Reverse osmosis process design

The above equations show that for a reverse osmosis system specified In terms of y, 9, and X, any one of the six quantities (performance parameters) C], C2, C3, C3, X or X or T, and A uniquely fixes all the other five quantities (112). Further, since the relationships represented by the set of eq 34 to 41 Involve 8 equations with 12 unknowns, namely, y, 9, X, Z, A, C-j, C2, C2, C3, C3, C3 and X or X or T, by fixing any four Independent quantities Included In the above unknowns, eq 34 to 41 can be solved simultaneously to obtain the remaining 8 quantities. The utility of this approach to system analysis for reverse osmosis process design and predicting the performance of reverse osmosis modules Is Illustrated In detail In the literature (6d,105,107,108,111,112,113). 

Given the first type of simulation, it is advantageous to be able to design a system of RO modules that can achieve the process objective at a minimal cost. A model has been iategrated iato a process simulation program to predict the stream matrix for a reverse osmosis process (132). In the area of waste minimization, the proper placement of RO modules is essential for achieving minimum waste at a minimum cost. Excellent details on how to create an optimal network of RO modules is available (96). 

To ensure the successful design of a reverse osmosis process, several factors should be considered. These considerations encompass the feed solution, the membrane module, and the use of other processes in the pre- and post-treatment processes. A thorough knowledge of the feed stream and its components is essential to the prevention of membrane damage and product impurities. Once the feed stream is characterized and the process objective is defined, design can be initiated. 

Water supplied to industry has to meet stringent specifications. For example, process water for the chemical and biotechnology industries is routinely purified beyond potable water standards. Boiler feed water for steam generation must contain a minimum of silica. Reverse osmosis units designed specifically for these purposes are in widespread use today. For example, reverse osmosis/distillation hybrid systems have been designed to separate organic liquids. For semiconductor manufacture, reverse osmosis is combined with ultrafiltration, ion exchange, and activated carbon adsorption to produce the extremely clean water required. 

In reverse osmosis, most modules are of the hollow-fine fiber or spiral-wound design plate-and-frame and tubular modules are limited to a few appHcations in which membrane fouling is particularly severe, for example, food appHcations or processing of heavily contaminated industrial wastewater. 

Transport Models. Many mechanistic and mathematical models have been proposed to describe reverse osmosis membranes. Some of these descriptions rely on relatively simple concepts others are far more complex and require sophisticated solution techniques. Models that adequately describe the performance of RO membranes are important to the design of RO processes. Models that predict separation characteristics also minimize the number of experiments that must be performed to describe a particular system. Excellent reviews of membrane transport models and mechanisms are available (9,14,25-29). 

Feed characteri2ation, particularly for nondesalination appHcatioas, should be the first and foremost objective in the design of a reverse osmosis plant. This involves the determination of the type and concentration of the main solutes and foulants in the stream, temperature, pH, osmotic pressure, etc. Once the feed has been characteri2ed, a reaHstic process objective can be defined. In most cases, some level of pretreatment is needed to reduce the number and concentration of foulants present in the feed stream. Pretreatment necessitates the design of processes other than the RO module, thus the overaH process design should use the minimum pretreatment necessary to meet the process objective. Once the pretreatment steps have been determined and the final feed stream defined, the RO module can be selected. 

Prediction of reverse osmosis performance is usefiil to the design of RO processes. Simulation of RO processes can be separated iato two categories. The first is the predictioa of membrane module performance. The second is the simulation of a network of RO processes, ie, flow sheet simulations, which can be used to determine the optimum placement of RO modules to obtain the overaH process objective. 

Evangelista, F. (1986). Improved graphical analytical method for the design of reverse osmosis desalination plants. Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev., 25(2), 366-375. 

Engineering Science of Reverse Osmosis Transport and Process Design... 

Figure 13. Schematic of a reverse osmosis system for process design...

In all the foregoing discussion on reverse osmosis transport, system analysis and process design, no new chemical engineering principle Is Involved. But the manner In which the known principles are combined and expressed Is new the kind of results arising from such expressions Is new and the direction such approach sets for future work on the subject Is also new, all of which open a new area of chemical engineering. 

The detailed process design is familiar to students of chemical engineering, and includes specifying the source of the raw material water the equipment to be used, such as filtration, reverse osmosis, charcoal absorption, ozone treatment, ion exchanger, and pumps the processing conditions, such as flow rates and temperatures and the plant flow sheet. The detailed product design plan for this simplest of products includes the composition of this bottled water, with special attention to the concentrations of compounds such as sodium and carbon dioxide, suspended matter, and microbes, with special emphasis on the appearance and smell. 

Reverse Osmosis Design, Processes, and Applications for Engineers by Jane Kucera. Published 2010. ISBN 978-0-470-61843-1. This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the process of reverse osmosis in industrial applications, a technology that is becoming increasingly more important as more and more companies choose to go green. 

The success of EDR in water demineralization has apparently resulted from its greater tolerance of particulate and fouling matter compared to reverse osmosis greater forgivingness of process upsets greater tolerance for unskilled operators simplicity in design and construction of EDR stacks compared to reverse osmosis modules the ability to inspect, dean, or replace one membrane at a time the existence of a comprehensive global sales and... 

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