What is the maximum concentration ratio allowed for the scale inhibitor specifically designed for RO?
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The typical RO process achieves a recovery rate of 75%, with a 4-fold concentration; scale inhibitors provide good scale prevention effects； If the recovery rate of the RO process is increased by more than 10%, can the scale inhibitor still achieve an ideal scale-inhibition effect? Only consider the maximum suitable concentration ratio of the scale inhibitor, without taking other factors into account! ! ! This post was last edited by la9975956 on 2009-2-12 21:17.]
Consider the salinity of the raw water; also keep in mind that the operating pressure of the RO membrane must not exceed its limit value. Within that limit, it is possible to increase the RO recovery rate.
Improving the recovery rate cannot be considered solely in terms of scale inhibitors; it also needs to be taken into account from the perspectives of the recovery rate of individual membrane elements, the minimum concentrated flow rate of the membrane elements, and the organic matter concentration in the raw water. Each scale inhibitor has its maximum effectiveness in preventing scale formation; you can ask the suppliers and membrane manufacturers about this. If a scale inhibitor can help improve the recovery rate, then you can try to optimize the process in order to increase that rate. For a typical two-stage process, the recovery rate can only reach 75%. To improve it, you need to use a three-stage process or implement some kind of concentrated water recycling. This post was last edited by hhm123 on 2009-2-12 09:10]
It is quite challenging, as conventional scale inhibitors are designed with specific concentration levels based on particular water quality characteristics; the parameters of operation for the RO membrane are determined by the quality of the raw water. If these operating parameters are to be changed, without altering the quality of the inlet or outlet water, it is necessary to adjust the composition of the RO scale inhibitor, and the dosage used also needs to be changed, which increases the workload significantly.