Complete Guide for Process RO Systems WaterTreatment

 As the core technology of modern process water treatment, industrial reverse osmosis (RO) system is widely used in electronics, pharmaceutical, food, electric power and other industries due to its advantages of high efficiency desalination, stable operation and environmental friendliness. In this paper, from the system principle, core components, process, operation and maintenance management and industry applications of five dimensions, systematic analysis of industrial RO system life cycle management, to provide enterprises with one-stop solutions from selection to operation and maintenance.

I. Industrial RO system technology principle and core advantages

1.1 Reverse osmosis technology principle

 Reverse osmosis (Reverse Osmosis, RO) is based on the selective permeability characteristics of semi-permeable membranes, driven by high pressure, water molecules reverse osmosis through the membrane layer, while dissolved salts, organics, micro-organisms and other pollutants are retained, to realize the purification of water quality. The desalination rate can reach 95%-99.5%, and the conductivity of the water can be stabilized at below 10μS/cm.

1.2 Core advantages of industrial RO system

 High efficiency and energy saving: compared with the traditional ion exchange method, the RO system does not need frequent regeneration, and the operation cost is reduced by 40%-60%.

 Modular design: support parallel expansion, a single system can produce water up to 1000m³/h or more, to meet large-scale water demand.

 Environmental compliance: no chemical emissions, in line with GB/T 19249-2017 “reverse osmosis water treatment equipment” and other national standards.

II. Industrial RO system core components and selection points

2.1 Key components analysis

2.2 Selection of key parameters

 Inlet water quality: SDI ≤ 3, residual chlorine ≤ 0.1ppm, turbidity ≤ 0.2NTU, otherwise need to strengthen pretreatment.

 Produced water requirements: according to process requirements to determine the conductivity, hardness, microbial indicators and other key parameters.

 System recovery rate: single-stage RO recovery rate is usually 50% -75%, two-stage system up to 85% or more.

III. The industrial RO system process and optimization strategy

3.1 Typical process

 Raw water → raw water tank → raw water pump → multi-media filter → activated carbon filter → security filter → high-pressure pump → RO membrane group → water tank → post-treatment (optional) → water points

3.2 Process optimization direction

 Pre-treatment enhancement: for high hardness water source, add softener or scale inhibitor dosing device to prevent scaling on the membrane surface.

 Membrane arrangement optimization: adopt “two-stage” or “multi-stage” arrangement to improve the system desalination rate and recovery rate.

 Concentrated water reuse: reuse the concentrated water for cooling tower make-up water or greening irrigation to realize water recycling.

IV. Industrial RO system operation and maintenance management and fault prevention

4.1 Daily maintenance points

 Pressure monitoring: Regularly check the inlet water pressure, the pressure difference between the segments, the pressure difference rises 15% need to be cleaned immediately.

 Flow balance: Ensure that the ratio of concentrated water flow to produced water flow meets the design value to avoid concentration polarization on the membrane surface.

 Chemical cleaning: Select cleaning agent according to the type of membrane contamination (such as citric acid descaling, NaOH in addition to organic matter), cleaning every 3-6 months.

4.2 Common Failures and Solutions

4.3 Five Strategies to Extend Membrane Life

 Strict Pre-treatment: Ensure that the feed water SDI is <3, and reduce the deposition of contaminants on the membrane surface.

 Standardized operation: Avoid frequent start/stop of the system or sudden pressure changes to prevent mechanical damage to the membrane.

 Regular Maintenance: Perform chemical cleaning and performance testing as scheduled to restore membrane flux.

 Shutdown protection: For long term shutdowns, membrane elements need to be immersed in a protective solution (e.g. 1% sodium bisulfite solution).

 Data-driven: the establishment of operating logs, through trend analysis, early warning of membrane performance degradation.

V. Application cases of industrial RO system

5.1 Electronics industry: ultrapure water preparation

 A semiconductor enterprise adopts the “two-stage RO + EDI + polishing resin” process, the resistivity of the produced water reaches 18.2MΩ-cm, which meets the requirements of the chip cleaning water, and the recovery rate of the system is increased to 85%, with an annual saving of more than 2 million yuan in water costs.

5.2 Pharmaceutical industry: preparation of water for injection

 A pharmaceutical company through the “RO + multi-effect distillation” combined process, the produced water meets the Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard for water for injection, bacterial endotoxin <0.015EU/mL, the stability of the system operation of more than 99.9%.

5.3 Power industry: boiler make-up water

 A thermal power plant adopts “ultrafiltration + RO + mixed bed” process, the hardness of produced water is <0.02μmol/L, which effectively prevents boiler scaling and extends the service life of the equipment for 3-5 years.

Conclusion

 Industrial RO system as the core equipment for process water treatment, its performance is directly related to product quality and production costs. Enterprises need to control the whole chain from system design, component selection, process optimization to operation and maintenance management, and customized solutions combined with industry characteristics, in order to achieve efficient use of water resources and maximize economic benefits.

 With the continuous breakthrough of membrane material technology and intelligent control, industrial RO system is developing towards higher desalination rate, lower energy consumption and longer life, providing key technical support for industrial green transformation.