4/27/2019 Membrane Cleaning: Design and Operation of RO System Clean-In-Place Skid - WaterWorld

MEMBRANE CLEANING: DESIGN

AND OPERATION OF RO SYSTEM
CLEAN-IN-PLACE SKID
May 1, 2006

This series of ve articles discusses cleaning of reverse osmosis (RO) systems. The rst
article, published in the January/February issue of Industrial WaterWorld, discussed
cleaning criteria and normalization of RO systems.

This second article addresses design and operation of a clean-in-place (CIP) skid and its
integration into an RO system.

This is critical as an incorrectly designed CIP skid can shorten the life of the membrane
elements since cleaning won’t be effective. In addition, the RO system also needs to be
correctly designed to allow effective cleaning.

A CIP skid typically includes a tank, cleaning pump, cartridge lter and a heating/cooling
device. Figure 1 illustrates a ow diagram of a CIP system.

The CIP system is connected with the RO system either with exible hoses or xed piping
(stainless steel or FRP). Large RO systems typically have xed piping since the cleaning ow
quantities are such that exible hoses shouldn’t be used either due to handling issues
(heavy) and/or safety reasons.

The materials used for the CIP system should withstand a pH range of 1-13 and
temperatures up to 122°F (50°C). They should be non-corrosive.
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Cleaning tank design
4/27/2019 Membrane Cleaning: Design and Operation of RO System Clean-In-Place Skid - WaterWorld

A rule of thumb in sizing a cleaning tank total the empty pressure vessels’ volume and then
add the volume of the feed and return hoses or pipes. For example, to clean ten 8-inch
diameter pressure vessels with six elements per vessel, the following calculation would
apply:

Click here to enlarge image

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Therefore, the capacity of the cleaning tank should be 1.25 times the volume of the required
cleaning solution which is approximately 700 gallons (1.5 m3).

Flat bottom tanks aren’t recommended since it isn’t possible to drain these tanks
completely. The residual amount of liquid remaining in the tank becomes more
contaminated over time. The cleanings will become less effective since fresh cleaning
solution is contaminated with the residual liquid. In addition, the contaminated cleaning
solution may cause a decline of the membrane element performance since additional
foulant is introduced into the RO system.
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It’s4/27/2019
recommended to inspect the CIP tank prior to cleaning. It may
Membrane beDesign
Cleaning: necessary to clean
and Operation of ROthe
System Clean-In-Place Skid - WaterWorld
tank rst so any foulant is removed.

Cleaning pump
Cleaning is carried out at low pressures to minimize permeate production and redeposition
of dirt on the membrane element. Little permeate should be produced in order to achieve
high cross- ow velocities across the membrane surface, i.e., it should be run at low recovery.
High cross- ow velocities are essential to remove foulant effectively from the membrane
surface.

Sizing of the cleaning pump is dependent on the membrane element type. The cleaning
pump should be sized for the ows and pressures as recommended by the membrane
manufacturer, while making allowances for pressure losses in the piping and across the
cartridge lter. The pump should be constructed of 316SS or nonmetallic composite plastics.

Click here to enlarge image

Table 1 contains information on feed pressures and ow rates that can be used for sizing of
the cleaning pump.
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Example cleaning pump sizing:
4/27/2019 Membrane Cleaning: Design and Operation of RO System Clean-In-Place Skid - WaterWorld

A two-stage RO system consists of 10 pressure vessels in stage 1, or the rst bank of

vessels, and ve pressure vessels in stage 2. The pressure vessels contain six, 8-in., 400-sq.
ft. elements each.

Click here to enlarge image

As per Table 1, stage 1 would require a cleaning ow of 400 gpm (91 m3/hr) and stage 2
would require 200 gpm (45.5 m3/hr) at 60 psi (4 bar). The cleaning pump can be selected
based on these ow rates. Pressure of the cleaning pump will have to be higher to
compensate for pressure losses in the piping and across the cartridge lter.

Heating/cooling device
Cleaning at elevated temperatures (above 86°F, or 30°C) is important to remove organic
fouling, biofouling and colloidal fouling effectively. Cleaning at temperatures below 68°F
(20°C) isn’t recommended because of the very slow chemical kinetics at low temperatures.
In addition, cleaning chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate might precipitate at low
temperatures.

Cooling may also be required in certain geographic regions, so both heating/cooling

requirements must be considered during design of the RO system and CIP skid.

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The4/27/2019
maximum temperature used for cleaning is dependent on Cleaning:
Membrane the element type
Design and and pH
Operation ofSystem Clean-In-Place Skid - WaterWorld
of RO
the cleaning solution. The maximum allowed temperature is 113°F (45°C) for most thin lm
composite membranes.

The third article of this series will discuss selection of temperature and pH for cleaning of
RO membrane elements.

Design considerations
In addition to a correctly designed and operated CIP skid, it’s also very important the RO
system is properly designed to allow effective cleaning. The following design considerations
are important for optimal cleaning results.

The RO system should be designed such that concentrate and permeate produced during
the cleaning can be sent to drain (during initial phase of the cleaning) and recycled back to
the cleaning tank (after initial phase of the cleaning).

It’s not recommended to close the permeate valve to avoid permeate production during
cleaning. Otherwise, permeate pressure will be higher than feed pressure which results in
membrane damage and subsequent salt passage increases.

The cleaning solution enters the RO system in the same direction as feed water during
normal operation. Reverse ow cleaning (cleaning direction is from concentrate to feed
side) isn’t recommended since it can cause membrane damage.

The stages should be separately cleaned:

1. This is critical to avoid foulant removed from the rst stage being deposited in the last
stage. Otherwise, performance of the cleaned RO system may be the same or worse when
compared with before cleaning.

2. Cleaning of the stages separately also ensures the proper cleaning ow rates for each
stage.

3. Many RO systems contain different types of foulant. For instance, there may be biofouling
in the rst stage while the last stage has calcium carbonate scaling. In this case, an alkaline
cleaning is required for stage 1 while the last stage needs an acid cleaning. An acid cleaning
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for the rst stage isn’t recommended since the acid will react with bio lm and causes
further performance decline. This topic will be addressed
4/27/2019 in subsequent
Membrane articles
Cleaning: Design in this
and Operation of RO System Clean-In-Place Skid - WaterWorld
series.

RO permeate should be used for both ushing and preparation of the cleaning solution.
Pre ltered raw water or RO feed water should be avoided since its components may react
with the cleaning solution: precipitation of foulants may occur in the membrane elements.

The return lines for both concentrate and permeate should extend into the cleaning tank
such that they’re immersed. This is very important when detergents or surfactants are used
as they typically cause foaming. Immersion of the return lines minimizes splashing and
therefore less foam is produced. It’s important to minimize foaming since cleaning ef ciency
will be less effective otherwise. Anti-foam agents shouldn’t be used as they’ll foul the
membrane elements, which results in permeate ow reduction.

In case of automated process control for both RO operation and cleaning, provisions need to
be made in the process automation to allow for alternating circulation and soaking of the
cleaning solution during the cleaning.

Conclusions
The design of the clean-in-place skid and the integration with the reverse osmosis system is
important to obtain good cleaning results and subsequently increase the lifetime of reverse
osmosis membrane elements.

What to do with an existing system that does not have a properly designed CIP system? One
can make modi cations to the clean-in-place skid or use one of the many off-site membrane
cleaning service companies that have the proper equipment.

About the Author: Jantje Johnson is a senior development specialist at FilmTec Corp., a
subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. With over 21 years in liquid separations,
Johnson has extensive experience in membrane applications, trouble-shooting, cleaning,
and system design. She holds a degree in chemical engineering from H.T.S. Groningen, The
Netherlands. Contact: jjjohnson2@dow.com

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