What is a reverse osmosis system large water plant?

As an advanced membrane separation technology, large-scale Reverse Osmosis systems play an important role in seawater desalination, brackish water desalination, and industrial water treatment due to their high efficiency, energy saving, and stability. These large-scale reverse osmosis systems produce large quantities of high-quality water by removing pollutants and dissolved solids.

What is a reverse osmosis system large water plant?

Reverse Osmosis System large water plants are large-scale systems that use reverse osmosis technology. The core of reverse osmosis technology lies in the magical properties of its semi-permeable membranes. The pores of these membranes are only 0.1 nanometers, which is equivalent to one millionth of the diameter of a human hair. Under high pressure, water molecules can pass through these micropores, while more than 99% of dissolved salts, minerals and microorganisms are effectively intercepted.

Components of a complete reverse osmosis system

A complete reverse osmosis system consists of various components that work together to ensure efficient water treatment. These components include the pre-treatment system, the reverse osmosis unit, the storage and distribution unit, the post-treatment system, and the instrumentation used to monitor water quality.

pretreatment system

Pretreatment is a key step in the reverse osmosis process, which can prevent membrane fouling and improve the overall efficiency of the system. First, the pretreatment system usually includes:

 

●      Multimedia filter: Removes large particles from the feed water to ensure the operation of the reverse osmosis membrane.

●      Carbon filter: Eliminates chlorine, organic compounds and other contaminants that may damage the membrane.

●      Water softener: In hard water areas, a water softener is used to remove minerals such as calcium and magnesium to prevent scale from forming on the membrane.

●      Ultraviolet disinfector: Kills bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that may be present in the feed water to protect the reverse osmosis membrane.

reverse osmosis plant

We use Huitong reverse osmosis membranes to form the unit to remove dissolved solids and contaminants from water. This reverse osmosis unit is designed to treat large volumes of water, making it ideal for industrial applications.

storage and distribution

Due to the slow rate of water production in the reverse osmosis process, a water storage tank is required to store the purified water. Therefore, two types of water storage tanks are commonly used: atmospheric water storage tanks and bladder water storage tanks. To distribute the water, a re-pressurization pump is required to ensure a steady flow of water to the required water points.

Although the atmospheric water storage tank is larger in size, it produces higher quality water because there is no bladder water storage tank.

The bladder water storage tank is more compact and is therefore more suitable for small systems.

post-treatment system

Post-treatment is an important step to improve the quality and stability of purified water. Common post-treatment methods include:

• pH adjustment: Raise or lower the pH of water to the desired level to optimize subsequent processes.
• Deionization: Remove residual ions and minerals in water to produce ultrapure water suitable for laboratory use or special applications such as semiconductor manufacturing.
• Ultraviolet disinfection: Use ultraviolet light to eliminate residual bacteria, viruses or microorganisms in water to ensure the microbiological safety of water.

monitoring water quality

To monitor and maintain the quality of purified water, a variety of instruments and analyzers are used. These instruments can measure parameters such as pH, conductivity and temperature, providing real-time data for process control and adjustment.

Typical cases of reverse osmosis system large water plant

Singapore NEWater Project

●      Application Background: Singapore, a water-scarce country, uses a large-scale reverse osmosis system to deeply treat urban sewage into industrial water and drinking water sources, with an annual treatment volume of hundreds of millions of cubic meters.

●      System scale: The number of RO membrane modules in a single treatment plant exceeds 100,000, and the daily treatment capacity exceeds 100,000 tons.

●      Technical advantages:

Remove more than 99% of organic matter, heavy metals and microorganisms in sewage, and the effluent quality is better than drinking water standards.

Compared with traditional water treatment processes, the water recovery rate is increased to more than 80%, greatly reducing water resource consumption.

Samsung Pyeongtaek Chip Factory in South Korea

• Application scenario: Samsung Pyeongtaek Factory produces 3nm chips, and its RO system is one of the world's largest semiconductor water treatment projects.
• System parameters:
• Daily processing capacity of 80,000 tons, using the "three-level RO+EDI" process, the outlet water resistivity is stable at 18.2MΩ・cm (close to theoretical pure water).
• Equipped with German Koch membrane elements, the anti-silicon pollution design avoids impurity deposition on the wafer surface, and the yield is increased to 98%.

Maersk container ship

• Compliance requirements: The new regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2024 require that all ship ballast water must be treated with RO to kill microorganisms.
• System configuration:
• Maersk's 18,000 TEU container ship is equipped with a German WesTech RO system with a processing capacity of 2000m³/hour and hollow fiber membrane modules.
• After RO treatment, the microbial concentration of ballast water is less than 10/m³, which meets the D-2 standard, and the system occupies only 150㎡.

Challenges and prospects of reverse osmosis system large water plant

Although the technology of large-scale reverse osmosis systems is relatively mature, it still faces many technical challenges, such as membrane fouling. Biological fouling, scaling and colloidal fouling will significantly reduce the efficiency of the system. In terms of brine treatment, the environmental impact of high-salinity discharge water needs to be properly addressed. In terms of energy consumption, although the efficiency has improved, it still accounts for 30-50% of the operating cost.

 

With technological progress and economies of scale, it is expected that by 2030, the global reverse osmosis desalination capacity will increase by 40%, the unit energy consumption will be reduced by another 20-30%, the level of intelligence will be significantly improved, and the combination with renewable energy will be closer.

 

The giant reverse osmosis system is not only an engineering and technological achievement, but also an important weapon for mankind to cope with water resource challenges. If you have any water treatment problems, you can always consult "https://www.envspro.com/" to solve your confusion.