How to Reduce Malfunctions and Decrease the Frequency of Reverse Osmosis Cleaning

To reduce malfunctions and decrease the frequency of reverse osmosis (RO) cleaning, the following measures should be taken:

• Design the RO system based on a complete water quality analysis;

• Determine the RO feed SDI value before design;

• Adjust the design accordingly if the feed water quality changes;

• Ensure adequate pretreatment;

• Select the appropriate membrane element. Cellulose acetate membranes or low-fouling membrane elements may be more suitable for treating complex surface water or wastewater;

• Select a conservative water flux;

• Select a reasonable water recovery rate;

• Design sufficient crossflow velocity and concentrate velocity;

• Standardize operating data.