Brackish / Sea Water Desalination
Featuring Automatic Permeate Flush
Efficient Desalination for Fresh Water Access
Desalination, or desalting, is a water treatment process that converts seawater or brackish water into potable water, providing a crucial supply for communities with limited access to fresh water. The Reverse Osmosis (RO) System is currently the most common and economical method for desalinating water from brackish and seawater sources. Energy recovery devices (ERDs) are now widely used to reduce power consumption by 35-50% compared to systems without ERDs. However, the capital and operational costs remain relatively high compared to accessible freshwater sources.
Brackish water sources (with TDS ranging from 2,000-15,000 ppm) should be treated first before considering seawater desalination.
For the past two decades, ROTEK has been supplying brackish water desalination systems to many countries. The most important feature of our brackish water RO systems is the inclusion of an automatic permeate flush with adjustable flush frequencies. This helps keep the system free from corrosion and membrane fouling, addressing the high levels of chloride and hardness in brackish water sources.
Why is Permeate Flush So Important?
Prior to shutting down RO systems, a permeate water flush is recommended to prevent the precipitation of salts and organics on the membrane surface. Unfortunately, many RO systems do not incorporate a permeate flush and instead use a feedwater flush. This accelerates all forms of membrane fouling, including biofouling, colloidal fouling, scaling, and organic fouling. The ROTEK patented C-5TM RO controller enables systems to perform automatic permeate flushes at the lowest possible cost.