NF performance at full and pilot scale

• Published in: Journal - American Water Works Association 1999-06, Vol.91 (6), p.64-75
• Main Authors: Mulford, Luke A., Taylor, James S., Nickerson, David M., Chen, Shaio-Shing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Carbon; Cleaning; Cooperation; Disinfection & disinfectants; Disinfection Byproducts; Drinking water and swimming-pool water. Desalination; Exact sciences and technology; Groundwater; Information Collection Rule; Investigations; Mass Transfer; Membranes; Modeling; Nanofiltration; Operation and Maintenance; P branes; Pilot Plants; Pollution; Potable water; Pressure vessels; Production capacity; Productivity; Recycling; Statistical Analysis; Surface water; Water Quality; Water treatment and pollution
• ISSN: 0003-150X; 1551-8833
• DOI: 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1999.tb08649.x

Productivity and water quality from the Roy W. Likens membrane facility in Palm Coast, Fla., were accurately simulated by three membrane pilot plants in a four-month field investigation using various sizes of a film membrane manufactured by the same company and operated under the same conditions. All plants used the same source water, groundwater that is moderately hard (330 mg/L as CaCO₃) and highly organic (11 mg/L non-purgeable dissolved organic carbon, 336 trihalomethane formation potential [THMFP], 227 µg/L haloacetic acid formation potential [HAAFP]). All pilot units were built and operated according to standards in the Information Collection Rule (ICR). The average finished water quality for all membrane plants was 0.4 mg/L total organic carbon as C, 35 µg/L THMFP, and 28 HAAFP. For the full-scale plant, membrane productivity decreased by 50 percent during five years. A second-order resistance model more accurately described productivity over time than did a zero-order direct mass transfer model, although both models produced statistically significant results. These results demonstrated that full-scale plant performance could be accurately seated up from single-element or multistage pilot plants as specified in the ICR protocol.