Piloting Membrane Replacements to Improve RO Optimization, Reduce Chemical Use and Reduce Energy Consumption

摘要

Introduction The City of Port St. Lucie, Florida owns and operates two reverse osmosis water treatment plants (RO WTP) combined with a lime softening process plant to produce potable water. At the 10 MGD Prineville RO WTP, two of the five RO trains have exceeded 12 years of operation on the initial membrane elements. With the aging membranes and the maintenance intensive operation, the City pursued replacing the membranes using a slightly different approach than usual. With forward thinking in an economic recession, the City elected to pilot various membrane elements and configurations to fully review and evaluate multiple angles of improving membrane operation. In piloting, the City has proactively pursued reducing the overall operating costs through both capital investment and- operational expenses in an effort to identify the most cost effective membrane replacement for the City. The membrane replacement study was crafted, initiated and completed revealing significant financial savings for the Utility.