Table of Contents
Advertisement
5.5 R.O. MEMBRANE ELEMENT CLEANING
PROCEDURES
Do not arbitrarily clean the R.O. Membrane in a
NEW System. If a New System experiences low
production or high salinity then the System should
be operated for up to 48 hours continuously to clear
and saturate the R.O. Membrane Element Product
Water Channel. If a new system still experiences low
production and or high salinity after 48 hours of
continual operation then contact the factory.
The membrane element requires cleaning from time
to time. Biological growth and salt accumulation
eventually make replacement necessary. The
frequency of required cleaning depends on the
amount of production loss and salt rejection loss
resulting from normal use and exposure to Feed
Water. In order to properly assess performance
changes, it is important to maintain daily log
readings for comparison.
During performance comparisons, Feed Water Temp,
Feed Water Salinity, and System Operating Pressure
must be taken into consideration and compensated
for. After compensations, a 10% decline in
productivity (GPH Flow) and/or a 10% increase in
salt passage indicate that the R.O. Membrane
Element may requires cleaning.
If Production rate has dropped dramatically since the
last time the system was used, this may be due to
drying out of the R.O. Membrane Element and/or
fouling during storage. If the system has not been
used for several months and the production rate has
dropped dramatically since the last time used, try
operating the system for 48 or more continuous hours
to saturate the Product Water Channel within the
R.O. Membrane Element.
If Production rate drops dramatically from one day
to the next, this may be due to chemical attack which
is not cleanable. Sewage chemicals or petroleum
products cause irreparable damage to the R.O.
Membrane Element.
A dramatic increase in product water production
from one day to the next may be the result of a
mechanical failure such as a broken o-ring or
damaged R.O. Membrane Element.
5.5.1 R.O. MEMBRANE ELEMENT CLEANING
WATER AND CHEMICAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. The Sea Recovery cleaning compounds are
2. SRC MCC-1, Membrane Cleaning Compound
3. SRC MCC-2, Membrane Cleaning Compound
4. SRC MCC-3, Membrane Cleaning Compound
section 5 page 14 of 16
Sea Recovery Ultra Whisper Rev. A
designed to clean in a closed loop
configuration moderate fouling from the
R.O. membrane element. If the R.O.
Membrane Element is excessively fouled and
in-field cleaning is not successful, the R.O.
Membrane Element may be returned to Sea
Recovery or to one of Sea Recovery's many
Service Dealers for Professional chemical
cleaning. If your membrane requires
professional cleaning, please contact Sea
Recovery for a Return Authorization
Number, price quotation and return
instructions. Note: Very heavily fouled
R.O. Membrane Elements may be more cost
effective to replace rather than clean as the
cleaning process will take several hours of
labor, chemical cost, and packaging &
shipping charges to and from the factory.
"# 1" is an alkaline cleaner designed to clean
biological fouling and slight oil fouling from
the R.O. Membrane Element. Biological
fouling is usually the first cause of the R.O.
Membrane Element fouling. The system is
constantly exposed to seawater and
biological growth. If exposed to seawater
and left to sit, the R.O. Membrane Element
becomes fouled even with no actual system
use. This fouling is minimized with fresh
water rinsing whenever the system is not in
use.
"# 2" is an acid cleaner designed to clean
calcium carbonate and other mineral
deposits from the R.O. Membrane Element.
Mineral fouling is a slow process, which takes
place during use of the system. Therefore, if
the System has relatively few hours of use
yet shows signs of R.O. Membrane Element
fouling then that fouling is likely biological
fouling. If the System has several thousand
hours of use then there may be some mineral
fouling combined with biological fouling.
"# 3" is used for iron fouling. It is not
included in the SRC Membrane Cleaning
Chemical kit. If the Systems' R.O.
membrane element is fouled with rust from
iron piping then SRC CC-3 may be used for
effective removal of light or moderate rust
fouling. Heavily rust fouled RO Membranes
may not be recoverable as rust not only fouls
Advertisement
Table of Contents
