Improve System Performance

Analytical methods and on-site troubleshooting identified the cause of the rapid fouling of the RO system as calcium sulfate scaling in the second stage.

BACKGROUND

Avista™ was contacted by a municipal water supplier in Ohio, USA, seeking advice on their reverse osmosis (RO) system, which had been experiencing increases in delta pressure and flow losses in a matter of days.

The RO process has a well water feed producing approximately 300 gpm (69 m³/h) of drinking water for the city. The water treatment plant was experiencing a heavy buildup of scale on the RO plant’s concentrate lines and transfer wells (Figure 2). Maintaining the integrity of the RO performance proved difficult due to the continuous scaling condition present on the tail end of the RO system.

Download our full case study to find out how to control the scaling events, the use of an antiscalant specifically formulated to control sulfate scales as well as calcium carbonate was implemented.