Partial Concentration of Maple Water by Reverse Osmosis

Description

Study of the partial concentration of maple water; components and operation of a reverse osmosis system; calculation of a concentrator's capacity; verification of filtrate integrity and sugar content; calculation of membrane permeability; procedures for optimal system performance.

Objectives

• Identify the components of a reverse osmosis system
  • Describe the physiological phenomenon of reverse osmosis
  • Describe the components of a concentrator
  • Describe the composition of a composite membrane and a spiral-wound module
  • Describe the possible membrane arrangements
• Calculate the capacity of a concentrator
  • Calculate the dead volume "DV" and residual dead volume "RDV" of a concentrator
• Understand the assembly and disassembly process of a concentrator
  • Describe the steps for assembling a concentrator at the beginning of the season
  • Describe the steps for disassembling a concentrator at the end of the season
• Understand the startup and operation of a concentrator
  • Describe the startup process at the beginning of the season
  • Describe the various methods for operating a concentrator
• Determine the pure water permeability (PWP) and membrane efficiency
  • Describe the phenomenon of membrane fouling
  • Calculate the pure water permeability (PWP) of membranes
  • Calculate membrane efficiency
• Understand the periodic maintenance tasks of a concentrator
  • Describe how and when to replace prefilter cartridges
  • Describe the processes for temporary and long-term membrane storage
  • Develop an operation, performance, and maintenance log for a concentrator
  • Describe the shutdown procedure for a concentrator, including washing and rinsing

Content Overview

• Principle of Reverse Osmosis: semi-permeable membrane, molecules, sugar, minerals, mechanical pressure, osmotic pressure, etc.
• Components of a Concentrator: feed pump, pre-filters, high-pressure pump, membranes, recirculation pump, Brix reader, etc.
• Composition of Composite and Spiral-Wound Membranes: surface layer, microporous layer, support fabric, membrane film, mesh separator, sealing joint, etc.
• Membrane Arrangement: parallel, series
• Capacity of a Concentrator: dead volume and residual dead volume
• Concentrator Operations: concentration, de-sugaring, washing, rinsing
• Membrane Fouling: soluble and insoluble residues
• Calculation of PWP (Pure Water Permeability) and Membrane Efficiency: filtrate, pressure, flow rate, temperature, correction factor, etc.
• Periodic Maintenance: pre-filters, membrane storage, operation log, system shutdown at the end of the season