Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
635013 Journal of Membrane Science 2012 10 Pages PDF
Abstract

A fouling model for the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) process is required to propose an appropriate strategy for membrane maintenance (i.e., membrane cleaning and replacement). In this study, a fouling model that considered the concentration polarization was properly developed to simulate the long-term performance of the SWRO process based on models from the literature. The model was practically applied to one-year operation data obtained from the Fujairah SWRO desalination plant with parameter estimation, and good agreement between the measured data and simulated results was obtained for both the rejection and recovery rates. Compared to an integrated model consisting of two models from the literature, the fouling model proposed in this study showed reliable performance for membrane fouling such as the increase in the permeate TDS concentration according to operating time. In addition, simulations for membrane maintenance were conducted based on the variation in membrane resistance, which reflects the fouling state of the membrane. These revealed that the rearrangement of membranes is not significantly effective without cleaning the fouled membrane. Instead, a partial replacement of membranes can be an effective maintenance scheme to increase the recovery rate. Accordingly, the results of the study presented here can be used to save operation and maintenance (O&M) costs in SWRO plants through the optimized management of fouled membranes.

► Development of a fouling model that considered the concentration polarization. ► Practical application of the fouling model to the operation data of an actual plant. ► Effects of membrane rearrangement and replacement on membrane maintenance. ► Proposal of an appropriate strategy for membrane maintenance of SWRO desalination process.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Filtration and Separation
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