It is important for you to understand the ins and outs of your system to ensure optimal performance and operation.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR MEMBRANE TREATMENT SYSTEM:
- Data monitoring the parameters below can provide enormous benefits.
- Feed pressures - the pressure at which the wastewater is flowing (flow rate) into the membrane system.
- Trans Membrane Pressures (TMP) - Average applied driving force or pressure to push or pull water through the feed to the filtration side of the membrane. It is important to measure the TMP in order to optimize a procedure to obtain the highest flux without using too much pressure.
- Flux - Filtration rate per square foot of membrane surface area. The higher flux design rate, the less surface area you will need resulting in lower installation costs.
- Permeability - Quantity of water per square foot of membrane surface area that 1 psi can treat.
- pH - Hydrogen-ion concentration in wastewater and natural waters. pH is measured on a meter of 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral, less than 7 is acidic and greater than 7 is basic. Maintaining a neutral pH is essential for wastewater and biological treatment.
- Temperature - Temperature is a key parameter to monitor during plant operation. Temperature affects the treatment process and membrane flux rates. When wastewater temperature drops, the water becomes more viscous causing lower flux and high system installation costs.
If these values start to fluctuate, process adjustments should be made to bring the parameters back to optimal performance before alarm conditions occur. This is typically done in a few ways:
- Chemically cleaning the membranes
- Instrumentation calibrations
- Sludge wasting
Monitoring these parameters and being aware of system changes is key for optimal treatment and performance.
