Effects of acceleration on particulate fouling in reverse osmosis

Abstract Experimental data show that acceleration, as in a centrifuge, is effective in reducing the amount of particulate fouling in reverse osmosis. The effects of acceleration on particulate fouling were determined by testing hollow-fiber elements under accelerations of up to 500 G. The fouling agent was 40 ppm of iron hydroxide suspended in a solution of 0.5 percent sodium chloride. The data indicate that steady-state operating conditions of a fouled membrane are approached asymptotically. 500 G of acceleration allows a fouled membrane, in a steady-state, to realize over 90 percent of its unfouled capacity; the same membrane in a nonaccelerated state produced as little as 62 percent of its unfouled desalinate flow.