Why is the flow rate of water from the MBR not constant?
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For the MBR unit, an Eleyro metering pump is used for suction, and a vacuum gauge is installed between the membrane fibers and the pump. The intention was to observe the changes in pressure when the flow rate of the water output remained constant at 1 L/h. However, in practice, the film contamination on the membrane fibers at the front becomes increasingly severe, and the pressure (negative pressure) rises as well. Yet, the flow rate of the water output decreases as the pressure increases. What is going on? Shouldn’t a metering pump be used for the MBR suction pump? Does this happen with all suction pumps? I need some guidance.
For MBR systems, whether a metering pump or a self-priming pump is used, it depends only on the pump’s suction head requirement. A vacuum gauge is installed between the membrane and the pump, mainly to determine whether the membrane is clogged and whether it needs to be cleaned. The membrane operates under negative pressure; the water production is highest at the beginning, and as operation time increases, blockage becomes severe leading to a decrease in water production. Therefore, the water production volume is not constant. Personal opinion, for reference only