First reverse osmosis New Mexico state university
Customer
Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF), Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Application
Reverse Osmosis.
Installed units
One HydroFLOW s38 unit and One HydroFLOW hs40 unit was installed.
Water source
Well water.
Background
Membrane scaling is generally controlled by pH adjustment, addition of antiscalant, or extensive pretreatment. The Hydropath technology is an innovative method for water conditioning, which induces an electric signal of ±150kHz in the liquid inside of a pipe on which it is installed. A specialized transducer connected to a ring of ferrites performs the electric induction. The goal of the study was to determine if the HydroFLOW devices could reduce membrane scaling during desalination of a brackish groundwater.
Success factor
The HydroFLOW devices, which are powered by Hydropath Technology, could potentially provide a chemical-free alternative to control membrane fouling and scaling by inhibiting the formation of a compact scaling layer.
Results
This study demonstrated the Hydropath is a promising technology to minimize membrane fouling. Further experiments are needed to evaluate HydroFLOW units for other types of water, at different water recovery, with addition of acids and antiscalants, and the effectiveness and duration of hydraulic flushing.
For the full lab test please click on the PDF.