injection - Typically used to feed antiscalant, coagulant, or bisulfite


into the feed water or to adjust the feed water pH.

• 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

• pH - The pH is a measurement that indicatics weather something is acidic or


basic. Acids have a pH value less than 7 while bases have a pH value greater
than 7. The pH is often lowered to reduce the scaling potential (LSI) of the
water.

• Silica - Reported on the analysis as SiO2. Silica forms a coating on membrane


surfaces when the concentration exceeds its solubility. Additionally, the
solubility is highly pH and temperature dependent. Silica fouling can be
prevented with chemical injection and/or reducing the recovery.

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RO Membrane Fouling

Membrane fouling occurs when small particulate matter covers the


membrane surface. The symptom of fouling is low product flow and /or
higher than normal feed pressure. The primary causes of membrane
fouling are:

1. Operating the membranes at a flux rate that is too high.


2. Operating the unit with a recovery that is too high.
3. Inadequate or improper pretreatment.

Fouled membranes can usually be cleaned if they have not lost


more than 15% of their production.

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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:

1. Operating the unit with a recovery that is too high.


2. Inadequate or improper pretreatment.

Scaled membranes can usually be cleaned if they have not lost


more than 15% of their production.

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Other Membrane Problems

Chlorine attack – Oxidizes the membrane which causes it to loose percent


rejection.
Freezing – Physically damages the membrane which causes it to loose percent
rejection.
Back pressure – Physically damages the membrane which causes it to loose
percent rejection.

Bad product o-ring – Allows feed water to bypass the membrane which results
in a loss of percent rejection.

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