Reverse osmosis water purification plant

To be honest, I still come across the fact that many people confuse reverse osmosis with conventional filtration - they say, they installed the membrane and forgot. In factreverse osmosis water purification plantrequires a balance between pressure, membrane selectivity and water specificity. I remember that at one of the facilities in Shandong we had to redo the supply scheme - local water with a high content of hardness salts literally clogged the pores within a week.

Design nuances that are not written in the instructions

Standard assembly often does not take temperature fluctuations into account. For example, when installing a system for a greenhouse complexShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,LtdIt turned out that in summer productivity dropped by 15% due to heating of the source water. I had to add a heat exchanger - a small detail, but without it the project would have failed.

Pressure is a different story. I have seen cases where they tried to save money on high-pressure pumps and installed universal models. The result is constant membrane breakthroughs during power surges. Now I always recommend a cascade system with buffer tanks, especially for agricultural projects with unstable power supply.

By the way, about membranes. Polyamide TFC is a classic, but modified versions are better suited for waters with high iron content. On the website https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru there is a case on adapting osmosis for irrigation systems - this point is discussed in detail there.

Errors in integration into agricultural objects

The most common problem is a discrepancy between performance and real needs. For smart greenhousesShandong Lingyao Co.,LtdWe initially calculated the irrigation volumes without taking into account losses due to membrane washing. As a result, we had to urgently purchase a permeate recovery unit.

Another point: automation. Frequency converters are a must have for reverse osmosis, but their setup is often done in a haphazard way. Helped colleagues configure the system forintegration of water and fertilizers— without fine calibration of pressures, there was an overconsumption of reagents by 20-30%.

Input filtration is the very little thing that ruins projects. Standard 5 micron cartridges do not protect against silty suspensions in water from open sources. It was necessary to develop a three-stage pretreatment system with gravel filters.

Economics vs. Efficiency: finding compromises

They tried to somehow reduce the cost of the project for a small farm - they removed the chemical membrane washing unit. After six months, it was no longer possible to restore productivity. Conclusion: onwater filtration equipmentYou can’t save money, especially in hard water conditions.

The service life of membranes is a separate matter. Manufacturers claim 3-5 years, but in reality it all depends on the operating mode. On the projectconstruction of hydraulic structuresin Shandong province it was possible to extend the service life by 40% by optimizing washing cycles.

Energy consumption is a sore spot. Modern systems with energy recovery save up to 30% of electricity, but their payback begins only with volumes of 10 m3/day. For small greenhouses, we often choose hybrid solutions.

Specifics of working with agricultural projects

Bsmart agricultural parkswater often contains residues of pesticides and fertilizers. Standard membranes are not always effective here—we had to collaborate with chemists to select special polymer coatings.

Seasonality is another factor. For irrigation systemshigh quality agricultural fieldsWe design installations with a capacity reserve for peak periods. Otherwise, in the summer the crops simply will not receive enough water.

Automation of control—you can’t live without it now. We integrate conductivity sensors directly into the permeate and concentrate lines. The data is transferred to the overall farm management system, which makes it possible to predict the replacement of modules.

Practical cases and non-obvious solutions

At one of the facilities for growing microgreens, water with special purity was required - up to 5 μS/cm. I had to combine reverse osmosis with ion exchange filters. Interestingly, the osmosis itself worked in a non-standard mode - with increased pressure and special flushing cycles.

I also remember the project of reconstructing the water treatment system for an old greenhouse. There was little space, so I had to place the modules vertically - a non-standard solution, but it worked. By the way, such nuances often arise when modernizing existingagricultural projects.

Now in my briefcaseShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltdthere are several interesting developments - for example, mobile reverse osmosis units for temporary field stations. The design turned out to be compact but effective due to the use of spiral membrane elements.

To summarize, the main thing in reverse osmosis is not blindly following the instructions, but understanding the chemistry of water and the technological processes of a particular production. And yes, it is always worth making a reserve for productivity - practice shows that clients rarely accurately assess their real water needs.