Performance Analysis of 20 Micron Self-cleaning Disc Filter Versus Cartridge Filters for RO Membrane Protection After Media Filtration in a SWRO System

This analysis compared the use of traditional 20 micron cartridge filters versus self-cleaning disc filters between media filtration and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in seawater desalination systems (SWRO).The disc filters were found to provide superior water quality, providing effluent with fewer total solids, more efficient removal of larger particles, stable effluent quality and better removal of dinoflagellates. The disc filters are not a consumable, but a self-cleaning media which eliminates disposal costs and drastically reduces labor costs associated with cartridge replacement. The disc filters are designed to operate with a low clean system pressure differential and to self-clean at a set point of 0.5 bar (7 PSI) resulting in an average pressure differential of 0.2-0.27 bar (3-4 PSI), whereas the cartridge filters have an average pressure differential of 1.17 bar (17 PSI). This leads to a reduction of energy costs related to pressure differential across the filter system.