ULTRAFILTRATION PLANT - Technology & Best Practices

Course Description

Ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) are pressure-driven membrane separation processes used to separate macromolecules, colloids, microorganisms, and solid particles from fluids such as water.  Ultrafiltration is an excellent technology for desalination plant pretreatment (such as reverse osmosis), wastewater reclamation, and for producing potable water. The technology uses a UF or MF membrane barrier to exclude particles 0.02 to 0.05 microns (that include bacteria, viruses, and colloids), meeting increasingly stringent water-quality standards, and providing a stable, reliable, and consistent water quality to both potable-grade and a variety of industrial water treatment processes. When used as a pretreatment to reverse osmosis (RO), UF helps reduce fouling of the RO membranes, that could lead to lower chemical cleaning frequency and consequently, lower operating costs and downtime.

This comprehensive and practical course covers all the fundamentals of today’s UF technology, and guides the participant through the important process of selecting the best UF system for the intended purpose (RO pretreatment, wastewater, etc.). The course then discusses in detail the various operating regimes, fouling phenomena, fouling control solutions (mechanical and chemical) and the use of functional chemicals in UF systems. It also addresses the important aspect of cleaning-in-place (CIP) and chemical cleaner selection.  This course makes cross-references to microfiltration (MF) where applicable and compelling, and is focused on organic polymer membranes.

Learning outcomes of this course:

• Understand how ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) work
• Learn how to characterize a raw water stream for potential use as UF/NF feedwater
• Know the underlying physical and chemical characteristics of UF membranes and the impact on product water quality (filtrate)
• Learn about the different types of UF and NF membrane technologies
• Learn about the different UF system formats & configurations
• Know key UF system design factors to enable understanding of operating limits
• Understand critical UF operating parameters
• Learn about the substances that foul UF membranes
• Know how to mitigate different types of fouling
• Learn about Cleaning-in-place (CIP) methods
• Know how to monitor UF systems
• Improve troubleshooting skills of UF systems

Course Agenda (Syllabus) 

1. UF/MF system fundamentals
   1. Filtration Spectrum
   2. Particle size ratings
   3. Direct vs crossflow filtration
   4. Format
      1. Pressurized vs. submerged
      2. Inside vs. outside feed

• Horizontal vs. vertical
• Commercial suppliers – options
• Basic design information
• UF applications (e.g. RO pretreatment, wastewater treatment, etc.)

1. UF/MF membrane fundamentals
   1. Organic polymeric vs ceramic membranes
   2. Hydrophilicity
   3. Zeta potential
   4. Types and pros/cons of commercial membranes
   5. Pore size distribution
   6. Fibre diameter selection
   7. Membrane allowable pressures, TMP
   8. Operating regimes
   9. Flux & permeability (critical flux, sustainable flux, threshold fulx)
   10. Temperature effects and correction factor
2. Membrane fouling
   1. Fouling mechanisms
      1. Turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS)
      2. Organics, microbiological and algae
      3. Inorganic fouling
      4. Metal oxides

1. Fouling control strategies
   1. Mechanical
   2. Chemical
2. Cleaning-in-place (CIP)
3. Anti-foulant additives and chemical cleaners

1. Monitoring & Troubleshooting
   1. Monitoring indices
   2. Membrane integrity and testing (off-line vs. online methods)
   3. Pressure Decay Testing (PDT)

 Who Should Attend: 

• Plant Engineers
• Utility Engineers
• Plant Chemists
• Plant Operators
• Operations Managers
• Maintenance Managers/Engineers
• Reliability Engineers
• Risk Management Staff