THE APPLICATION OF A NOVEL CHEMICAL TREATMENT PROGRAM TO MITIGATE SCALING AND FOULING IN REVERSE-OSMOSIS UNITS

The principal cause of reverse osmosis (RO) system failures is membrane fouling, which results from the accumulation of water-formed or water-borne deposits that impede the flow of fluid and increase the pressure differential across a membrane. Anti-scalant chemicals have been used for many years in RO units to minimize fouling, prevent scaling, and improve RO plant performance. The conventional method for controlling scale formation on membranes involves addition of sulfuric acid and a scale inhibitor to the feed water. However, the desire for improved chemical treatment programs to prevent scaling and fouling in RO units brought Saudi Aramco and Specialty Chemical Suppliers together. The challenge to produce a chemical treatment program that was simpler, safer, and more economical than the traditional sulfuric acid treatment and a scale inhibitor was identified as a mutual goal. This paper presents the results of intensive trials conducted by Saudi Aramco and the chemical suppliers to evaluate commercially available chemical formulations.