RO Pumps and Motors…
Reverse Osmosis System Efficiency: Pumps and Motors.
The global requirement for fresh pure water is driving innovation in the water filtration industry as a whole, but especially with the reverse osmosis (RO) process. Being one of the most efficient and cost effective ways to desalinate and create clean drinking water, innovation of the components of reverse osmosis systems are helping to make the process even more efficient and cost effective. The components that are making the most impact in driving the costs down and efficiency up, aside from the reverse osmosis membrane are the RO motors and RO pumps. The reverse osmosis process is a cross-flow technology and requires higher pressure, produced by RO pumps such as Procon Pumps, to ensure the highest efficiencies.
With the recent advancements in reverse osmosis technology specifically pertaining to energy recovery devices, the reverse osmosis systems are able to utilize the pressure and the flow of the rejected water to facilitate better efficiency. This allows assembles of the RO motors and RO pumps to be smaller and decreases the overall energy requirement for the plant. Using high efficiency motors, such as Marathon motors, and high quality pumps such as Procon pumps, allows there to be less strain on the reverse osmosis membrane.
Improvements in reverse osmosis membranes have allowed the RO systems to use smaller and more efficient RO pumps and RO motors to achieve the same output. The flow rate is an important aspect of the overall efficiency of the reverse osmosis system and it can be properly regulated with quality RO pumps, like Procon pumps. There are several factors that influence the recovery of the purified water consisting of: membrane size, membrane surface area, membrane pore size, temperature, and operating pressure.
RO pumps supply the necessary pressure to overcome the resistance of the salt that gets held back by the membrane and push water through the reverse osmosis membrane. Depending on how much salt that is being filtered the RO pumps and RO motors have to be adjusted to balance enough power to overcome the salt but not so much that it strains the membrane. Typical pressures required for brackish waters are 225 – 375 psi, whereas salt water reverse osmosis (SWRO) much higher pressures in the range of 800 – 1,180 psi. Using efficient RO pumps and RO motors can ensure that the total energy expended to purify even the densest salt water uses the minimal amount of energy.
In order to get the brackish groundwater to the surface for effective treatment with a reverse osmosis system, RO pumps and RO motor have to be able to draw the groundwater from hundreds of meters under the surface. The more efficiently that the brackish water can be extracted from the ground using the latest in pump/motor technology, the less energy the reverse osmosis system will consume.
The world requires pure clean water and reverse osmosis systems seem to be leading the way. By increasing the efficiency of all of the various components such as RO pumps and RO motors, the system designers can lower cost and improve the overall purification process. The latest innovations in pump and motor technology for the reverse osmosis systems are providing improved efficiency of the total reverse osmosis system, which provides better access to clean pure water for individuals and industry.
