Reverse Osmosis - Desalination - Filtration
Reverse Osmosis Filtration (R.O.) 98% of Salt & Mineral Removal
At Coolabah Water we have a number of Reverse Osmosis that we supply Coolabah Water have sourced the best pure water systems out of the market place and with our expertise can show you as a customer how to get the best value pure water systems keep them running at their peak delivering pure water to you all the time when you need it.
Feed water will pass from a softening unit through a cluster filter housing capturing any sediment particles before entering a final filter system. This filtration protects the stainless steel pressure pump and lead ends of the membranes from unwanted fouling. Typically these filters would need to be changed periodically or whenever there is a sufficient pressure differential across the filters.
An antiscalant used to prevent salts crystallizing on the membranes giving membranes a far greater life span. The units incorporate shutdown flush cycles that help protect the membranes and help ensure a trouble free operation. On shut down the highly salty brine water around the membranes is flushed away using bore water to provide protection of the membranes while sitting idle.
Elementary Reverse Osmosis Process
The units will produce fresh water which would be fed to a fresh water tank and reject brine for disposal. Sensors monitor levels to allow the unit to start up and shut down automatically. Units generally operate under automatic control and only require the start button to be pushed to start and stop the machine.
Units run unattended and require no operator input during normal operation apart from periodic topping up of the antiscalant and periodic maintenance. Antiscalant is used as a further measure to prevent fouling of the membrane surface with scale that can be formed from concentrating bore water.
The power source is single phase and a basic layout drawing as an installation guide will be supplied with each unit. Units come with a Manual describing the process and how to best maintain the unit. The units are able to be expanded up to a point, should the end user find the need. The Membranes are often rated to last for 3 years but can last longer
Membrane Elements
How a Membrane Element Works The spiral-wound membrane element is constructed of one or more membrane envelopes wound around a perforated central tube. The permeate water passes through the membrane into the envelope and spirals inward to the central tube.
Reverse Osmosis generally works in this way water would be pump from the source, often this will be a bore then to a softening system and pre filtration then to Reverse Osmosis filtration and storage.
This diagram tells us what types of filters remove different contaminants from water.
Water data required for reverse osmosis design
This is information that Coolabah Water need in order to assess your needs in R.O. treatment of water. If you don’t have recent water test results, we can test your water for a very small cost.
Please call our office – 1800 069 800 – for water testing information.
Treated Water Quality Requirement
| Product Water Flow | Litres/hour or M3/Day |
| Total Dissolved Solids | ppm or Conductivity mS/CM |
| Application Involved | What do you want to do with the water? |
Feed Water Characteristics
| Water Temperature | Min. Deg C – Max. Deg C |
| Quantity Feed Water Available | Litres/hour at a pressure of kPa |
Feed Water Analysis
The following analysis will be used to predict precipitation in the Reverse Osmosis concentrate stream and to optimise a design that avoids fouling and scale deposition causing premature membrane failure. A complete and accurate analysis is essential.
| Conductivity – mS/CM | Total Dissolved Solids | mg/L |
| Turbidity | NTU Total Suspended Solids | mg/L |
| pH range | Total Organic Carbon | mg/L |
| Chlorine | Bromine | |
| Cations in mg/L | Anions in mg/L | |
| Aluminium | Carbonate | |
| Ammonium | Bicarbonate | |
| Barium | Bromide | |
| Calcium | Chloride | |
| Iron | Fluoride | |
| Magnesium | Nitrate | |
| Manganese | Phophate | |
| Potassium | Silica | |
| Sodium | Sulphate | |
| Strontium |
List all chemical additives added to the feed water such as:
Polymeric coagulants; cationic polymers; acrylic or methacrylic acid; alum, PAC, ferric salts, polyelectrolytic polymer; aromatic hydrocarbons; aliphatic hydrocarbons; ketones, esters, quaternary ammonium compounds such as benzylkonium chloride; silicon antifoams.
