Design and optimization of seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants using special simulation software

This paper introduces the Integrated process simulation environment (IPSEpro™) software, and its application to reverse osmosis desalination.The paper introduces the reader to the basic modeling concepts, and how individual process units can be simply simulated with a graphical, flowsheet style interface.The paper then goes on to describe an example simulation for off design of an integrated pump, membrane rack and isobaric energy recovery device, investigating the effects of changing water quality, membrane condition and also, the influence of isobaric energy recovery device overflush.     

Bench-scale evaluation of seawater desalination by reverse osmosis

In bench-scale tests of seawater reverse osmosis desalination it is important to carefully consider osmotic pressure effects and determine the extent of concentration polarization so that sources of flux variation—whether from fouling, compaction, or osmotic pressure changes—can be properly assessed. Rigorous modeling of concentration polarization is difficult because of the complex geometries and flow regimes in RO modules; typically, concentration polarization must be measured. However, concentration polarization measurement usually requires knowledge of membrane permeability, which can vary from coupon to coupon. In this study a method is presented to determine both the membrane permeability and the concentration polarization regime in a single test. The key to the test is to allow the salt concentration to vary over time in a predictable way and extract parameters from a model fitted to the flux data. The usefulness of this technique is highlighted by evaluating results from several seawater experiments. It was found that specific flux decline in the experiments was caused by changes in osmotic pressure and membrane compaction. RO fouling by seawater organic-matter was not significant for the several seawater samples tested.     

Marine reverse osmosis desalination plant — a case study

In the present work, one type of reverse osmosis desalination plant with 2.5 t/d product was introduced. An experimental study was carried out, the result of experiment was analyzed. The calculation data using ROSA software developed by Dow Chemical company was given. By regression analysis of the experimental data, the model correlations were given. The conclusion is that with the increment of operation pressure, the power consumption increased linearly, the flow rate of product and percent recovery increased accordingly, the concentration of product decreased reversibly.     

Exergy analysis of a reverse osmosis desalination plant in California

The exergy analysis of a 7250 m³/d reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant in California was conducted by using actual plant operation data, and an alternative design was investigated to improve its performance. The RO plant is described in detail, and the exergies across the major components of the plant are calculated and illustrated using exergy flow diagrams in an attempt to assess the exergy destruction distribution. The primary locations of exergy destruction were the membrane modules in which the saline water is separated into the brine and the permeate, and the throttling valves where the pressure of liquid is reduced, pressure drops through various process components, and the mixing chamber where the permeate and blend are mixed. The largest exergy destruction occurred in the membrane modules, and this amounted to 74.07% of the total exergy input. The smallest exergy destruction occurred in the mixing chamber. The mixing accounted for 0.67% of the total exergy input and presents a relatively small fraction. The second law of efficiency of the plant was calculated to be 4.3%, which seems to be low. The analysis of the alternative design was based on the exergy analysis. It is shown that the second law of efficiency can be increased to 4.9% by introducing a pressure exchanger with two throttling valves on the brine stream, and this saved 19.8 kW electricity by reducing the pumping power of the incoming saline water.     

Cost analysis of seawater desalination with reverse osmosis in Turkey

Economically usable water resources per capita are decreasing due to excessive population increase each year in Turkey. For this reason, new water resources should be found in the near future. The potential water resources are seawater or well water both of which need removal of salinity. The most promising treatment method for salinity is reverse osmosis. While reverse osmosis becomes widespread, the cost of the process will decrease. There is no detailed information about cost of seawater desalination in Turkey. In this study, a cost analysis of seawater desalination in Turkey was performed for reverse osmosis systems. The basic parameters of cost analysis such as capacity, recovery, membrane life, energy, chemical costs and flux were evaluated based on the effects on capital, operating and total production costs.     

Design, simulation and economic analysis of a stand-alone reverse osmosis desalination unit powered by wind turbines and photovoltaics

The fresh water shortage is a significant problem in many areas of the world such as deserts, rural areas, Mediterranean countries and islands. However, renewable energy potential in these areas is usually high using solar and wind energy. A desalination unit powered by renewable energy sources is a promising solution for this problem. This paper presents the design of a stand-alone hybrid wind-PV system to power a seawater reverse osmosis desalination unit, with energy recovery using a simplified spreadsheet model. A daily and monthly simulation and economic analysis were also performed. The calculated fresh water production cost was 5.2 ?/m³, and the realized energy saving was up to 48% when a pressure-exchanger-type energy recovery unit is considered.     

Improvements of a hollow fiber reverse osmosis desalination model: Analysis of numerical results

In this work, a rigorous model describing the processes taking place in hollow fiber modules for reverse osmosis desalination is analyzed. The Kimura–Sourirajan model is used for describing transport phenomena through the membrane. The concentration polarization phenomenon is mathematically described using the film theory, while the Hagen–Poiseuille and Ergun equations describe the pressure drop in the fiber bore and on the shell side of the fiber bundle, respectively. Improving the previous model, in this work the salt concentration of the permeate accumulated along the fiber is calculated from appropriate mass balances. Hence, the osmotic pressure and the water and salt fluxes through the membrane that depend on this concentration change through the module; and it also influences indirectly the calculation of other process parameters. The solutions of all the differential equations involved in the model are accurately approximated by the finite differences method applied over an appropriate discretization. The value of the output variables changes less than 1% when the finite difference mesh is increased from 6 to 7 grid points in the range of each domain, axial and radial. The flow rates and salt concentrations profiles obtained by the proposed model are analyzed. The influences of the transmembrane and osmotic pressures over the permeate flow rates and salt concentrations are studied. The effect of incorporating the accumulated permeate salinity is showed. It is proved that errors committed by ignoring the permeate accumulated salinity can be significant. Sensitivity analysis for the permeate flow rate and permeate salt concentration is performed by studying the influence of different kind of data: input variables, physical coefficients and design variables.     

Feasibility of reverse osmosis desalination of brackish agricultural drainage water in the San Joaquin Valley

The technical feasibility of reverse osmosis (RO) desalination of agricultural drainage (AD) water in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV) was evaluated based on systematic analysis of water quality monitoring data and field water desalting tests in a laboratory plate-and-frame RO (PFRO) system. Thermodynamic solubility analysis and diagnostic PFRO desalting tests served to determine the feasible range of water recovery limits and to assess the mineral scaling potential. Analysis of the recovery limits imposed by scaling due to sparingly soluble salts (e.g. calcite, gypsum, silica) suggested feasible recoveries in the range of 46%-69%. Diagnostic PFRO desalting tests with five representative field water sources from the SJV (having gypsum and calcite saturation indices in the range of 0.12-1.03 and 2.9-9.5, respectively) confirmed the above recovery range. Mineral scale coverage was consistent with the observed flux decline. Deployment of RO technology for treatment of brackish SJV AD water would require site-specific process optimization given the geographic and temporal water quality variabilities. Therefore, RO operation with variable feed water quality (with respect to salinity and scaling propensity) and at sufficiently high recovery would require effective plant control, enabled by real-time mineral scale detection and adaptable process operation to mitigate mineral scaling.     

Study of reverse osmosis membranes fouling by inorganic salts and colloidal particles during seawater desalination

Fouling phenomenon is considered among the major reasons that cause significant increase of operating cost of desalination plants equipped with reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. This phenomenon is studied in the present work in the case of RO polyamide aromatic membranes using model seawater containing inorganic salts and colloidal compounds. Different solubility conditions of CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ were applied to study RO performances with and without colloid presence. During experiments, the membrane permeate fluxes were continuously monitored. Moreover, studies of chemical composition, structure, and morphology of the materials deposited on the membrane surface were conducted using energy dispersive microanalysis (EDS) X-ray diffraction and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Results show that in conditions of calcium carbonate oversaturation there is a reduction in the permeate flow of 11.2% due to fouling of the membrane by the precipitation of this compound. While in the same conditions of calcium sulphate oversaturation the reduction of the flow is 5%, so we can conclude that in conditions of oversaturation of both salts, calcium carbonate produces a greater fouling of the membrane that in its view causes greater decrease in the flow of permeate. All this based on the results of the test with both salts in oversaturated conditions. Resulting in the formation of calcite and gypsum crystals onto the membranes as XRD analyses stated. Additional presence of colloidal silica in those conditions intensifies strongly the fouling, leading until to 24.1% of permeate flux decrease.     

海水反渗透淡化技术的分析与探讨

反渗透海水淡化技术是一种高效、节能、先进的液体分离技术.论述了目前国内外海水反渗透淡化技术的应用现状,着重介绍了反渗透膜材料及特点、膜污染及清洗、典型的海水反渗透淡化流程,探讨了反渗透海水淡化技术目前存在的问题及未来发展趋势.     

Elimination of biological fouling in seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants

The main trouble in the RO method of seawater desalination is biological fouling (bio-fouling) from microorganism growth. In this work, the growth rate of microorganisms in the Red Sea and sterilization by chlorine injection were measured and quantified. Furthermore, actual demonstration of RO pilot tests using cellulose tri-acetate (CTA) RO membranes with chlorine resistance was performed in RO plants where bio-fouling actually occurred. By carrying out direct chlorine sterilization of the RO membrane with an intermittent chlorine injection method, bio-fouling was eliminated. The combination of the CTA membrane and chlorine injection successfully prevented increases of differential pressure and stabilized product water quantity and quality.     

Preliminary experimental study of a small reverse osmosiswind-powered desalination plant

The paper describes the work carried out in the development of a small wind-powered desalination plant. Analternative control system was studied to serve as a direct interphase between a reverse osmosis desalination plant and a small wind energy conversion system. The main purpose was to reduce or eliminate the need for an energy storage system (usually, a battery bank). In order to achieve this objective, an experimental prototype of a desalination plant and a wind generator simulator were developed. The systems were evaluated under laboratory-controlled conditions and subjected to field trials. The experimental plant desalinates highly saline seawater (35,000 mg/L) at a rate of approximately 0.4 m³/d. This amount of potable water is sufficient to supply the basic water demands in a small community in an isolated location. The paper also describes the identification of technical problems associated with operating a desalination plant with an intermittent source of energy (wind).     

Optimization of solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination pilot plant using response surface methodology

A solar thermal and photovoltaic-powered reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant has been constructed and optimized for brackish water desalination. The central composite experimental design of orthogonal type and response surface methodology (RSM) have been used to develop predictive models for simulation and optimization of different responses such as the salt rejection coefficient, the specific permeate flux and the RO specific performance index that takes into consideration the salt rejection coefficient, the permeate flux, the energy consumption and the conversion factor. The considered input variables were the feed temperature, the feed flow-rate and the feed pressure. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been employed to test the significance of the RSM polynomial models. The optimum operating conditions have been determined using the step adjusting gradient method. An optimum RO specific performance index has been achieved experimentally under the obtained optimal conditions. The RO optimized plant guarantees a potable water production of 0.2 m³/day with energy consumption lower than 1.3 kWh/m³.     

Analysis,modelling and simulation of hydrogen peroxide ultrapurification by multistage reverse osmosis

Very high purity chemicals are required for preparation of semiconductor materials and manufacture of printed circuit boards because low presence of metallic impurities is needed to avoid defects on silicon surface. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most demanded chemical by the semiconductor industry and it must be submitted to ultrapurification processes to achieve the exigent requirements the chemical must fulfill to be accepted for semiconductor uses. In this paper, the potential of multistage reverse osmosis processes to reduce the metallic content of technical grade hydrogen peroxide below the limits fixed by the semiconductor industry is investigated. SEMI Grade 1 quality hydrogen peroxide was obtained by a two-pass reverse osmosis process in an experimental lab scale. A model based on Kedem-Katchalsky transport equations together with system material balances was proposed to describe the behavior of the installation. A full analysis of the influence of the design (recovery rates) and operation (applied pressures) variables over the performance of a simulated industrial scale plant was carried out. The economic viability of the simulated plant was demonstrated.     

Experiments of a prototype wind-driven reverse osmosis desalination system with feedback control

A prototype wind-powered reverse osmosis desalination system was constructed and tested on Coconut Island off the northern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, for brackish water desalination. The system has four major subsystems: a multi-vaned windmill/pump, a flow/pressure stabilizer, a reverse osmosis module, and a control mechanism. The feedback control mechanism, developed by this study, allowed this prototype system to be operated satisfactorily under mild ambient wind of 5 m/s or less. No auxiliary power source was needed. The system operational data showed that at an average wind speed of 5 m/s, brackish feedwater at a total dissolved solids concentration of 3000 mg/1 and at a flow rate of 13 1/min could be processed by this system. The average rejection rate of this prototype system was 97% and the average recovery ratio was 20%. The energy efficiency of the system was measured at 3 5%, which is comparable to the typical energy efficiency of well-operated multi-vaned windmills. Generally, the system's energy efficiency decreases as wind speed increases.     

Leachate treatment by the reverse osmosis system

The DT-Module system for landfill leachate treatment installed at Yachiyo Town in the Kanto District of Japan was put into service in April 1999. The system, which is equipped with a disc-tube type reverse osmosis (RO) membrane module called the DT-Module, has been operating satisfactorily for more than two and a half years, producing very-high-quality product water, after treating very-high-salinity water with high-scaling ions. On the other hand, in Japan, the dioxin problem has become increasingly severe, and development work for dioxin removal incorporated in leachate treatment has also been requested. The DT-Module system showed excellent performance in removing dioxins from leachate. For dioxins in sludge from the settling basin and dried salt from the concentrate of the RO system, successful destruction data were obtained by furnace system heating in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. The removal rate of dioxins by the DT-Module system and the destruction rate by the furnace were both higher than 99.9%. By applying the DT-Module system together with the furnace system, an excellent leachate treatment and a complete dioxin removal and destruction system have become available for leachate from landfills depositing incineration residue-containing dioxins.     

Desalting of subsurface water using spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) system: technical and economic assessment

Subsurface water rise is a major problem in Kuwait. The impact of this problem is manifested in surface water ponds, cracks in buildings, flooded basements and damaged roads. Dewatering this water of moderate salinity is necessary. Being in an arid area with very limited water resources, treatment and recycling of the subsurface water could be very important to a country like Kuwait. For this purpose, a pilot study was carried out by KISR to desalinate the subsurface water using the reverse osmosis (RO) technique. The main aim of this study is to assess the viability and economic feasibility of using RO technology. This paper outlines the results of over 8000 operating hours performance data of an RO plant utilizing spiral-wound membranes (SW) used to desalinate subsurface water with TDS of about 11,000 mg/1 and an economic feasibility evaluation. Results indicate that the (SW) RO system is a viable technique to desalinate this type of water. The improvements in TDS, COD and BOD were 99%, 96% and 42%, respectively. The economic feasibility evaluation indicates that the unit cost of desalting subsurface water by RO is 0.235 KD/m³ (0.776 US$/m³), which is considered to be economically feasible for a small-scale plant.     

Mineral scale monitoring for reverse osmosis desalination via real-time membrane surface image analysis

An approach to real-time analysis of mineral scale formation on reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was developed using an ex-situ direct observation membrane monitor (MeMo). The purpose of such monitoring is to signal the onset of mineral scaling and provide quantitative information in order to appropriately initiate system cleaning/scale dissolution. The above is enabled by setting the MeMo operating conditions (cross flow velocity and transmembrane pressure) to closely match the conditions in the monitored membrane plant (e.g., in the tail RO element) in order to mimic the surface scaling processes taking place inside the monitored RO plant element. Mineral scale in the MeMo system is monitored by comparison of consecutive images of the membrane surface for the purpose of determining the evolution of the fractional coverage by mineral salt crystals and the corresponding crystal count in the monitored region. Through online image analysis, once crystal growth is determined to be above a prescribed threshold, one can then initiate any number of cleaning protocols. Through early detection of membrane scaling (i.e., before permeate flux decline is observed), enabled by the present monitoring approach, the system operator can prevent irreversible membrane damage and loss of system productivity.     

冷冻-重力脱盐与反渗透结合的海水淡化分析研究

随着我国沿海液化天然气(LNG)接收站的迅速发展,LNG冷能有望成为冷冻法海水淡化的低成本冷源。在此前提下,研究了人工海冰在不同融化率下的重力脱盐效果,结果表明,当融化率达到79.53%时,Cl-、TDS、总硬度这3项指标可达到饮用水标准。当融化率为39.81%时,将冷冻-重力脱盐产水作为反渗透系统进水的运行模式,相较单纯冷冻-重力脱盐模式,饮用水产水率由20.47%上升到45.1%;相较直接将原海水进行反渗透处理,水泵吨水能耗从3.39 kW·h下降到0.87 kW·h。