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Performance of Reverse Osmosis Units at High Temperatures

Conference Paper · October 2001

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 Al-Mutaz,I.S., M. A. Al-Ghunaimi, “Performance of Reverse Osmosis Units
at High Temperatures”, THE IDA WORLD CONGRESS ON DESALINATION AND
WATER REUSE, BAHRAIN, OCTOBER 26 – 31, 2001.
Performance of Reverse Osmosis Units at High Temperatures

Ibrahim S. Al-Mutaz1 , Mohammad A. Al-Ghunaimi2

1) Chemical Eng. Dept., College of Engineering,
King Saud University, P O Box 800, Riyadh 1 1421
e-mail: almutaz@ksu.edu.sa
2) Riyadh Water and Sewage Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract:
There are few parameters which are typically used to describe the performance of
reverse osmosis units operation. Product flow rate and salt rejection are the key
performance parameters. They are mainly influenced by variable parameters such as
pressure, temperature recovery and feed water salt concentration. The effect of
temperature on membrane performance is the most important parameter. When
temperature of feed water is increased for constant product flow the required applied
feed pressure decreases and the product water salinity increases. Energy consumption
is decreased as the applied pressure decreases. If the permeate flow is let to increase
as the temperature increase fewer membrane elements will be required. This leads to a
considerable saving in the water production cost. As a rule of thumb membrane
capacity increases about 3% per degree Celsius increase in water temperature.

In this paper, intensive trials will be undertaken to study the performance of reverse
osmosis units. Known computer software will be used for this purpose as well as
some operating data of Riyadh water treatment plants. It is expected that this work
will help in optimizing the operation of reverse osmosis units. The balance between
feed pressure, recovery, flux and membrane area will be maintained at the desired
product water quality.

Introduction
Well water every where is found at high temperatures. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia raw
water from deep wells is pumped at a temperature in the range of 50-60 oC. The first
step in treatment of this water is cooling. Cooling takes place in cascade chillers
(forced draught towers) to bring the temperature down to 30-35 oC to meet the RO
membrane specifications[1]. If high temperature membranes are available cooling of
raw water can be eliminated.

The limit of practical operating temperature is established by the characteristics of the

membrane polymer. Depending upon the membrane manufacturer guidelines, the
maximum allowable temperatures varies from 35 to 45 oC; e. g. Toyobo 35 oC,
DuPont 40 oC, Dow/FilmTec, Fluid Systems, Hydranautics and Toray 45 oC.

Permeate and salt passage increase with increasing the feed water temperature. There
is about 3 % increase in water production rate for each degree rise in temperature.
However, the increase in feed water temperature accelerates the rate of membrane
degradation. High temperature also affects the membrane retention coefficient. Low
membrane retention is obtained at high temperature. So optimizing of the operation
of reverse osmosis system should be studied in order to maintain the desired product
water quality at the optimum operating variables.

Basic Reverse Osmosis Relations

The osmotic pressure, π, of a solution can be related to the concentration of dissolved

salts in solution by the following Equation:

π = 1.19 (t + 273) * Σ (mi) (1)

where π = osmotic pressure, psi, t is the temperature, °C, and Σ (mi) is the sum of
molal concentration of all constituents in a solution. An approximation for π may be
given by:

0.0385 C (t  273)
  (2)
C
1000 
1000

where C is the total dissolved solids (TDS), mg/l (ppm). So at 1000 ppm of total
dissolved solids the osmotic pressure, π, equals about 11.5 psi (0.79 bar).

The rate of water passage through the reverse osmosis membrane is given by the
following relation:
Fw = Kw (P -  ) A / x (3)

where Fw is the rate of water flow through the membrane, P is the hydraulic
pressure differential across the membrane,  is the osmotic pressure differential
across the membrane, Kw is the membrane permeability coefficient for water, A is the
membrane area, and x is the membrane thickness.

The rate of salt flow through the membrane is is given by the following relation:

Fs = Ks (Cf - Cp ) (4)

where Fs is the flow rate of salt through the membrane, Ks is the membrane
permeability coefficient for salt, (Cf - Cp ) is the salt concentration differential across
the membrane, where Cf is the feed water concentration and Cp is the product
(permeate) water concentration.

The salinity of the permeate, Cp, depends on the relative rates of water and salt
transport through reverse osmosis membrane. It can be given by:

Cp = Fs / Fw (5)

Permeate recovery or conversion rate of feed water is defined by the following

Equation:
 R = 100 * (Fw / Ff) (6)

where R is recovery rate, %, Fw is the product water flow rate, and Ff is the feed
water flow rate.

Salt passage and salt rejection is the opposite to each other. Salt passage is defined as
the ratio of concentration of salt on the permeate side of the membrane relative to the
average feed concentration. It can be expressed by the following relation:

SP = 100 * (Cp / Cfm) (7)

where SP is the salt passage, %, Cp is the salt concentration in the permeate, and Cfm
is the mean salt concentration in feed stream. So the salt rejection, SR, is defined by
the following Equation:

SR = 100 – SP (8), or
= 100 * (Cfm - Cp )/ Cfm

Performance of Reverse Osmosis Units

Upon solving the previous basic RO Equations, the applied feed pressure as a function
of feed salinity is shown on Figure 1. As the feed salt concentration increases the
required feed pressure increases too. If the feed pressure is kept constant, an increase
in the feed concentration will cause the water flux to drop. The increasing osmatic
pressure due to the increase in salt concentration offsets the feed driving pressure.

Also from the basic RO Equations, it is obvious that the rate of water flow through a
membrane is proportional to net driving pressure differential, NDP, (P-  ) across
the membrane. Water flux increases in direct proportion to an increase in the applied
pressure. However, the membrane permeability coefficient for water, Kw, is not
constant anymore if the pressure increased. It is rather decreased as the feed pressure
increased, as show in Figure 2[2]. This phenomena is known as membrane
compaction. It imposes a limitation on the feed pressure.

Compaction will yield an increase in the density of membrane material which will
decreases the rate of diffusion of water and dissolved constituents through the
membrane. As a result of compaction, higher pressure has to be applied to maintained
the design permeate flow. The effect of compaction is more significant in asymmetric
cellulose membranes than in composite polyamide membranes. In seawater RO,
where the feed pressure is much higher than in brackish applications, the compaction
process will be more significant. Usually membrane compaction results in few percent
flux decline, and has strongest effect during the initial operating period[3].

The rate of salt flow is mainly proportional to the concentration differential across the
membrane. The concentration gradient across the membrane acts as a driving force
for the flow of salt through the membrane. This is reflected by Equations 3 and 4. As
feed concentration increases membrane water flux decreases and salt flux increases.
An increase in operating pressure will affect both the water flux and the salt rejection.
However, there is an upper limit to the amount of salt that can be excluded by
increasing the feed pressure. Above that limit some salt will coupled with water
flowing through the membrane. Salt passage is an inverse function of pressure; that is,
the salt passage increases as applied pressure decreases. This is because reduced
pressure decreases permeate flow rate and cause a dilution of salt.

The recovery rate affects salt passage and product flow. As the recovery rate
increases, the salt concentration on the feed-brine side of the membrane increases,
which causes an increase in salt flow rate across the membrane as indicated by
Equation 4. Also, a higher salt concentration in the feed-brine solution increases the
osmotic pressure, reducing the NDP and consequently reducing the product water
flow rate according to Equation 1. The maximum recovery possible in any RO system
usually depends not on the limiting osmotic pressure, but on the concentration of the
salt present in the feed water and their tendency to precipitate on the membrane
surface[4]. Chemical treatment of feed water can help in preventing salt precipitation
and cause significant increase in recovery.

Effect of Temperature on RO Performance

The rate of water permeation through the membrane increase as the feed water
temperature increases since the viscosity of the solution is reduced and higher
diffusion rate of water through the membrane is obtained[5]. Increasing feed water
temperature will yield lower salt rejection or higher salt passage due to higher
diffusion rate for salt through the membrane. Figure 3 shows the variation of water
flux and salt rejection as function of temperature[6].

The change in the permeate flux with temperature can be described by the following
Equation:
TCF = exp(K*(1/(273+t) - 1/298)) (9)

Where TCF is temperature correction factor, K is a constant characteristic for a given

membrane material, and t is feed water temperature in degrees Celsius. In this
Equation, a temperature of 25 oC is used as a reference point, with TCF = 1. The rate
of change in permeate flux is about 3 % per degree. Alternatively, the temperature
correction factor, TCF, can be expressed as follows:

TCF = a(t – 25) = flux at t oC / flux at 25 oC (10)

Where a is constant between 1.024 and 1.03. Table 1 shows the expected increase in
the flux due to temperature rise with reference to 25 oC.

Table 1
Expected Increase in Flux Due to Temperature Rise
Temperature, oC TCF % Increase in Flux
30 1.16 16
35 1.344 34.4
40 1.55 55
When temperature of feed water is increased for constant product flow the required
applied pressure decreases and the product water salinity increases. The reduction in
the required feed pressure can be displayed on the Table 2 where 25 oC was taken as a
basis[7]. Energy consumption is decreased as the applied feed pressure decreases.
Operating at higher temperature will allow an increase in the productivity. If the
permeate flow is let to increase as the temperature increase fewer membrane elements
will be required. This leads to a considerable saving in the water production cost.

Table 2
Reduction in Required Pressure as Function of Feed Temperature
Temperature, oC % of Rated Pressure
20 116
21 113
25 100
32 79
35 73

Water permeability of the membrane increases with the increase in feed water
temperature. About 1.5% per degree is expected to increase in water permeability of
the membrane. Effect of feed temperature on the membrane permeability coefficient
for water is reflected on Figure 4. The graph data was collected from Manfouha-I
Water Treatment in Riyadh[2].

An analysis of some operating data of Riyadh water treatment plants and computer
codes provided by manufacturer were conducted. The variations of product
concentration and feed pressure with temperature while holding a constant permeation
rate at 378 m3 /day and recover at 75% are displayed on Table 3 and Figure 5. These
data were generated the FilmTech software[8].

Table 4
Values of Product Concentration and Feed Pressure at Various Temperatures
Temperature, oC TDS, mg/l Pressure, bar
5 12 27.3
10 13 23.1
15 14 19.7
20 16 17.0
25 17 14.8
30 19 14.8
35 21 11.9
40 23 10.8
45 26 9.8
50 28 9.0
55 31 8.3
60 35 7.7
65 38 7.2
70 43 6.8
Conclusions

The performance of reverse osmosis system was studied and analysis theoretically
and by running some known computer software. Operating data of Riyadh water
treatment plants were also used. The effect of temperature on membrane performance
is the most important parameter. It was found that higher feed water temperature will
result in a better RO operation.

When temperature of feed water is increased for constant product flow the required
applied feed pressure decreases and the product water salinity increases. Energy
consumption is decreased as the applied pressure decreases. If the permeate flow is let
to increase as the temperature increase fewer membrane elements will be required.
This leads to a considerable saving in the water production cost. The rate of change in
permeate flux is about 3 % per degree Celsius increase in water temperature.

References

1- I.S. Al-Mutaz,, M. A. Al-Ghunaimi and S. A. Al-Busaili, “pH Increase In Water

Distribution Pipes”, IDA World Congress on Desalination and Water Re-Use, San
Diego, USA, Aug 29 to Sept 3, 1999.

2- I.S. Al-Mutaz, and B. Al-Sultan, “Prediction of Performance of RO Desalination

Plants”, The Third Gulf Water Conference, Muscat, Oman, March 8-13, 1997.

3- I.S. Al-Mutaz, and B. Al-Sultan, “Operation Characteristics of Manfouha Reverse

Osmosis Plants” The IDA World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse,
Madrid, Spain, October 6-9,1997.

4- Hydranautics, www.membranes.com , Technical Information.

5- S. Sourirajan, Pure and Applied Chemistry 50, 593, 1979.

6- J.E. Cadotte, R.J. Petersen, R.E. Larson and E.E. Erickson, “A new thin-film
composite seawater reverse osmosis membrane”, Desalination 32, 25, 1980.

7- H.W. Pohland, “Seawater Desalination and Reverse Osmosis Plant Design“

Desalination 32, 157, 1980.

8. FilemTech Membrane Elements, Technical Manual, April 1995.

Published
Al-Mutaz,I.S., M. A. Al-Ghunaimi, “Performance of Reverse Osmosis Units at High
Temperatures”, THE IDA WORLD CONGRESS ON DESALINATION AND WATER REUSE,
BAHRAIN, OCTOBER 26 – 31, 2001.
 100

80
Applied Pressure, psi

60

40

20

0 2000 4000 6000 8000

Feed Concentration, ppm

Figure 1 Effect of Feed Concentration on the Applied Pressure.

6.4E-012

6E-012
Membrane Permeability Coefficient

5.6E-012

5.2E-012

4.8E-012

4.4E-012

25.5 26 26.5 27 27.5 28

Feed Pressure, psi
Figure 2 Effect of Feed Pressure on the membrane permeability coefficient for water.
(Graph Data is Collected From Manfouha-I Water Treatment in Riyadh, calculations
were given else where [2,3])
 80 99.6

99.4

60
Flux

Salt Rejection, %
Water Flux, gfd

99.2

40

99
SR

20 98.8

20 30 40 50 60
Temperature, oC

Figure 3 Water Flux and Salt Rejection as Function of Temperature[6].

6.1E-012

6E-012
Membrane Pereability Coefficient

5.9E-012

5.8E-012

5.7E-012

5.6E-012

28 30 32 34 36
Temperature, oC

Figure 4 Effect of Feed Temperature on the Membrane Permeability Coefficient for

Water. (Graph Data is Collected From Manfouha-I Water Treatment in Riyadh,
calculations were given else where [2,3])
 50 30

25
40

Prodcut Conc., mg/l

20

Pressure, bar
30

15

20
10
Prod. Conc.
Pressure

10 5

0 20 40 60 80
Temperature, oC

Figure 5 Variations of Product Concentration and Feed Pressure with Temperature at

a Constant Permeation Rate of 378 m3 /day and Recovery of 75%.

Published
Al-Mutaz,I.S., M. A. Al-Ghunaimi, “Performance of Reverse Osmosis Units at High
Temperatures”, THE IDA WORLD CONGRESS ON DESALINATION AND WATER REUSE,
BAHRAIN, OCTOBER 26 – 31, 2001.

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