Abstract: | By replacing thermal concentration processes, high‐pressure reverse osmosis has the potential to contribute to cost and energy savings regarding concepts for industrial water reuse. To provide a better understanding of the spiral‐wound element behavior during high‐pressure operation, this study focusses on the investigation of their performance by scrutinizing the crucial effect of the permeate‐sided pressure drop induced by membrane‐spacer interactions. The experiments show a considerable influence of membrane intrusion on the element performance with a strong dependence on the feed pressure. |