FRESH WATER GEBERATOR AND OSMOSIS PROCESSES

A unit used for conversion of seawater into fresh water by vacuum

distillation based on evaporation and condensation. Single-stage
freshwater generator consists of a chamber with two titanium plate
packs acting as an evaporator and a condenser respectively. A vacuum
of 85-95% is maintained in the system by a brine/air ejector. Seawater
evaporates at a temperature of approximately 40°C due to the vacuum
condition as it passes between the plates of evaporator heated by hot
fresh water from the engine jacket cooling system, or by steam.
Generators can be equipped with disinfection units (Chlorination, UV-
radiation and Silver ionization), pH-adjustment and rehardening filters.

Fresh water Generator on Ships

Fresh water production from sea water for domestic and auxiliary
purposes is an essential requirement aboard ships. A considerable
amount of fresh water is consumed in a ship. The crew consumes an
average 100 liter/head/day. In a steam ship (a ship whose main
propulsion unit is steam turbine or a ship which is a large tanker having
steam turbine driven cargo oil pumps) the consumption for the boiler
can be as high as 30 tonnes/day.
Sufficient potable water may be taken on in port to meet crew and
passenger requirement. But the quality of this water will be too poor
for use in water tube boilers and for filling expansion tanks. It is
common practice to take on only a minimum supply of potable water
and make up the rest by distillation of sea water. The stowage space
that would have been used for fresh water can hence be utilized for
fuel or extra space made available for cargo when fresh water
generator is installed on a ship. It is statutory requirement to have a
distillation plant for emergency use if otherwise ship has carried
sufficient potable water. The equipment used on board for the
production of freshwater from seawater is known as fresh water
generator.

Various types of fresh water generators used on board ships are

mainly:

1. Submerged tube type fresh water generator

2. Plate type fresh water generator, and
 3. Reverse osmosis plant

Whatever type of plant is used, essential requirement of any fresh

water generator is that it should produce fresh water as economically
as possible.

Submerged Tube Type Fresh Water Generator

The shell and tube freshwater generator consist of heat exchanger,

separator shell and condenser. In addition to this water ejector, ejector
pump, distillate pump, salinity indicator, demister or mesh separator,
solenoid valve and water flow meter are also fitted as accessories.

Fresh Water Generator Working Principle

Basic principle of all low pressure freshwater generator is that, boiling

point of water can be reduced by reducing the pressure of the
atmosphere surrounding it. By maintaining a low pressure, water can
be boiled at low temperatures say 50 degree Celsius. The source of
heat for the fresh water generator could be waste heat rejected by
main engine jacket cooling water.

Hence using energy from a heating coil, and by reducing pressure in the
evaporator shell, boiling can takes place at about 40 to 60 degree
Celsius. This type of single effect plant is designed to give better
economy than obsolete Boiling Evaporators.

The submerged tube type fresh water generator explained below uses
the heat from main engine jacket cooling water to produce drinkable
water by evaporating seawater due to the high vacuum, which enables
the feed water to evaporate at a comparative low temperature. Steam
can also be used as a heat source instead of main engine jacket cooling
water.

This type of fresh water generator is based on two sets of shell and
tube heat exchangers, one acting as evaporator or heater and other as
condenser.

The combined air/brine ejector creates evaporator chamber vacuum

condition by driving sea water pass through air/brine ejector, and sea
water supplied by the ejector pump to be delivered to ejector for taking
out the brine (concentrated seawater) and air. A simple fresh water
generator diagram is shown below.
While entering to the evaporator chamber temperature of feed water
will be around 50 degree Celsius. Feed water supply rate to the
evaporator is fixed by an orifice fitted at the feed inlet. Because of the
vacuum condition inside evaporator feed water evaporates at this
temperature. The water spray and droplets are partly removed from
the vapour by the deflector mounted on top of the evaporator and
partly by a build in demister. The separated water droplets fall back
into the brine, which is extracted by the water ejector.

The desalted vapour, which passes through the demister, will come in
contact with the condenser, where it will be condensed by means of
incoming cold seawater.

The distilled water is then taken out by integral freshwater pump

(distillate pump) and controlled by salinometer and solenoid valve. If
the salt content of produced water is high, solenoid valve diverts the
freshwater to the shell side of freshwater generator, and issues an
alarm signal. In order to get better suction head, distillate pump is
placed at the lowest possible location in the fresh water generator
plant. This is because the fresh water generator shell is at a lower
pressure. Distillate pump get maximum net positive suction head with
the height of liquid column in the suction line.

Thermometers are installed for control of seawater to the condenser

and jacket cooling water to the evaporator. These thermometers
permit control of both heating and cooling of these units. The
salinometer or salinity indicator is connected to remote alarm so that
very high salinity is immediately registered at the engine control room
of the ship.

A detailed line diagram of a tube type fresh water generator on board

ship is shown below. Click on the diagram to enlarge.
Plate Type Fresh Water Generator

Working principle of plate type fresh water generator is same as that of

submerged tube type. Only difference is the type of heat exchangers
used. Here plate type heat exchangers are used for condenser and
evaporator unit. Heat from the diesel engine cooling water is used to
evaporate a small fraction of the seawater feed in the plate type
freshwater generator or evaporator. Unevaporated water is discharged
as brine (by combined air /brine ejector). The evaporated water passes
through the demister to the plate type vapour condenser. Here, after
condensation it is discharged to fresh water storage tank by fresh water
distillate pump. During entire operation the feed rate to the evaporator
is fixed by the orifice plate at the feed inlet to evaporator. A typical
plate type freshwater generator line diagram is shown below.
In the event of salinity of fresh water exceeding a predetermined value
(maximum usually 10 ppm) the solenoid controlled dump valve diverts
the flow back to the shell. This prevent contamination of the made
water. Excess salinity could be used by many factors include leakage of
seawater at condenser or priming of evaporator or malfunctioning of
demister, or many other reasons.

What cannot be condensed at the condenser are called ‘incondensable

gases’ like air and these gases are continuously ejected out by air/brine
ejector. This way the shell of fresh water generator is maintained at
high vacuum, a must requirement to boil water at low temperatures.

The shell is usually fabricated steel (or non-ferrous metal like cupro-
nickels) which has been shot blasted then coated with some form of
protective. One type of coating is sheet rubber which is rolled and
bonded to the plate then hardened afterwards by heat treatment. The
important points about protective coatings are:

They must be inert and prevent corrosion.

They must resist the effect of acid cleaning and water treatment
chemicals

They must have a good bond with the metal

Heat exchangers use aluminium brass tubes and muntz netal tube plate
in the case of tube type fresh water generator. For plate type, titanium
plates are used for condenser and evaporator. Demister is made of
layered knitted wire of monel metal.

COMPONENTS OF FWG SYSTEM

A FWG consists of the following main components:

Hot and cold water connections.

Shell

Condenser

Evaporator

Demister

Fresh Water Pump

Ejector/Eductor

Temperature Monitoring Devices

Air-Purge Valve

Safety Relief Valve (SRV)

Salinometer

All of the above components are explained in greater detail below.

Low pressure flash evaporators are connected to a seawater and hot

water system. On marine vessels, seawater is sourced directly from the
sea chest whilst hot water is sourced from the engine jacket water
system (engine cooling water system).

The upper part of the FWG houses a condenser plate heat exchanger
whilst the lower part houses an evaporator plate heat exchanger. The
condenser allows seawater to pass through the heat exchanger in a
closed system. The evaporator allows hot water to pass through the
heat exchanger in a closed system. Both the condenser and evaporator
are not fully sealed heat exchangers, the gaskets are modified to allow
seawater to evaporate from the evaporator plates and fresh water to
condense on the condenser plates. In short, plate heat exchangers
usually have two fully closed systems, but in a FWG, one system per
heat exchanger is closed and the other is open.

A demister is installed between the condenser and evaporator.

The condenser, evaporator and demister are housed within the FWG
shell.

This is used to separate sea water droplet from the steam vapour.

A demisters is a thickened layer of mesh structure; fitted in between

the evaporator and the condenser element.

A demisters can be made of nickel, monel metals, copper, stainless

steel and synthetic fibers; such as Polypropylene and PVC.

Typically; demisters made of monel metal are used for the generation
of fresh water.

When the water evaporates it carry over some fine little molecules of
water along with the rising steam.
When the source of such water is sea; it can considerably increase the
salinity of output water.

So to maintain salinity as low as 5 to 15 ppm; we use demisters which

restrict the passage of mist and pass dry steam.

Fresh water from the FWG condenser is pumped to a storage tank by a

fresh water pump (usually a small centrifugal pump).

An ejector/eductor is used to create and maintain a vacuum within the

shell; it also removes brine (water with high salinity) from the lower
part of the shell.

The temperature within the shell, seawater system and jacket water
system is continuously monitored using thermometers (local indication)
and PT 100 sensors (remote indication).

An air-purge valve is installed at the top of the shell. The air-purge

should be open when the FWG is not in service and closed when the
FWG is in service.

As a precaution against over-pressurization, a safety relief valve (SRV) is

installed on the top side of the shell.

A salinometer measures the salinity (‘saltiness’) of the generated fresh

water. If the fresh water has too high a salinity, it is dumped/rejected
(usually to the bilge). If the fresh water is within limits (typically <10
ppm), Seawater is pumped from the sea chest to the FWG condenser. It
passes through the condenser, then the evaporator, and finally through
the ejector. A small amount of seawater is diverted directly from the
condenser to the ejector, this maintains the vacuum within the shell.
The seawater passes through the condenser first because it absorbs
some heat prior to entering the evaporator, which increases the overall
efficiency of the FWG.

Jacket water is pumped from the main engine to the FWG evaporator.
The jacket water has a temperature of approximately 80°C (176°F).
Because the shell is under vacuum, 80°C is sufficient to evaporate some
of the seawater passing through the evaporator. It is important not to
evaporate too much seawater as this will lead to salt forming on the
plates.

Water evaporated from the evaporator forms a water mist which

passes through the demister. The demister removes any carry-over
salts; the water mist then reaches the condenser. Because the
condenser plates are below the condensing temperature of the water
mist, the water mist condenses upon the condenser plates. The
condensed fresh water is then extracted using the fresh water pump.

Water Treatment

Fresh water directly after the FWG is called distilled water and is used
for washing and cleaning applications etc. Correcting the water PH
value, then passing it through a mineralizer and bacterial treatment
plant, yields drinking water (potable water).

Chemical dosing and UV filters are two of the most common bacterial
treatment plants. For the health and welfare of drinking water
consumers, it is essential bacteria levels are continually monitored and
controlled.
Hardness is caused by magnesium and calcium ions in the water. Water
hardness is a concern due to its tendency to form scale upon system
surfaces e.g. heat exchanger surfaces, piping etc. Water softeners dose
the water with sodium (salt) to reduce water hardness and reduce the
likelihood of scale occurring.it is sent to a fresh water storage tank.

Operation

Extreme care must be taken during the operation of fresh water

generator onboard ships. Operate all the valves gradually. Sudden
opening and closing of valves may result in thermal shock to the main
engine. Also make sure that distillate pump never runs dry.

Fresh water Generator Starting Procedure

Make sure seawater ejector pump suction, discharge and overboard

valves are open. Start the ejector pump. Seawater pressure at the air
ejector must be 3 bar or more.

Wait for vacuum to build up inside fresh water generator shell. (About
92 % vacuum).

Open the feed water valve to feed seawater to the evaporator. Adjust
the feed water pressure. Normally marking is provided on the pressure
gauge for desired feed water pressure.

Open main engine jacket cooling water inlet and outlet to the
evaporator gradually.

Open the air vent clock at the top of the evaporator to make sure the
evaporator is filled with jacket cooling water. Air must be purged out if
any.
Switch on the salinity alarm panel for measuring purity of the
freshwater produced.

There will be a sight glass provided at the suction line for the distillate
pump. Make sure condensed water is coming to the suction line. Now
start the distillate pump and open discharge valve to lead generated
water to specified storage tanks.

Do checks While Running Fresh water Generator

Through the sight glass provided in the evaporator shell, observe

flashing of water.

Also check for the brine level inside. It should not be too high or too
low.

Shell temperature must be around 50 deg cel.

Make sure shell vacuum is more than 90% from the vacuum gauge.

Check seawater inlet and outlet temperature to the condenser.

Ensure seawater pressure at air ejector inlet more than 3 bars.

Check for distillate pump pressure and water flow meter.

Check salinity of fresh water produced.

Check level and flow of dosing chemical.

Check ampere of ejector pump and distillate pump motor.

Regulating the Capacity of Fresh water Generator

Capacity of a fresh water generator means the quantity of fresh water

produced by it per day. The capacity of fresh water generator can be
varied by reducing or increasing the amount of jacket cooling water to
the evaporator. The quantity of jacket cooling water to the evaporator
can be adjusted by adjusting the bypass valve provided. When the
temperature of jacket cooling water is comparatively low, the quantity
to the evaporator to be increased a bit. At the same time cooling
seawater pressure to the condenser also to be regulated accordingly.

During very low seawater temperatures, evaporation temperature can

falls to a lower value. In that case, adjust vacuum adjusting valve to
control vacuum inside the shell. Cooling seawater quantity to the
condenser also can be reduced to increase the evaporator
temperature. During high seawater temperatures, evaporation
temperature can go up. In that case, increase the quantity of seawater
to the condenser for reducing evaporation temperature.

Too high evaporation temperature causes scale formation in the heat

exchanger. On the other hand, too low evaporation temperature
results in seawater carry over which increases salinity of fresh water
produced.

The distillate pump discharge to be throttled so that pump should not

run dry. The rate of distillate pump discharge and rate fresh water
produced in the condenser should match. When distillate pump is not
able to extract the freshwater at the rate of production, level of
freshwater increases in the condenser and effective cooling area of the
condenser reduces. This finally results in reduced evaporation quantity.

Fresh water Generator Stopping Procedure

When ship approaches port, shallow water, etc. it is desirable to stop

the fresh water generator. This is because the seawater may contain
harmful bacteria which can enter the freshwater produced. Operation
of freshwater should be carried out in consultation with bridge watch
keeper. Following procedure may be adopted for stopping fresh water
generator.

Slowly open bypass valve for main engine jacket cooling water.

Ensure that main engine jacket cooling water temperature is within

normal limits.

Close jacket cooling water inlet and outlet valves for the freshwater
generator respectively.

Close the feed water chemical dosing valve.

Stop the distillate pump and shut discharge valve.

Switch off salinity meter.

Close filling valve to freshwater tanks.

Wait for evaporator shell temperature to drop below 50 deg cel.

Close the feed water valve to evaporator.

Stop ejector pump. Shut fresh water generator overboard valve.

Open the vacuum breaker valve to make shell side pressure equal to
atmospheric pressure.

Open the drain valve of the evaporator to drain all the seawater from
the fresh water generator.

Precautions for Operation of Fresh water Generator

Seawater pressure at the inlet of air ejector must be 3 bar or more.

The pressure at ejector outlet should not exceed 0.8 bar.

Never start fresh water generator distillate pump in dry condition.

Operate jacket cooling water valves to the fresh water generator

gradually to avoid thermal shock to the main engine.

Feed water to be supplied for a few minutes to cool down the

evaporator before stopping.

Never open the drain valve of evaporator before opening vacuum

breaker. Otherwise atmospheric pressure causes seawater inside to hit
the deflector.

How Scale Formation Occurs in Fresh Water Generator

The performance of fresh water generator reduces with the formation

of scales because of reduction in heat transfer efficiency. Three scales
which are normally found in fresh water generators are:

Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3

Magnesium Hydroxide, Mg(OH)2

Calcium Sulphate, CaSO4

Calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide scale formation mainly

depends on the temperature of operation. Calcium sulphate scale
formation depends mainly on the density of the evaporator contents or
brine. The reaction takes place when sea water heated are:

Ca(HCO3)2 ————> Ca + 2HCO3

2HCO3 ————> CO3 + H2O + CO2

If heated up to approx. 80 degree Celsius

CO3 + Ca ————> CaCO3

If heated above 80 degree Celsius

CO3 + H2O ————> HCO3 + OH

Mg + 2OH ————> Mg(OH)2

Hence if the sea water in the fresh water generator is heated to a

temperature below 80 degree Celsius, calcium carbonate scale
predominates. If sea water is heated above 80 degree Celsius,
magnesium hydroxide scale is deposited.

If the density of evaporator contents is in excess of 96000 ppm, calcium

sulphate scales are formed. But fresh water generator brine density is
normally 80000 ppm and less. Hence scale formation due to calcium
sulphate is not a problem.

How to minimize scale formation

The formation of a scale in a freshwater generator can be controlled

and minimized by continuous treatment of chemical.

Marine engineers prefer polysulphate compounds (such as sodium

polysulphate) with anti-foam, which are commonly used on ships.

These chemicals reduce the scale formation of calcium carbonate and

possibility of foaming.

The compound is non- toxic, no-acidic, and can be used in fresh water
generator producing water for drinking purposes.

It will be continuously feed via a metering pump or by gravity to the

feed line.
The quantity of chemical to be dosed depends on the capacity of the
fresh water produced.

The main thing is that, this chemical doses is effective only on low
pressure fresh water generators.

The temperature of the sea-water is less than 90 degrees.

In order to maintain performance of Fresh water generator chemical

treatment to be religiously carried out

Fresh Water Generator (FWG) REGULATION

1. Should not run within 20-50 knot miles from nearest land.

2. Should not run in shallow water.

3. Maintain the jacket temp.

4. Sterilizing chlorine content 0.2 ppm.

5. Chromate are should not used in jacket water.

6. Clean and recoat F.W tank after every 12 months.

7. Clean with 50 ppm cl solution over 4 month period.

8. Maintain salinity up to 4 ppm.

SAFETIES IN A FWG

1. Vacuum Breaker for Releasing The Vacuum At The Time Of

Shutting Down.
2. Vacuum gauge
3. Relief Valve for Releasing the Excess Pressure.
 4. High Salinity Alarm: It Is fitted to the Salinometer as it measures
higher salt content In the water produced. It Sounds The Alarm.
5. Thermometer
6. Vent cock

MARINE SHIPBOARD REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM

Marine shipboard Reverse Osmosis system

Reverse Osmosis

To understand Marine shipboard Reverse Osmosis system and its

functioning we should first attend to few basic things. Reverse osmosis
is one of the most desalination processes that is used widely on most
ships and also for household water production. RO plant is considered
one of the most successful method of desalination as the size of the
system can be reduced or increased to suit the requirement varying
from a house hold process to an industrial process with larger output.

Let us first understand what is Osmosis?

Osmosis is a natural process involving fluid flow across a membrane
which is a semi permeable one. The direction and relative quantities of
fluid flow is determined by the chemical potential which is a function of
pressure, temperature and concentration of dissolved solids.

When two solutions of different concentrations are separated by a semi

permeable membrane, water from the less concentrated solution will,
due to the natural phenomenon of osmosis, pass through the
membrane to dilute the more concentrated solution to make it an
equivalent concentration to itself.

In simple words: If a container separated in to two by a semi-permeable

membrane is filled with fresh water one side and sea water on the
other side, the fresh water will diffuse through the membrane and
move towards sea water side to equal the concentrations on both the
sides.

Osmotic Pressure:

This is one of the important factors in Osmosis & Reverse Osmosis

process. If the hydraulics of this process are taken into account, as the
water passes from the less concentrated solutions into the more
concentrated solution to dilute it, the static head of the more
concentrated solution increases and the one of the less concentrated
solution decreases thus giving a net pressure.

Equilibrium of the two solutions occurs when the pressure differential is

sufficiently high to stop the fluid flow across the membrane – this
pressure is called the osmotic pressure.

Reverse Osmosis
We have seen what Osmosis is! Now, what is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse Osmosis is the use of this natural process in the reverse

direction. Pressure is exerted on the more concentrated side of the
membrane to overcome the natural osmotic pressure and force water
‘out of’ the concentrated solution and through the membrane.

Particles, bacteria and the larger organics are blocked by molecular

filtering, however RO also involves an Ionic repulsion process, where by
only water is allowed to pass through the semipermeable membrane,
whilst virtually all dissolved molecules are rejected. The semipermeable
membrane rejects multi charged ions such as calcium and sulphate at
rates exceeding 99% while single charged ions such as sodium are
rejected at rates from 90-96%.

Permeate?

In Marine shipboard Reverse Osmosis system the fresh water produced

through such membranes is called Permeate. According USPH (United
States Public Health Service) rules and regulations, such water until
treated with required PPM of Chlorine and pH correction made to
maintain the pH value not more than 7.8 may not be called as potable
water; hence it’s called a ‘Permeate’.

Reverse Osmosis process flow chart.

Flowchart Description
Now let us get deeper into each process charted down in the flow
chart.

1. Feed Water:

This is typically the water that needs to be desalinated. Feed water is

supplied to the system using a feed pump. Feed is passed through a
strainer. The same pump is used to back wash the Sand filters which we
will see in next steps.

For a shipboard environment it is the sea water. But remember, RO

plant can only be operated outside 4 nautical mile limits to avoid shore
based contamination in waters close to the shore line.

2. Sand Filtration:

This process is for the removal of relatively large suspended solids that
may be present in the raw feed water. Sand filtration is carried out by a
filter vessels (Usually 2 in numbers or more depending upon quality of
feed water) which typically contains a combination of different
dimension grits stored in layers with coarse sand.

Empty space is intentionally left above the grit media to allow space for
bed expansion during filter back washing. The design throughput of the
filter is such that they will provide sufficient filtered water for correct
operation of the RO Plant. The total design flow rate of filters in parallel
is set to a required value, this flow should not be exceeded as the
filtration rate for optimum performance will be exceeded which in turn
could mean a vastly reduced quality filtrate.

Have mentioned the word back-washing twice above, so let us see

what back-washing is before proceed to the next steps of RO filtration.
Back-washing of the filters is carried out to remove the accumulated
solid particulates from the filtering media layers; it involves reversing
the normal flow and discharging it to waste. Basically, the sand filter
accumulates all debris collected on the bottom ( flow through sand
filter is from the bottom to top), if the same is not removed then the
filtering capacity of the same will be reduced. To remove such
impurities collected , the RO system is put on stand-by mode and fresh
water is forced in opposite direction into these filters which washes the
debris out. This water is discharged overboard.

Back-washing is carried out on a set frequency depending upon the

feed quality or if the differential pressure increases by 1.0 bar between
the inlet to the outlet.

The backwash flow rate will vary depending upon the feed water
temperature. It is critical that the correct flow rate is used; a
satisfactory wash may not be achieved if it is too low or, on the other
hand, media may be washed away if the wash water flow rate is too
high.

Lets us get back to our flow chart. The next step is the Anti-scalant
Dosing!

3. Anti-scalant dosing

Anti-scalants are a family of chemicals designed to inhibit the formation

and precipitation of crystallized mineral salts that form scale. Most
antiscalants are proprietary organic man-made polymers (e.g.
polyacrylic acids, carboxylic acids, polymaleic acids, organo-phosphates,
polyphosphates, phosphonates, anionic polymers, etc.). The molecular
weight of these polymers can range from 2,000 to 10,000 Dalton.

Seawater contains sparingly soluble salts of Calcium, Barium, etc. These

salts naturally have no tendency to precipitate, however, as the
seawater passes through the plant and permeate is removed, the
concentration of salts increases to such a degree that precipitation on
the membrane surface can occur and thereby reduce their
performance.

To suppress the precipitation of these salts a solution of a proprietary

antiscalant compound is dosed into the feed water which acts as a
scaling inhibitor, thus allowing more efficient operation.

4. Cartridge Filtration

The feed water free from large suspended solids and dosed with
antiscalant is passed through a 10 micron absolute rated cartridge
filter, this ensures that the feed water to the RO membrane elements is
free from any fine particulate matter ensuring maximum performance
from the RO membrane elements, the filter also protects the high
pressure pump in the event of a sand filter lateral failure.

5. High pressure feed Pumps

The next step is feeding the membranes, high pressure feed
Pumps aid this operation. As RO process involves pressure exerted
on the fluid with the higher concentration to overcome the
‘Osmotic Pressure’ these pumps develop such high pressure
depending on the pressure rating of the membranes.
The high pressure pump supplies the pressure needed to push water
through the membrane, even as the membrane rejects the passage of
salt through it.

Typical pressures used in marine shipboard Reverse Osmosis system

For brackish water range from 225 to 375 psi (15.5 to 26 bar, or 1.6 to
2.6 MPa).

For seawater, pressure range from 800 to 1,180 psi (55 to 81.5 bar or 6
to 8 MPa).

Such high pressure is achieved by one or more HP pumps running in

parallel. Usually these are axial piston pump.

Energy Recovery Unit

ENERGY RECOVERY

The energy recovery device recovers hydraulic energy from the high
pressure reject stream and transfers that energy to the feed stream. In
real terms, for example, the high pressure pumps would only need to
delivery 16.75 m³/h at 59.5 bar instead of 16.75 m³/h at 74 bar.
Next step & Final step is MEMBRANE ARRAY;

Semi-Permeable membrane stack usually used on RO plants.

Filtered, pressurized water is passed to the RO membrane elements

and is desalinated. Within each stream, feed water enters the first
vessel and is split into two flows, permeate (high quality, potable
water) and reject (concentrated feed water). The reject from the first
vessel then feeds the second vessel where again it is split into two
flows, permeate and reject. This process is the same in each of the
remaining streams.

Here you should understand what a vessel and stream mean. Few
vessels join together to make a stream. 3 or more vessels are
connected and enclosed into a container which is called a stream.

Reject from the last vessel in each of the three streams is manifolded
together then flows through the reject control valve and to waste. The
reject control valve is used to regulate the pressure within the
membrane stack, which in turn regulates the permeate flow rate and
quality.

Marine Freshwater Generators: Common Problems And Solutions

A freshwater generator (FWG) is a vital machinery system used
onboard ships. FWG should only be operated by an experienced and
trained person, who would carefully study the instruction manual
provided by the manufacturer to fully understand the working of the
freshwater generator, before carrying out maintenance, repair or trying
to troubleshoot the equipment.

The maintenance schedule should be followed and checked regularly to

avoid any unfortunate circumstances and ensure the smooth operation
of the freshwater generator.

Precautions to be taken while operating Fresh Water Generators

1. While operating the freshwater distillate pump for the first time,
the distillate present should be discharged overboard the ship for
a minimum of 30 minutes.
2. Fresh Water Generators should be stopped before the ship comes
close to land, port or a river mouth. This is because the seawater
in such locations may be contaminated with bacteria which can
get mixed in the distillate generated by the machinery. There is
hence a high chance that the Fresh Water Generator malfunctions
when the ship is in the dirty sea.
3. The bottom blow valve should not be opened to restore
atmospheric pressure in the evaporator. If this is done, seawater
being used in the heater may be blown up and damage the
deflector plates and other parts of the Fresh Water Generator.
4. For testing leakage in the evaporator, the vacuum gauge should
be removed, or the main valve should be fully closed.
 5. Before carrying out cleaning operations, the technician should
carefully read and follow instructions as stated in the manuals
provided by the manufacturer.
6. During cleaning and rinsing of the Fresh Water Generator, steam
should not be used as the inside surface of the evaporator is
covered with a coating material which can get ruined under the
action of steam.
7. This coating material should be handled with a lot of care and
should be washed off immediately if it comes in contact with skin.

8. To avoid leakages, the bolts securing the tube plates should not be
removed or loosened.

9. The FreshWater Generator should not be heated, and welding by

an open flame has to be avoided to protect the coating present on the
inside surfaces of the Fresh Water Generator.

10. To move the Fresh Water Generator from one place to another, the
lifting holes present on the top cover should be used with wires of
sufficient weight carrying capacity as specified in the assembly outline
drawings present onboard.

11. The Freshwater Generator can be damaged if it is run with a valve

or cock in closed position installed on the steam drain outlet line.
Hence these should not be incorporated on the outlet steam drain line.

The inlet of the ejector pump should always be filled with seawater.

Common Problems Faced in Fresh Water Generators

with Possible Causes and Solutions
Low Rate of Distillate Generation
The heating tubes or the condenser piping are fouled from the inside,
and they need to be cleaned.

Hot water temperature and or flow rate is low and needs to be

increased by the operator.

The cooling water flow rate may be low and needs to be increased
according to the given specifications.

Dropping of Evaporation Temperature

The temperature of hot water is low and needs to be increased to the

specified level.

Hot water flow rate is low and needs to be increased to the specified
level.

The vacuum obtained in the evaporator has dropped

There is an air leak present in the system which should be repaired and
then tested at 0.05 MPa to make sure regular operation has been
restored.

Malfunctioning of Water Ejector

The nozzle of the ejector has closed partially or fully and needs to be
cleaned

The diffuser has worn out, or corrosion has taken place. It has to be
replaced by a new one

The nozzle has been worn out and needs to be replaced by a spare.

The pressure at the outlet of the ejector is at 0.08 MPa or higher.

The ejector outlet piping may be clogged and needs to be checked and
corrected. The valve opening of the overboard discharge valve needs to
be checked and repaired.

The pressure at the outlet of the ejector is negative; the overboard

discharge valve should be closed up to a certain degree.

The distillate is present in the Sight Glass

This may indicate failure of the Distillate pump. It should be repaired.

The outlet valve of the Distillate pump is in the closed position and
hence needs to be opened.

The outlet piping is clogged and needs to be cleaned

The pump is drawing in air, and the mechanical seal needs to be

replaced.

High Salinity of the Distillate

The rate of generation of the distillate is too high and needs to be

decreased by lowering the hot water flow rate.

The temperature of evaporation is low (50 degrees or such). The

vacuum adjusts valve needs to be closed to an extent such that the
evaporating temperature increases.

The Fresh Water Generator has been used in an area where the feed
water is dirty and needs to be stopped.

The reading of the salinity indicator is faulty and has to be checked

using the indicator test switch; the electrode needs to be cleaned. The
piping of the condenser has been damaged and needs to be plugged
inappropriately.
Low Feed Water Rate

The opening of the feed water adjusts valve is not sufficient and needs
to be adjusted accordingly to increase the rate of feedwater entering
the system.

The feed water orifice may be clogged, and its surface needs to be
cleaned. There is insufficient internal pressure in the condenser piping
and the condenser cooling water outlet valve needs to be closed to an
extent.

High Feed Water Rate

The feed water adjusts valve has a very large opening and needs to be
closed sufficiently.

The feed water orifice has been worn and needs to be replaced.

Problems Specific to Pumping Systems of FWG

Pump fails to start

The electrical system or the motor has failed and needs to repair after
proper inspection.

The impeller has seized with the casing ring causing problems in
starting the pump. In this case, the impeller and/or casing ring need to
be repaired or replaced after carrying out inspections. After doing so,
the centering of the pump and motor needs to be checked. The
eccentricity of the shafts should be checked. Inspection of the bearings,
balancing on the impeller and shaft coupling should be carried out.
The pump does not operate at the required head or capacity

The pump is drawing in air through the suction system and this needs
to be checked and tightened.

The strainer at the suction pipe is clogged and has to be cleaned.

The passage at the impeller is clogged and has to be cleaned. After

carrying out the cleaning operations, the pumping system, including the
casing, impeller, etc. should be inspected for any damage. The piping
systems, including the suction and discharge, should be cleaned and if
required, the strainer has to be replaced.

The motor has been run in the reversed direction, and the wires need
to be correctly connected.

The motor speed has dropped, and the electrical system needs to be
checked for faults.

The clearing ring clearance has increased and needs to be replaced. The
impeller should be inspected for damage and replaced if required. After
doing so, the centering, shaft couplings, eccentricity and the ball
bearing should be inspected for proper operation.

Water Flows after starting the pump but stops abruptly

Air may be trapped in the system, and the piping needs to be corrected.
The air outlet valve should hence be checked, and the suction pipe
should be inspected.

The stuffing box is drawing in air, and the mechanical seal needs to be
inspected and repaired or replaced.
Overloaded Motor

There is damage to the bearing and it needs to be replaced. After doing

so, the centring of the motor and pump, the lubrication, shaft
couplings, eccentricity and the ball bearing should be inspected for
proper operation.

The pump and motor are misaligned; hence the centring needs to be
adjusted, followed by proper inspection.

The shaft has been deformed and needs to be replaced followed by

proper inspection of the machinery.

The motor or electric system us at fault and needs to be repaired and

checked after inspection.

The discharge volume is high and needs to be checked and altered

according to the pump specifications.

What are the Causes of loss of vacuum in fresh water generator

1. Failure of ejector pump

2. Failure of ejector nozzle (fouling, erosion)
3. Malfunction of check valve (at ejector nozzle)
4. Defective vacuum breaker
5. Any air leakage into the system (At joint)

What will happen when vacuum reach 100 % in fresh water

generator?

1. Increase the salinity because of agitation. At that time boiling rate

is very high.
 2. To control this condition, open the vacuum breaker to maintain
93% vacuum.

CAPACITY

The capacity of fresh water generator can be varied by reducing or

increasing the amount of jacket cooling water to the evaporator. The
quantity of jacket cooling water to the evaporator can be adjusted by
adjusting the bypass valve provided.

REGULATING THE CAPACITY OF FWG

Capacity of a fresh water generator means the quantity of fresh water

produced by it per day. The capacity of fresh water generator can be
varied by reducing or increasing the amount of jacket cooling water to
the evaporator. The quantity of jacket cooling water to the evaporator
can be adjusted by adjusting the bypass valve provided. When the
temperature of jacket cooling water is comparatively low, the quantity
to the evaporator to be increased a bit. At the same time cooling
seawater pressure to the condenser also to be regulated accordingly.

During very low seawater temperatures, evaporation temperature can

falls to a lower value. In that case, adjust vacuum adjusting valve to
control vacuum inside the shell. Cooling seawater quantity to the
condenser also can be reduced to increase the evaporator
temperature. During high seawater temperatures, evaporation
temperature can go up. In that case, increase the quantity of seawater
to the condenser for reducing evaporation temperature.

Too high evaporation temperature causes scale formation in the heat

exchanger. On the other hand, too low evaporation temperature
results in seawater carry over which increases salinity of fresh water
produced.

The distillate pump discharge to be throttled so that pump should not

run dry. The rate of distillate pump discharge and rate fresh water
produced in the condenser should match. When distillate pump is not
able to extract the freshwater at the rate of production, level of
freshwater increases in the condenser and effective cooling area of the
condenser reduces. This finally results in reduced evaporation quantity.

PROCEDURE TO TAKE PRESSURE TEST OF FWG WHEN SUSPECT

LEAKAGE

Minor repairs had just been completed on the shell plate of the fresh
water generator (evaporator) by a shore workshop while in port. As an
original spare was not available, the damaged sight glass was
substituted with a disc cut from a 5 mm thick acrylic sheet.

Upon restarting the plant after sailing, it was observed that the drum
chamber was not developing sufficient vacuum. The ship’s engineers
decided to carry out a pressure test of the casing to locate any leaks.
Without considering the hazards, the crew introduced compressed air
into the vessel and raised the internal pressure to about 3 bar.
Suddenly, the acrylic sight glass shattered, injuring the electrical officer,
who was applying soap solution to the shell’s exterior.

1. It is very unsafe to subject vessels, tanks or containers to

uncontrolled pneumatic pressure for testing purposes as there is
great risk of permanent deformation or violent rupture;
2 A controlled hydrostatic test i.e. filling up the container with water to
a permissible head (preferably under Class supervision) is the most
appropriate and safe method for leak testing on board;

3 When a pneumatic test is considered the only practicable method,

compressed air must be admitted through a suitable reducing
arrangement and pressure must be closely monitored by a
manometer/water column gauge, ensuring safe limits are never
exceeded;

4 Fresh water generators should ideally be tested by creating an

internal vacuum and applying a liquid dye externally on suspected
areas.

CAUSES FOR LOW FRESH WATER PRODUCTION BY FWG

1. Ships draft is less

2. level of brine is too high

3.Filter before ejector pump is dirty .

4. Faulty ejector pump- not developing enough pressure

5. Faulty Ejector nozzle/ nozzle chocked

6. Incorrect feed

7. scale formation in evaporator

8. shell temperature is too high

9. scale formation in condenser

10.condenser cooling water flow is reduced

11. Condenser cooling water temp. too high

12.Incorrect assembly of plates

13. Leakage in plant like from pressure gauge, vent, distillate pump seal
etc.

14. Distillate pump faulty

15.Faulty flow meter

16. Faulty solenoid valve

MAINTENANCE PRACTICES FOR FWG

Always give a priority to the Maker's manual. Following guidelines
should be used as reference only.

1. Check Salinity Alarm

The salinity alarm or salinity indicator needs regular checks as it allows

only pure fresh water to flow into the fresh water tank and critical for
FWG operation. The electrodes of salinity alarm must be cleaned on
monthly basis to remove dust or scale deposits. Alarm settings must be
verified before putting the Fresh Water Generation system into
operation after cleaning.

2. Stop Fresh Water Generator properly and at a right time

When a vessel approaches a port, land or estuary, the Fresh Water

Generator must be stopped as at such places the sea water is heavily
infected with bacteria and contaminated.

3. Open Separator shell as per PMS or when production drops

The separator shell and heat exchanger covers can be opened up and
inspected during scheduled inspections for scale formation or if cooling
tubes are fouled with any sludge formation. As per recommended in
Safety Management System Manual or Flag State Requirements, the
Fresh Water Tanks are generally cleaned once in six months or on
yearly basis.

4. Clean the Heating Tubes as per PMS or when production drops

Cleaning or descaling of the inside of heating tubes should be made

twice or three times in a year physically or dissolved by chemical
methods. Scaling can be prolonged by not operating the plant at
contaminated water areas such as in harbors or ports.

5. Use scale inhibitors

Scale inhibitors are used to prevent scale formation by dispersing scale

deposits and delaying reaction. This also prevents scale deposits from
adhering to heat transfer surfaces. Scale formation inside heat
exchanger requires cleaning if specific temperatures cannot be
obtained for inlet and outlet of fresh water.

6. Repair damaged coating

In case coating inside the fresh water generator is damaged, the

damaged covering is to be scraped off and the surface should be then
thoroughly dried. After putting the undercoat on the steel surface,
epoxy-resin or food coating (as prescribed by FWG manufacturer) is to
be applied.

7. Inspect Impeller Periodically

The impeller of ejector pump wears out and its surface also gets
damaged due to high-speed revolution. This is inevitable due to
continuous operation of the pump. The condition of the impeller should
thus be inspected periodically.

8. Keep the FWG daily production log

The FWG production log is very important for early detection of

production drop which means that Fresh Water Generator requires
cleaning.

9. Monitor the FWG vacuum

If vacuum inside the FWG decreased this may indicate the worn ejector
pump or insufficient sealing of the casing.

Q4 A. Sketch and describe a low pressure evaporator utilizing low

grade heat to produce the distillate.

B. State the reasons the prohibitions placed on the evaporator with

regard to the location of the vessel.

FWG

Various types of fresh water generators used on board ships are mainly:

Submerged tube type fresh water generator

Plate type fresh water generator, and

Reverse osmosis plant

What ever type of plant is used, essential requirement of any fresh
water generator is that it should produce fresh water as economically
as possible.

Submerged Tube Type Fresh Water Generator

The shell and tube freshwater generator consist of heat exchanger,

separator shell and condenser. In addition to this water ejector, ejector
pump, distillate pump, salinity indicator, demister or mesh separator,
solenoid valve and water flow meter are also fitted as accessories.

Fresh Water Generator Working Principle

Basic principle of all low pressure freshwater generator is that, boiling

point of water can be reduced by reducing the pressure of the
atmosphere surrounding it. By maintaining a low pressure, water can
be boiled at low temperatures say 50 degree Celsius. The source of
heat for the fresh water generator could be waste heat rejected by
main engine jacket cooling water.

Hence using energy from a heating coil, and by reducing pressure in the
evaporator shell, boiling can takes place at about 40 to 60 degree
Celsius. This type of single effect plant is designed to give better
economy than obsolete Boiling Evaporators.

The submerged tube type fresh water generator explained below uses
the heat from main engine jacket cooling water to produce drinkable
water by evaporating seawater due to the high vacuum, which enables
the feed water to evaporate at a comparative low temperature. Steam
can also be used as a heat source instead of main engine jacket cooling
water. 
This type of fresh water generator is based on two sets of shell and
tube heat exchangers, one acting as evaporator or heater and other as
condenser.

The combined air/brine ejector creates evaporator chamber vacuum

condition by driving sea water pass through air/brine ejector, and sea
water supplied by the ejector pump to be delivered to ejector for taking
out the brine (concentrated seawater) and air. A simple fresh water
generator diagram is shown below.

While entering to the evaporator chamber temperature of feed water

will be around 50 degree Celsius. Feed water supply rate to the
evaporator is fixed by an orifice fitted at the feed inlet. Because of the
vacuum condition inside evaporator feed water evaporates at this
temperature. The water spray and droplets are partly removed from
the vapour by the deflector mounted on top of the evaporator and
partly by a build in demister.
The separated water droplets fall back into the brine, which is extracted
by the water ejector.

The desalted vapour, which passes through the demister, will come in
contact with the condenser, where it will be condensed by means of
incoming cold seawater.

The distilled water is then taken out by integral freshwater pump

(distillate pump) and controlled by salinometer and solenoid valve. If
the salt content of produced water is high, solenoid valve diverts the
freshwater to the shell side of freshwater generator, and issues an
alarm signal. In order to get better suction head, distillate pump is
placed at the lowest possible location in the fresh water generator
plant. This is because the fresh water generator shell is at a lower
pressure. Distillate pump get maximum net positive suction head with
the height of liquid column in the suction line.  

Thermometers are installed for control of seawater to the condenser

and jacket cooling water to the evaporator. These thermometers
permit control of both heating and cooling of these units. The
salinometer or salinity indicator is connected to remote alarm so that
very high salinity is immediately registered at the engine control room
of the ship.

A detailed line diagram of a tube type fresh water generator on board

ship is shown below. Click on the diagram to enlarge.
Plate Type Fresh Water Generator

Working principle of plate type fresh water generator is same as that of

submerged tube type. Only difference is the type of heat exchangers
used. Here plate type heat exchangers are used for condenser and
evaporator unit. Heat from the diesel engine cooling water is used to
evaporate a small fraction of the seawater feed in the plate type
freshwater generator or evaporator. Unevaporated water is discharged
as brine (by combined air /brine ejector).

The evaporated water passes through the demister to the plate type
vapour condenser. Here, after condensation it is discharged to fresh
water storage tank by fresh water distillate pump. During entire
operation the feed rate to the evaporator is fixed by the orifice plate at
the feed inlet to evaporator. A typical plate type freshwater generator
line diagram is shown below.

In the event of salinity of fresh water exceeding a predetermined value

(maximum usually 10 ppm) the solenoid controlled dump valve diverts
the flow back to the shell. This prevent contamination of the made
water. Excess salinity could be used by many factors include leakage of
seawater at condenser or priming of evaporator or malfunctioning of
demister, or many other reasons.
What cannot be condensed at the condenser are called ‘incondensable
gases’ like air and these gases are continuously ejected out by air/brine
ejector. This way the shell of fresh water generator is maintained at
high vacuum, a must requirement to boil water at low temperatures.

Materials of Construction for Fresh Water Generator

The shell is usually fabricated steel (or non-ferrous metal like cupro-

nickels) which has been shot blasted then coated with some form of
protective. One type of coating is sheet rubber which is rolled and
bonded to the plate then hardened afterwards by heat treatment. The
important points about protective coatings are:

They must resist the effect of acid cleaning and water treatment
chemicals

They must have a good bond with the metal

Heat exchangers use aluminium brass tubes and muntz metal tube
plate in the case of tube type fresh water generator. For plate type,
titanium plates are used for condenser and evaporator. Demister is
made of layered knitted wire of monel metal.

Operation

Extreme care must be taken during the operation of fresh water

generator onboard ships. Operate all the valves gradually. Sudden
opening and closing of valves may result in thermal shock to the main
engine. Also make sure that distillate pump never runs dry.

Fresh water Generator Starting Procedure 

Make sure seawater ejector pump suction, discharge and overboard
valves are open. Start the ejector pump. Seawater pressure at the air
ejector must be 3 bar or more.

Q. Reverse osmosis is the modern alternative for shipboard

production of drinking water.

A. Describe using simple diagrams if necessary, the principle of

reverse osmosis.

B. (i) Sketch a line diagram showing a single pass system for producing
fresh water from sea water.

(ii) Describe such a system.

PRINCIPLES OF REVERSE OSMOSIS

When two solutions of different concentrations are separated by a semi

permeable membrane, water from the less concentrated solution will,
due to the natural phenomenon of osmosis, pass through the
membrane to dilute the more concentrated solution to make it an
equivalent concentration to itself.

REVERSE OSMOSIS

Reverse osmosis is the use of this natural process in the reverse

direction. Pressure is exerted on the more concentrated side of the
membrane to overcome the natural osmatic pressure and force water
“out of” the concentrated solution and through the membrane.

Particles, bacteria and the larger organics are blocked by molecular

filtering, however RO also involves an ionic repulsion process whereby
only water is allowed to pass through the semipermeable membrane,
whilst virtually all dissolved molecules are rejected.

The semipermeable membrane rejects multi charged ions such as

calcium and sulphate at rates exceeding 99% while single charged ions
such as sodium are rejected at rates from

90 – 96%.

OSMOTIC PRESSURE

This is one of the important factors in Osmosis & Reverse Osmosis

process. If the hydraulics of this process are taken into account, as the
water passes from the less concentrated solutions into the more
concentrated solution to dilute it, the static head of the more
concentrated solution increases and the one of the less concentrated
solution decrease thus giving a net pressure.
Equilibrium of the two solutions occurs when the pressure differential is
sufficiently high to stop the fluid flow across the membrane – this
pressure is called the Osmotic pressure.

STEP BY STEP PROCESSING OF REVERSE OSMOSIS

1. FEED WATER

This is typically the water that needs to be desalinated

Feed water is supplied to the system using a feed pump

Feed is passed through a strainer.

The same pump is used to back wash the sand filters.

BACK WASHING: Back washing of the filters is carried out to remove the
accumulated solid particulates from the filtering media layers, it
involves reversing the normal flow and discharging it to waste.

2. SAND FILTERS

This process is for the removal of relatively large suspended solids that
may be present in the raw water.

Sand filtration is carried out by a filter vessel usually two in numbers or

more depending upon quality of feed water, which typically contains a
combination of different dimension grits stored in layers with coarse
sand.

Empty space is intentionally left above the grit media to allow space for
bed expansion during filter backwash.

ANTISCALENT DOSING
Sea water contains sparingly soluble salts of Calcium, Barium. These
salts naturally have no tendency to precipitate, however, as the sea
water passes through the plant and permeate is removed, the
concentration of salts increases to such a degree that precipitation on
the membrane surface can occur and thereby reduce their
performance.

To suppress the precipitation of these salts a solution of a proprietary

antiscalant compound is dosed into the feed water which acts as a
scaling inhibitor, thus allowing more efficient operation.

4. CARTRIDGE FILTRATION

The feed water free from large suspended solids and dosed with anti-
scalant is passed through a 10 micron absolute rated cartridge filter this
ensures that the feed water to the RO membrane elements is free from
any fine particulate matter ensuring maximum performance from the
RO membrane elements, the filter also protects the HP pump in the
vent of a sand filter lateral failure.

The next step is the feed pumps, as RO process involves pressure

exerted on the fluid with the higher concentration to overcome the “
Osmotic Pressure”.

5. HIGH PRESSURE FEED PUMPS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT

The high pressure pump supplies the pressure needed to push water
through the membrane, even as the membrane rejects the passage of
salt through it.

TYPICAL PRESSURES

1. For brackish water range from 15.5 to 26 bar, or 1.6 to 2.6 Mpa
2. Foe seawater, pressure range from 55 to 81.5 bar or 6 to 8 Mpa

Such high pressure is achieved by one or more HP pumps running in

parallel. Usually these are axial piston pumps.

NEXT STEP IS MEMBRANE ARRAY

This process is the same in each of the remaining streams. Reject from
the last vessel in each of the three streams is manifold together then
flows through the reject control valve and to waste. The reject control
valve is used to regulate the pressure within the membrane stack,
which in turn regulates the permeate flow rate and quality.

MEMBRANE ARRAY

Q. A. Explain two advantages and two disadvantages of producing

fresh water reverse osmosis.
B. Discuss the maintenance required for the following process

1. Osmosis

2. Reverse osmosis

OSMOSIS

To understand the purpose and process of Reverse Osmosis you must

first understand the naturally occurring process of Osmosis.

Osmosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon and one of the most

important processes in nature. It is a process where a weaker saline
solution will tend to migrate to a strong saline solution. Examples of
osmosis are when plant roots absorb water from the soil and our
kidneys absorb water from our blood.

Below is a diagram which shows how osmosis works. A solution that is

less concentrated will have a natural tendency to migrate to a solution
with a higher concentration. For example, if you had a container full of
water with a low salt concentration and another container full of water
with a high salt concentration and they were separated by a semi-
permeable membrane, then the water with the lower salt
concentration would begin to migrate towards the water container
with the higher salt concentration.
REVERSE OSMOSIS

Reverse Osmosis is a technology that is used to remove a large majority

of contaminants from water by pushing the water under pressure
through a semi-permeable membrane.

Understanding Reverse Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis, commonly referred to as RO, is a process where you

demineralize or deionize water by pushing it under pressure through a
semi-permeable Reverse Osmosis Membrane.

ADVANTAGES OF REVERSE OSMOSIS

Units light and small in weight.

Quite operation
Operation not affected by rough sea conditions.

Simple and fast maintenance.

Produces water instantly.

Single pass system can produce less than 50ppm (more than adequate
for portable water).

There are many advantages to reverse osmosis RO water filteration

systems.

Though slower than distillation and most other water purification

processes, this system is capable of greater per day ouyput of water
than that of the other systems. Desalination was to the original
function of RO filters, through these systems also eliminate such
dissolved minerals as arsenic and lead, as well as viruses other
co0nytaminates. One main advantage to using reverse osmosis is that
the process requires no electricity, thus allowing clean and good tasting
water with very little energy consumption.

DISADVANTAGES OF REVERSE OSMOSIS

Careful pre-treatment required to ensure long membrane life.

Membrane very expensive.

Output dependent upon membrane condition.

High quality water 2 ppm requires 2 pass system.

The main disadvantages of a reverse osmosis system is the amount of

waste water that is produced in the process. For every 3.7 litre of clean
water produced. There are between 11.35 to 34.09 L of waste water
containing the concentrate of inorganic chemicals remining permeate
pump can be added to the system, which will lower the waste water
output by 80%.

MAINTENANCE OF REVERSE OSMOSIS UNITS

Where pre-treatment is required pre-treatment equipment is critical.

Ensure that pre-treatment equipment is working properly.

Change pre-filter and post-filter cartridges regularly. These filters can

become ‘bacteria farms” and contaminate the water.

Check the product water quality regularly. Dealers have test

equipment, a total dissolved solids check only takes a few seconds.
Some units have built in testers. If the proper membrane is used, and
pre-treatment is available, a good quality reverse osmosis membrane
should be expected to last from two to five years.

Keep chlorinated water out of reverse osmosis units, particularly those

with thin composite TTS and polyamide membrane. Activated carbon
pre-filters are used to remove chlorine from the water before it hits the
membrane.

An increase of decrease in the amount of water produced usually

indicates trouble with the membrane. Have the product water quality
checked by the equipment supplier.

PRE-TREATMENT

RO membrane in addition to desalting salt water, will also act as ultra-

filter.

This causes high risk of clogging of pores of membrane. Fine filtration of

salt water is needed.
Normally 2 micron size filter used.

Require sulphuric acid treatment to remove the deposited salts from

membrane.

PRE-TREATMENT

Pre-treatment is essential

To prevent fouling of membrane.

To increase the membrane life.

To prevent blockage

To prevent precipitation

To sterilize the feed water to remove bacteria.

POST-TREATMENT

The final treated water should not contain more than 500mg/liter TDS
of which not more than 200mg/liter should be present as chlorides.

It is also desirable that produced water contsinds a minimum of

75mg/liter of of calcium CaCO3. This necessitates addition of calcium
salts.

Desalination is achieved by adding CaCl2 7 Na2 CO3 or NaHCO3.

Carbonates used to control the PH of produced water.

Post treatment – This is necessary to make the water product of RO,

drinkable.