Specification of commercial reverse osmosis modules and predictability of their performance for water treatment applications

Abstract Techniques for specifying membranes in commercial modules and reverse osmosis systems involving such modules, and for predicting data on performance of the modules so specified are illustrated with particular reference to water treatment applications. Four commercial modules (Roga-4000, Westinghouse, Raypak and Du Pont-B9) were studied in. this work for such specification and prediction. Experimental reverse osmosis data using NaCl-H2O feed solutions were used for obtaining data on membrane specifications. Equations of system analysis were used for prediction of data on module performance. Three sets of calculated data are reported for the operating pressure of 2758 kPa gauge (400 psig). The first set of data shows good agreement between calculated and experimental results on the performance of the modules with aqueous sucrose feed solutions. The second set of data shows the variations in solute separation and membrane productivity for each of the four- modules studied as functions of volumetric fraction product water recovery and membrane compaction for a 3000 ppm NaCl-H2O feed solution. The third set of data shows the variations in solute separation as a function of solute transport parameter at different levels of mass transfer coefficient on the high pressure side of the membrane for very dilute aqueous feed solutions.