Method of operating and monitoring a group of filter membrane mo

Details Method of operating and monitoring a group of filter membrane mo Method of operating and monitoring a group of filter membrane mo

1997-12-08

1999-12-14

Fortuna, Ana

Liquid purification or separation

Processes

Liquid/liquid solvent or colloidal extraction or diffusing...

210650, 2102572, 2103331, 21033301, 210 90, B01D 6100

Patent

active

060012544

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method of operating and monitoring a group of filter membrane modules, and also to a group of modules implementing the method, with a particular application to filtering water.
It has long been the practice to obtain potable water from natural waters (lakes, rivers) that are polluted to a greater or lesser extent, and to do so by means of installations that are fixed, given the techniques used. The recent appearance of filter membranes disposed in bundles within filter modules has made it possible to implement mobile installations suitable for taking action in the event of a fixed installation failing or in an emergency, e.g. when providing humanitarian aid.
Known mobile installations operate with pumps, including at least a booster pump and a pump for backwashing the membranes, which pumps consume a great deal of electricity. In some cases, installations are required to operate in areas without electricity so it is necessary to provide generator units and the fuel required to run them.
In addition, it is difficult to monitor the operation of filter modules, and if anomalies are observed to appear, it is very difficult or even impossible to find out the exact cause: excessive clogging, or membrane rupture in a module, and if so in which module, backwashing failure in a module, etc. . . .
Such installations usually operate on demand, i.e. they periodically stop production. When they are designed for temporary operation, they must also be capable of remaining unharmed during long periods of no operation. In both cases it is necessary to provide for the circuits to be chlorinated in order to avoid bacteria proliferating since that could damage the membranes or could be dangerous when the installation is put back into operation. Chlorination is performed by periodically injecting chlorinated water into the circuits by pumping.
In an emergency situation, the water to be treated may be unusually polluted and it is often necessary not only to perform periodic backwashing, but also to perform cleaning using appropriate cleaning substances. It is therefore necessary for the installation to be fitted with a cleaning circuit, and that requires a pump.
A water treatment assembly must therefore satisfy the following needs: production capacity so as to facilitate transport thereof; pumps as possible; circuit; and state of the filter membranes, and to proceed with appropriate corrective action.


OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention solves the problem by providing a method of operating and monitoring a group of filter membrane modules connected in parallel, in which method: regulated pressure and the outlet pressure of the permeate (filtered water) is regulated to a value that is lower than that of the inlet pressure, but nevertheless sufficient to enable the filter membrane modules to be backwashed; duct and with three pressure sensors, a first on the raw water inlet, a second on the permeate outlet, and a third on the backwashing circuit, the meter and the sensors delivering signals to a controller; permeate from the other modules, thereby individualizing each module while it is being backwashed, thus making it possible with the water meter and the pressure sensors to determine the permeability in backwashing specific to the module thus individualized, and also to determine the production permeability of the remaining modules; and values, with threshold values, and/or with values from earlier cycles so that, depending on the diagnosis obtained, the periodicity of backwashing is modified, the group of modules is cleaned, or an operating anomaly is detected, thereby enabling it to be corrected.
When there are provided both a chlorination circuit for periods when production is stopped and a circuit for cleaning the group of modules, then a common pump of low capacity, which therefore consumes little electricity, and situated in the permeate circuit serves to circulate the cleaning substance or the chlorinated water around each of the respective circuits

REFERENCES:
patent: 4670150 (1987-06-01), Hsiung et al.
patent: 5043071 (1991-08-01), Anselme et al.
patent: 5262053 (1993-11-01), Meier
patent: 5285903 (1994-02-01), Sorenson et al.
patent: 5549829 (1996-08-01), Le

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