Reverse Osmosis Systems: Design, Optimization and Troubleshooting Guide

Reverse Osmosis Systems: Design, Optimization and Troubleshooting Guide describes in depth knowledge of designing and operating reverse osmosis (RO) systems for water desalination, and covers issues which will effect the probability for the long-standing success of the application. It also provides guidelines that will increase the performance of seawater RO desalination systems by avoiding errors in the design and operation and suggest corrective measures and troubleshooting of the problems encountered during RO operation. This book also provides guidelines for the best RO design and operational performance. In the introductory section, the book covers the history of RO along with the fundamentals, principles, transport models, and equations. Following sections cover the practical areas such as pretreatment processes, design parameters, design software programs (WAVE, IMSDesign, TORAYDS2, Lewaplus, ROAM Ver. 2.0, Winflows etc.), RO performance monitoring, normalization software programs (RODataXL and TorayTrak), troubleshooting as well as system engineering. Simplified methods to use the design software programs are also properly illustrated and the screenshots of the results, methods etc. are also given here along with a video tutorial.The final section of the book includes the frequently asked questions along with their answers. Moreover, various case studies carried out and recent developments related to RO system performance, membrane fouling, scaling, and degradation studies have been analyzed. The book also has several work out examples, which are detailed in a careful as well as simple manner that help the reader to understand and follow it properly. The information presented in some of the case studies are obtained from existing commercial RO desalination plants. These topics enable the book to become a perfect tool for engineers and plant operators/technicians, who are responsible for RO system design, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. With the right system design, proper operation, and maintenance program, the RO system can offer high purity water for several years.

• Provides guidelines for the optimum design and operational performance of reverse osmosis desalination plants
• Presents step-by-step procedure to design reverse osmosis system with the latest design software programs along with a video tutorial
• Analyzes some of the issues faced during the design and operation of the reverse osmosis desalination systems, suggest corrective measures and its troubleshooting
• Discusses reverse osmosis desalination pretreatment processes, design parameters, system performance monitoring, and normalization software programs
• Examines recent developments related to system performance, membrane fouling, and scaling studies
• Presents case studies related to commercial reverse osmosis desalination plants
• Perfect training guide for engineers and plant operators, who are responsible for reverse osmosis system design, operation and maintainance

Prof. Syed Javaid Zaidi is presently the QAFAC Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University. He did B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Aligarh Muslim University, India, M.S. in Chemical Engineeing from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Laval University, Canada. He has more than twenty five years of teaching and research experience in the area of clean water and clean energy in Canada, Australia, USA, and Saudi Arabia. He has worked in King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, The University of Queensland Australia, Laval University, Canada and had been visiting Scholar at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, USA. He has extensive experience in the desalination research and have supervised many graduate students in clean water and clean energy. He has published more than 300 papers in International Journals/book chapters, conferences and has 14 US Patents and patent applications. He has conducted joint projects in reverse osmosis desalination in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA for the development of nano-structured membranes for reverse osmosis desalination. He has collaborated with industry and provided technical support to industry in water technology and clean energy projects. He was Founding member of the Center of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy, a national research center, was its co-Director and member of the Board of Directors. He was the member of Research Advisory Committee of University headed by the Rector of university, Member of National Unifying efforts in desalination and presently honorary member of Advisory Council of Arab Water Desalination (ARWDEX). At Qatar University he took initiative for the establishment of Water Technology unit, is its founding member and coordinator. He has been invited to contribute to the UNESCO Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is world’s largest Encyclopaedia developed under the auspices of UNESCO and contributed two chapters on “Seawater Desalination Membranes and Experience of SWRO in Qatar” and “Salt and Water Transport in Reverse Osmosis and Biofouling”. He is the recipient of many national and international awards including Excellence in Research Award, Patent Award, Almari Prize for Research Innovation and Lifetime Achievement Award by Venus Intrnational Foundation.

Haleema Saleem is a Researcher in the Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, and she holds an MSc Degree in Chemical Engineering from Khalifa University (Petroleum Institute), UAE. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Haleema has great interest and knowledge in the reverse osmosis membranes and processes. She has about thirteen years of industrial and academic experience. Haleema also has good experience working with several polymers and nanomaterials. She has 45 publications in high impact international peer-reviewed journals and as book chapters. Haleema has extensive work experience on water treatment, desalination, reverse osmosis, membranes, thin-film composites, nanomaterials membrane testing and characterization and collaborated on several industrial projects. She has also been invited speaker on numerous international seminars and conferences on desalination and nanomaterials. She is also the co-author of two chapters on “Seawater Desalination Membranes and Experience of SWRO in Qatar” and “Salt and Water Transport in Reverse Osmosis and Biofouling” in the UNESCO Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is world’s largest Encyclopaedia developed under the auspices of UNESCO. Haleema has also mentored several graduate students on the environmental impact assessment of desalination plants, produced water management, water treatment, and nanofiber membranes. Her research area is mainly focussed on desalination, reverse osmosis, membranes, thin-film composites, nanomaterials etc.