Fouling & Cleaning of Seawater

Reverse Osmosis Membranes in

Kalpakkam Nuclear Desalination
Plant
YUNRI MELDA BENMETAN
14506110011020
Definition of Fouling

Fouling refers to the deposition of undersible

material on the membrane surface, which affect
the operation through a decline in the product
water flux and/or increased salt passage and
increased pressure drop between the feed and
concentrated side.
 improper material
Cause of Fouling in selection (pumps
and piping, etc.)
Reverse Osmosis failure of the
Membrane inadequate
chemical dosing
system inadequate
pre- flushing
treatment following
system shutdown

Cause of
biological Fouling improper
contamination operation
of feed water
control

slow builup of
change in
precipitates over
feed water
composition extended periods
(barium, silica),
 Biological
Four
growth Categories
of Foulants

Adsorbed
Metallic
Organic
Compounds
Foulants oxide

Particulate
Matter
Selection of
Cleaning Chemicals
Cleaning will be more effective if it
is tailored to the specific fouling
problem

Types of the foulant on the

membrane surface should be
determined prior to cleaning

Choice of cleaning chemicals

 Cleaning Prosedure

Membrane were flushed with permeate water for about one hour and it was insured that no
permeate water was held up in the permeat header
The alkali solution was prepared in the cleaning solution tank
Then the solution was put in circulation for ten minutes
Alkali When the solution become hazy and turbid, the solution was discarded
cleaning Fresh solution was prepared and slowly flow and kept in circulation for half an hour
Then the membranes were kept soaked for one hour.
After soaking, the membrane were flushed with the permeate water until their conductivity
and pH were the same as the permeate water

The cleaning tank was well washed with the permeate water,
Acid The acid solution was prepared
cleaning The acid cleaning was done similarly to the alkali cleaning.