Selection of membranes and membrane elements for industrial water treatment by ultrafiltration

Summary

The technology of water purification by ultrafiltration has come into operation in Russia since the early 2000s with the commissioning of the largest drinking water treatment plant in Europe with a capacity of 250 thousand m³/day (10,500 m³/h) at the South-West Water Treatment Plant in Moscow, and a water treatment plant with a capacity of 250 m³/h at the Novocherkassk Regional Power Plant. Dozens of such plants are currently in operation. Membranes of various designs, made of different materials and with various instrumentation are used. As a rule, provided proper selection of equipment and its operating conditions, the service life of ultrafiltration membranes is from 4 to 10 years. Herewith, mandatory preliminary pilot tests are required; however, many a man ignore them, taking the view that the process has been tried-and-true and simple enough. Actually, the selection of the optimal membrane elements and operating modes is a difficult task, and errors entail large financial and reputational losses.

Ключевые слова

coagulation , ultrafiltration , membrane module , membrane technology , pilot tests , water , ultrafiltration units